Nicholas Ayo is a priest in the Congregation of Holy Cross. He holds the S.T.L. degree in theology from the Gregorian University in Rome and the Ph.D. in literature from Duke University. After ten years teaching literature at the University of Portland in Oregon, Father Ayo became the Director of Novices for the Congregation of Holy Cross in North America. He taught in the Great Books Program at the University of Notre Dame from 1981 until his retirement in 2004. His other books include 'The Sermon-Conferences of St. Thomas Aquinas' (1988); 'The Creed as Symbol' (1989); 'The Lord's Prayer' (1992); 'The Hail Mary: A Verbal Icon' (1994); 'The Sacred Marriage: The Wisdom of the Song of Songs'; 'Where Joy and Sorrow Meet' (1998); 'Signs of Grace: Meditations on the Notre Dame Campus' (2001); and 'Times of Grace: Spiritual Rhythms of the Year at the University of Notre Dame' (2004).