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Remembering CTSA Member William (Bill) M. Shea - d. 1/14/22

01/18/2022 1:07 PM | Anonymous

Remembering William (Bill) M. Shea who died on Friday, January 14, 2022.



Here is a link to Bill's contribution to the  CTSA's 32nd annual convention.  His presentation was titled "Seminary of Theology and Philosophy: Matthew Lamb's Five Models of Theory-Praxis and the Interpretation of John Dewey's Pragmatism". 

See: https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/ctsa/article/view/2880/2505

May Bill rest in peace.

Comments

  • 01/18/2022 1:46 PM | Christine Firer Hinze
    I am sad to hear of Bill Shea's passing. I had the privilege of studying with Bill as an undergraduate at Catholic University, where, among other classes, he offered a tutorial leading 12 eager majors in reading Bernard Lonergan's Insight. May he rest in peace, and may his loved ones be consoled.
    Link  •  Reply
  • 01/18/2022 1:50 PM | Dr Peter C Phan
    Bill very kindly and generously accepted my essay “Might or Mystery: The Fundamentalist Concept of God” for the book he edited, "In The Struggle over the Past: Fundamentalism in the Modern World" in 1993 when I was a theological ignoramus. He thus opened the door for me to the world of theological scholarship. Thank you very much, Bill. Enjoy eternal rest with the Trinity, the angels, and the saints. Entertain them with your "stories."
    Link  •  Reply
    • 01/18/2022 2:23 PM | Francis X Clooney, SJ
      I did not know Bill well, but I remember that early on in my CTSA days he was always welcoming and supportive, and encouraging theology of religions and comparative theology, and I've always been grateful to him. May he rest in peace!
      Link  •  Reply
  • 01/18/2022 2:38 PM | Terrence W Tilley
    When Bill was at University of South Florida and I at Florida State, some 35 years ago, we met with some of the southeastern bishops in Alabama for a weekend of conversation. Bill and Oscar Lipscomb had stories that enlivened a rather unfruitful weekend. We all swam in the Gulf, to boot. He was a joy and blessing and with Worcester friends read and commented helpfully on my current writing project.
    Requiescat in pace. Prayers for Helene and their sons.
    Link  •  Reply
  • 01/18/2022 2:40 PM | Dennis M Doyle
    Bill Shea was my teacher, a mentor, and a life-long friend. What a human being!
    Link  •  Reply
  • 01/18/2022 3:05 PM | Anonymous
    I remember many conversations and dinners with Bill and his wife. He was truly a man of many talents. My most striking memory, however, is of his sense of humor! May he now share that more fully with his companions in God.
    Link  •  Reply
  • 01/18/2022 3:50 PM | SimonMary A. Aihiokhai
    It saddens me to hear of the passing of Bill Shea. I always looked forward to reading Bill's letters to the Church's hierarchy to take seriously the call to reimagine ministry that allows for all of God's people to be part of, especially women. Bill was a passionate theologian and a lover of justice. May he rest In peace. Blessings on his loved ones as well.
    Link  •  Reply
  • 01/18/2022 4:16 PM | Dr William P Loewe
    Bill was larger than life, and I was fortunate to enjoy his friendship--we supported each other through some dark times.
    Heaven is now a livelier place!
    Link  •  Reply
  • 01/18/2022 5:03 PM | Rev Kevin W Irwin
    Bill, Joe Komonchak and (at a distance) David Tracy all encouraged me to pursue graduate studies, even when it turned out that my specialization was not to be theirs!
    In August 2005 when I was named the Dean of the School of Theology and Religious Studies at CUA Bill penned a note of congratulations. Then he wrote “you have taken on the hardest job in the American church.” I recalled that statement and him very often often. Many fond memories. In thanksgiving.
    Link  •  Reply
  • 01/18/2022 11:10 PM | Julie Rubio
    Bill Shea was a giant. I was lucky to be down the hall from him at
    @SLU_Theology. He had recently chaired the department as, in the words of one of our colleagues, "a bull in a china shop." He took SLU through a difficult transition, but we became a better department. Even after he left for Holy Cross, he remained a great mentor who gave me honest advice and challenged me to be a better theologian. He had a great laugh, loved Helene, his sons, and his faith. Once when my family was over to their house for dinner, one of my sons knocked over a whole glass of milk. Bill roared with laughter! He knew how to make people feel welcome, and he loved to drawing them into great conversations. I will miss him.
    Link  •  Reply
  • 01/19/2022 1:23 AM | Susan Rakoczy IHM
    This is very sad news. May Bill rest in peace. He supervised my PhD thesis at Catholic U. It was on the theology and praxis of discernment and was very controversial because at that time (late 70s) some in the School of Religious Studies were allergic to religious experience. But Bill and Berard Marthaler (chair) supported me and eventually after 13 major and minor revisions my proposal was approved.
    Link  •  Reply
  • 01/19/2022 5:47 AM | Kenneth Parker
    Bill Shea was my mentor, close friend, and godfather to my son, Emanuel. I learned about the professional life from him as a young assistant professor, worked closely with him to reform the undergraduate curriculum at SLU and to build out the historical theology focus of the PhD there. I last saw him in October 2021, when Emanuel and I visited him in Spencer, MA, and enjoyed a sunny autumn afternoon on his deck, chatting about life, and Bill holding forth with his irascible humor that those who love him know well. I will miss the opportunities to learn from him and receive his words of wisdom, correction, and support. May he rest in peace, and may Helene and his sons be consoled in the knowledge of all the lives he touched and changed for the better.
    Link  •  Reply
  • 01/19/2022 9:22 AM | Dr Edward Jeremy Miller
    I join Peter Phan in having Bill in that same CTS volume, The Struggle over the Past (1993). publish my "Newman's Sensus Fidelium and Papal Fundamentalism." In this and in other of his edited or authored publications, Bill's ecumenical and extra-territorial RC aims were to the forefront. For example, in Struggle Over the Past, Bill introduced an RC audience to Glenn Hinson, a Southern Baptist theologian and one of the finest patristic scholars there is. Bill was RC to the core but he wasn't parochial.
    Link  •  Reply
  • 01/22/2022 10:32 PM | Mary Ann Hinsdale, IHM
    My condolences to Helene and Bill's sons. I got to know Bill more through the College Theology Society, than the CTSA. He was a formidable interlocutor, a giant with a heart of gold with an impressive voice. I recall fondly his singing Latin hymns at a post-banquet gathering in a very small dormitory lounge opposite the main Loyola Chicago campus. He was a Mensch!
    Link  •  Reply

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