Congratulations to Associate Professor John Lydon, a member of our Province's Salesian Schools team, who has been appointed following a highly competitive process to the role of Executive Editor for the Routledge International Studies in Catholic Education journal published by Taylor & Francis, on behalf of St Mary's University, London. John will take on the role from January 2022 from founding editor Professor Gerald Grace, who has overseen its growth since 2009 to become the most widely circulated journal in Catholic Education in the world.

Assoc Prof Lydon has been associated closely with the journal over the years and has given outstanding service to Catholic education networks including the Executive Committees of the international World Union of Catholic Teachers (WUCT); Catholic Association of Teachers Schools and Colleges (CATSC) of England and Wales and the Network for Researchers in Catholic Education (NfRCE). He is also a multi-disciplinary expert on the Catholic-Inspired Non-Governmental Organisations (CINGO) Forum. John was first appointed Book Review Editor for the journal and then subsequently Associate Editor and has contributed to the journal as an author. His article on 'Transmission of the Charism' in 2009, remains one of the most downloaded articles published in the journal.

The Provost of St Mary's University, Professor John Charmley, said: 'the appointment of John Lydon as Editor of the International Studies in Catholic Education journal is a well-deserved recognition of John's lifetime of work in this field, where he has himself pioneered the way in terms of developing leadership in Catholic schools ... If I may add a personal note, John is a dedicated servant of the University, and it gives me a particular delight to see him recognised in this way'.

Associate Professor Lydon is a Director of the Xavier Education Trust Multi Academy Trust Board and a Governor of St John Bosco College Battersea.

Photo (courtesy of John Lydon) left to right: Professor Grace (current editor of the journal) with Cardinal Versaldi (Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education) and Associate Professor John Lydon (new editor of the journal from 2022).

Find out more about International Studies in Catholic Education on the link below