Our Team
Adjunct Scholars
Along with the dozen Jesuit and diocesan priest-astronomers at the Specola, there are another dozen scientists from around the world who serve as Adjunct Scholars to the Specola. These scientists, all approved by the Vatican, work in fields that complement the astronomical work of the Specola, while continuing to be supported by their own home institutions.
Adjunct Scholars advance our science, and carry forward the name and reputation of the Vatican Observatory. They can use the facilities of the Observatory… like getting time on our Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope in Arizona, or spending time at our headquarters in Castel Gandolfo.
Adjunct Scholars are appointed by the Director, with the approval of the President of the Governatorato of the Vatican CIty State or his/her delegate.
Associate Scholars and Technical Assistants
Associate Scholars are appointed at the discretion of the Director for young scientists separated from the Specola while they pursue studies or other work toward their religious or scientific formation.
Technical Assistants are qualified specialists whose expertise is donated to support the Specola’s work, for example to maintain its historical instruments and collections. The Director may, with the approval of the President of the Governatorato of SCV or his delegate, designate such volunteers who will have full access to the areas of their work.
Claudio Costa
Rev. Matteo Galaverni
Federico Balzoni
Antonio Coretti
Romano Reggio
Assunta Rodia
Gina Savinetti
Summer Franks
Michael Franz
Gary Gray
Chris Johnson
Paul Smith
Rev. Sabino Maffeo, S.J.
Rev. Sabino Maffeo, S.J. was the assistant to the director of the Vatican Observatory from 1985-2003 and continued working at the observatory as a historian and archivist until 2017, when he retired at the age of 95. He was born in Somma Vesuviana, Naples, Italy in 1922 and joined the Jesuits in 1937 at the age of 15. He earned a B.A. in philosophy and a B.A. in theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, and was ordained a priest in 1953…
Rev. George V. Coyne, S.J.
January 19, 1933 - February 11, 2020
Rev. George V. Coyne, S.J. was born on January 19, 1933 in Baltimore, MD, the third of nine children. He attended Catholic elementary schools and received a full scholarship to Jesuit-run Loyola Blakefield High School in Towson, MD.
Upon graduation in 1951 he entered the Jesuit novitiate at Wernersville, PA. During his first year of studies in Latin and Greek literature, he was instructed by a Jesuit priest who, in addition to having a Ph.D. in the classical languages, also had a M.S. in mathematics and an educated interest in astronomy; he noticed George’s interest in astronomy and encouraged him in the field.
George earned a B.S. in mathematics and licentiate in philosophy from Fordham University in 1958, a Ph.D. in astronomy in 1962 from Georgetown University, and finally the licentiate in sacred theology from Woodstock College in 1966, the year after his ordination…
Rev. William R. Stoeger, S.J.
October 5, 1943 - March 24, 2014
Rev. William R. Stoeger, S.J. was born in 1943 in Torrance, California and grew up in Redondo Beach, California. He was a staff scientist for the Vatican Observatory Research Group in Tucson, specializing in theoretical cosmology, high-energy astrophysics, and interdisciplinary studies relating to science, philosophy and theology…
Rev. Andrew Whitman, S.J.
February 28, 1926 - January 7, 2015
Rev. Andrew Whitman, S.J. was born in Detroit, MI, on February 28, 1926, into a very loving, Catholic family. But within a few years the Depression hit the motor city and everything collapsed — jobs, mortgage, etc. — and chaos reigned…
Rev. Sabino Maffeo, S.J.
Rev. Sabino Maffeo, S.J. was the assistant to the director of the Vatican Observatory from 1985-2003 and continued working at the observatory as a historian and archivist until 2017, when he retired at the age of 95. He was born in Somma Vesuviana, Naples, Italy in 1922 and joined the Jesuits in 1937 at the age of 15. He earned a B.A. in philosophy and a B.A. in theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, and was ordained a priest in 1953…
Mrs. Stacye DeJulius
New York, NY
Dr. Guy Di Spigno
Rev. Pavel Gabor, S.J.
Tucson, AZ
Mr. John M. Lally
Pittsburgh, PA
Dr. Linda Lapos
Allentown, PA
Msgr. David A. Rubino
Erie, PA
Mr. Richard A. DiClaudio
Pittsburgh, PA.
Mr. Richard C. Gordon
Las Vegas, NV
Mr. J. Michael Kelly
Chevy Chase, MD
Mr. Andrew J. Strenio, Jr.
Bethesda, MD
Paul Wirth
Allentown, PA.
Mr. Christopher Kennedy
New York, NY
Mr. Robert Trembley
Clinton Township, MI
Mr. Christopher M. Graney
Louisville, KY
Mrs. Jeannette Hartshorne
Tucson, AZ
Ms. Michelle Cournoyer
Tucson, AZ
Mr. John M. Lally
Pittsburgh, PA
Dr. Guy Di Spigno
Dr. Linda Lapos
Allentown, PA
Dr. Guy Di Spigno
Br. Guy J. Consolmagno, S.J.
Tucson, AZ
Mr. Brian W. Fitzpatrick
Lake Tahoe, CA
Ms. Kathryn R. Riemer
Phoenix, AZ
Mr. Christopher M. Graney
Louisville, KY
Mr. Christopher Kennedy
New York, NY
Br. Guy J. Consolmagno, S.J.
Tucson, AZ
Rev. Pavel Gabor, S.J.
Tucson, AZ
Rev. Christopher J. Corbally, S.J.
Tucson, AZ
Dr. Guy Di Spigno
Mr. Paul (Mickey) Pohl
Pittsburgh, PA
Ms. Jane Belford, Esq.
Washington, DC
Mr. Patrick J. Finneran, Jr.
Newnan, GA
Mr. Brian W. Fitzpatrick
Lake Tahoe, CA
Mr. Claude Lamoureux
Montreal, QC, Canada
Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J.
Scranton, PA
Ms. Kathryn R. Riemer
Phoenix, AZ
Mr. Joseph B. Starshak
Chicago IL
Rev. David A. Brown, S.J.
Tucson, AZ
Dr. Larry Lebofsky
Tucson, AZ