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Marinus Iwuchukwu - d. 1/17/23

01/18/2023 9:44 AM | Anonymous

The CTSA prays for Marinus Iwuchukwu who died yesterday, Tuesday, January 17th.  

Dr. Kristine L. Blair, Dean, McAnulty College  and Graduate School of Liberal Arts, Duquesne University, wrote, "It is with profound sadness that I share the news of the death of Dr. Marinus Iwuchukwu, Associate Professor of Theology, who had taught in the Theology Department since 2008. A former Chair of the Department, Professor Iwuchukwu was an internationally recognized expert on interreligious dialogue and inclusive religious pluralism.”

Marinus' contributions to the CTSA include:

Presenter, Professor Elochukwu Uzukwu, C.S.Sp.: Review of His Scholarship and Contributions to African Theology in the Last Twenty Years,2019 CTSA Convention.

Chairperson, Local Arrangements Committee, 2019 CTSA Convention.

Presenter, Latino/a Theology - Consultation (Joint Session with Black Theology Consultation), 2022 CTSA Convention, where Marinus raised the question, "What have Christian churches and their leaders of our age done to ensure that the most outstanding structural, psychological, economic, and institutional recrudesce of slavery are effectively ended, as well as restituted, restored, repaired?"

Convener, Catholicity and Mission Topic Session,2016 CTSA Convention.

Presenter, Spirituality and the Scandal of the Mundane Selected Session: Spirituality and the Scandal of the Mundane: Race, Racism and Religious Identity (2016 CTSA Convention).


Eternal rest grant unto Marinus, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon him. 
May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.


The family of Marinus has structured a GoFundMe page to assist with funeral expenses and unexpected financial responsibilities.  Here is the link to access the GoFundMe page: https://gofund.me/d84c94ba

Comments

  • 01/18/2023 11:03 AM | SimonMary A. Aihiokhai
    Dr. Marinus Iwuchukwu was a joyful fellow. A scholar of breadth and depth. He was my dissertation director. I got to know him for the wonderful person that he is. He will be missed. May he rest in God's peace. Amen.
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    • 01/18/2023 12:07 PM | Dr Peter C Phan
      I am shocked beyond words by the news of Marinus's passing. Just a couple of days ago we were on email conversation with each other about a favor he asked me for, and he announced that would be giving a lecture at the London School of Oriental and African Studies, where was spending his sabbatical, on interreligious dialogue. Marinus was a first-rate scholar of interreligious dialogue, especially with Islam in Africa. Beside theology, Marinus was also trained in communication on social media. He was always on the lookout for opportunities to advance theological research, especially within CTSA. He is dearly missed. May he rest in peace.
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  • 01/18/2023 3:28 PM | Maria-Pilar Aquino
    I am so sad about the news of Marinus's passing. I became closer to him during preparations for the 2019 CTSA Convention in Pittsburgh. He was a most helpful colleague. Then I learned more about his contributions to interreligious dialogue with his publications, his conference organizing, and his service to the academy in both Nigeria and the U.S. A good friend and a delightful human being. I will miss him much. May he rest in peace.
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  • 01/18/2023 4:10 PM | Amir Hussain
    This is just awful news. Marinus was a marvelous colleague and friend. I heard from him just last week about an essay of his in a new book, The Cambridge Handbook on Undergraduate Research (Cambridge Handbooks in Education). Edited by Herald Mieg, Elizabeth Ambos, Angela Brew, Dominique Galli, and Judith Lehmann. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2022.

    I last saw him in Pittsburgh in June, when I was at an ATS meeting, and he joined me for dinner. I never thought that would be the last meal I'd have with him. We never know, eh, when our time will come, which encounter will be the last. There is a phrase from the Qur’an that Muslims often recite when learning about a death, Inna Lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un, which translates as “We belong to God, and to God we shall return”. The full text is from the Qur’an 2:156, “those who, when they are visited by an affliction, say, ‘Surely we belong to God, and to God we shall return’”.

    Marinus will be in my prayers in the days to come.
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  • 01/18/2023 8:56 PM | Francis X Clooney, SJ
    The beautiful comments already posted by SimonMary, Peter, Pilar, and Amir speak eloquently of Marinus, and the very sad loss of so wonderful and gifted scholar, teacher, and friend to so many of us. We must grieve especially for his many friends and colleagues and students at Duquesne, for whom this moment is a great shock, a loss that will take much time before healing is possible. I pray for Marinus, and for all those close to him who grieve on this sad, shocking day. Amen.
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  • 01/19/2023 10:10 AM | Richard Hanson
    Although I had lost touch with Marinus in recent years, I often thought of him and hoped we would be able to reconnect in this life. Marinus and I were doctoral students together at Marquette, and he was the first person I felt like I bonded with. Perhaps it was our shared interest in guitar or the fact that we seemed to be among a minority of students interested in interreligious dialogue, but I always felt a very strong connection to him.

    I wanted to share a story that, to me, bears witness to the beauty of his heart and character. I hope it will resonate with this community.

    Marinus and I attended the 2007 AAR conference in San Diego together. This is the same conference where he had his initial interview with Duquesne (which apparently went rather well :)).

    Somehow, he and I found ourselves wandering in the shopping mall near downtown. In the course of our wanderings, Marinus received a phone call from a friend. I’m not sure who it was, but this phone call was a very profound moment that’s shaped by own spiritual journey to this day.

    After simply saying “hello,” Marinus remained silent on the phone. He listened in perfect silence to the friend who had phoned him for what must have been at least half an hour.

    It was a clear, deep, and I dare say mystical silence of pure listening, patience, and love. We continued to walk, and Marinus continued to listen while he and I shared this beautiful silence.

    At the end of the call, he simply said “she really needed to talk.” I’m fighting tears at typing those last words.

    Marinus became an incredibly accomplished academic theologian after that, and our world is enriched by his work. But I know that I personally felt even more deeply his kindness, warmth, and ability to communicate peace and love in the most simple and profound ways with all those whom he encountered.

    Please rest in love and light, my dear friend. And thank you for sharing the silence of your heart— that divine silence— with me, with the friend I’ll never know, and with us all.
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