The CTSA remembers and prays for longstanding member Wendy M. Wright, who died on Monday, May 19.
Eternal rest grant unto Wendy, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon her.
May her soul and the souls of all the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen
Wendy Wright's theological contributions to the Society include serving as the convener of the following, which are accessible via the CTSA Proceedings.
Convener, Spiritual Habits for the Cultivation of Ecological Virtue, Spirituality Topic Session, CTSA Proceedings 72 (2017).
Convener, Mary in Global and Contemporary Perspective: Mary in Ecumenical and Interfaith Perspective, CTSA Proceedings 67 (2012).
The following information was provided to the CTSA via the Department of Theology and Christian Spirituality Program at Creighton University.
Wendy Mae Wright, 78, of Santa Barbara, California, passed away from cancer on May 19, 2025 at her home while surrounded by her husband and three adult children.
Wendy was born on March 5, 1947, in Burbank, California, the only child of Walter Wright, a jeweler and peace activist, and Elizabeth “Betty” Wright, a writer and civic volunteer.
After an early adulthood spent training and performing as an actress and singer, Wendy moved to Santa Barbara in 1974 in a period of personal and theological inquiry to attend the Religious Studies program at the University of California, Santa Barbara. It was there that she met Roger Bergman, of Kansas. They married on June 21, 1977, at the Old Mission in Santa Barbara.
Wendy and Roger had three children: Emily Frances, born 1977; Elizabeth June, born 1983; and Charles Walter, born 1985.
After obtaining her PhD from UCSB in 1983, Wendy embarked on a notable career as a professor and writer of Christian spirituality. Her areas of expertise included the history of Christian spirituality, particularly the Salesian tradition, Catholic devotional traditions, and the spirituality of family life. She served for almost thirty years as Professor of Theology at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, and later as Affiliate Faculty at the Oblate School of Theology’s Institute for the Study of Contemporary Spirituality. She was the author of seventeen books and over sixty academic articles. She also enriched many people’s spiritual lives as a long-time spiritual director and cantor.
Wendy was a devoted mother and grandmother and an avid hiker and lover of nature and the arts. Upon her retirement from full-time teaching, she and Roger moved back to Santa Barbara, where they lived in the beautiful surroundings of the home she had inherited from her parents.
Wendy is survived by her husband Roger; her three children Emily, Elizabeth, and Charles; her six grandchildren Evelyn Elizabeth, Oliver Hastings, Elliot Franklin, Cecilia Lola, Anabel Mae, and Miriam Carmen; her son-in-laws Ryan Shelstad and Clark Baechle, and daughter-in-law Alexi Motta.
Wendy Wright was also an Affiliated Faculty Member at the Institute for the Study of Contemporary Spirituality, Oblate School of Theology.
A funeral mass will be held on Thursday, May 29 at 10:30am at the Old Mission-Santa Barbara, followed by a reception.
Memorial gifts may be made to:
