Sarah DeMarais is a Catholic theologian and interdisciplinary scholar committed to promoting social healing in communities recovering from violence and trauma. Sarah holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theology and Peace Studies, Master of Education, and Master of Theological Studies from the University of Notre Dame. Her M.Ed. was earned as an Alliance for Catholic Education Teaching Fellow. Sarah also holds a Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Loyola University New Orleans.
Sarah served violence-exposed youth in post-Katrina New Orleans as a mental health counselor, teacher, and nonprofit administrator. She then managed theological education projects for Catholic religious sisters in Eastern and Southern Africa who studied and applied Catholic social teaching in projects advancing integral human development. In South Bend, Sarah has contributed to Dr. Todd Whitmore's Sophia's Feast research project by co-facilitating addiction recovery groups for women.
Sarah's scholarship aims to advance human flourishing after traumatic violence. Her research interests include Catholic social thought, feminist and liberationist theologies, method in theological ethics, theological ethnography, gender-based violence, and violence against children. Her writing has been published in the Journal of Moral Theology, International Journal of Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement, Louisiana Journal of Counseling, and Journal of Counselor Practice. She has presented in both academic and Catholic pastoral contexts.
Sarah is a Notre Dame Presidential Fellow.