Thomas-Joseph Bouquillon (1840–1902) was a Belgian Catholic theologian and priest. He was the first professor of moral theology at the Catholic University of America and introduced social sciences into its curriculum. Regarded as a prominent Catholic theologian of his time, his contributions focus on theology, the history of theology, ecclesiastical history, canon law, and bibliography. Bouquillon was active and influential in the organization of the Catholic universities of Lille and Washington; he supported the views of Archbishop John Ireland and Edward McGlynn. Life Thomas-Joseph Bouquillon was born on 16 May 1840 in Warneton, Belgium, . He was the second son of five children in a family of small landholders long established at Warneton. He received his early education at local schools and at the College of St Louis at Menin. He studied Philosophy at the Minor Seminary, Roeselare and theology at the seminary of Bruges. Having entered the Georgian University in Rome in 1863, he was ordained as a priest in 1865 and made a doctor of theology in 1867. After ten years at the Bruges seminary (1867–77) and eight years at the Catholic University of Lille, France, as professor of moral theology, Bouquillon retired to the Benedictine monastery at Maredsous and devoted his energies to the preparation of the second edition of his treatise on fundamental moral theology. In 1892 he accepted the chair of moral theology at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, where he remained until his death on 5 November 1902 in Brussels, Belgium. Works Though never in robust health, Bouquillon was a tireless student. When he entered the field of moral theology, he found the field enjoying no prestige, having dwindled to mere compilations of conclusions to the neglect of principles. It was out of touch, consequently, with the closely related dogmatic and advancing social sciences, and the methods employed in its teaching were far from perfect. In his whole career as a professor and author Bouquillon aimed to revive moral theology from its poor academic condition and to restore proper method and dignity in the field. He emphasized the historical and sociological aspects of principles and problems in his field. Few theologians of his day were more widely consulted in Europe and America than Bouquillon. He enjoyed and retained the intimate confidence of Pope Leo XIII and of many eminent churchmen, and showed throughout his life devotion to the ideals, teaching, and