Robert Johnson Brooks

1947-2020

Robert Johnson Brooks, 72, died on March 8, 2020 in Austin, Texas.

The Rev. Canon Brooks was born to Marietta Moody Brooks and R Max Brooks. Max was a renowned architect, designed of the LBJ Library, NASA in Houston, and the Labor Building in Washington, DC. The connection to President Johnson and his library would prove lifelong, and influential in Robert’s life, helping him become a leader among Young Democrats in Texas and the President of Youth for Kennedy-Johnson in 1960. His time with the former President and travelling in such circles also helped form in him keen awareness of international affairs and diplomacy. He completed his undergraduate work at St. Edward’s University in 1970, the Master of Divinity at Church Divinity School of the Pacific (CDSP) in 1973, ordained to the priesthood in 1974.

An active participate of the Christian Initiation Seminar of The North American Academy of Liturgy, Father Brooks was a pioneer of work with the catechumenate in the 1970s and 1980s as a priest at All Saints Episcopal Church in Baytown, Texas, during which time he also completed a MTh in Liturgical Studies at The University of Notre Dame. From there, he became a denominational servant for 10 years as Director of Government Relations for The Episcopal Church during the 1990s, then Director of the Business Partnership for a New Global Future in which he created the coalition of business leaders who lobbied the US Congress to pass a debt relief package for the world’s poorest peoples.  He returned to parish work in Connecticut in 2004 at St Paul’s Episcopal Church in Wilmantic, then retired to Austin where he remained active in the ministry of St. Alban’s Episcopal Church until his death. The Church Divinity School of the Pacific awarded him with the Doctor of Divinity in 2015 in recognition of his years of outstanding parish, denominational, and missional service.

He is survived by his partner and companion of many years, Adisak ‘Toi’ Nernbok, and Adisak’s son, Autophon ‘Auti”. Robert is also survived by one sister and 2 nephews.

Funeral arrangements were scheduled for March 13 at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, Austin. He is interred at Austin Memorial Park. Tributes may be read and posted at https://www.harrellfuneralhomes.com/obituary/360306/Reverend-Canon-Robert-Brooks-D-D/#tributes.

May light perpetual shine upon him.
Bio Credit: https://haysfreepress.com/2020/03/09/canon-robert-johnson-brooks/
Image Credit: http://funeralinnovations.com/obituary/360306/Reverend-Canon-Robert-Brooks-D-D/

Nathan P. Chase

1990-2025

Nathan P. Chase passed away on March 1, 2025 at the age of 34. Though a full member of NAAL for only a few years, he began attending meetings as a visitor in 2018. He was member of the Problems in the Early History of Liturgy seminar.

We would like to share the following remembrance of Nathan, written by Kim Belcher.

Nathan Chase was baptized and formed in the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod, and at a young age became interested in its liturgical reform, particularly early twentieth-century developments and the work of Arthur Carl Piepkorn. After his formation at Jesuit College Preparatory School in Dallas and Boston College, he came into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church. He continued to be very interested in liturgical renewal, as well as ecumenical relationships.

I met Nathan when he enrolled in St John’s Seminary · School of Theology in 2011. My first impressions were of his enthusiasm for his work, his pastoral sensitivity and depth, and his devastatingly comprehensive knowledge of anaphoral history – including a historiographic and methodological analysis of how that history had been made. His interest in the methods of liturgical studies animated all his publications and united his various interests in the field, which, in addition to the history of the Eucharist, included church orders and early Egyptian liturgy; the non-Roman Western Rites, especially the Hispano-Mozarabic Rite; Christian art and architecture; chrism and Christian initiation; time and space; inculturation; contemporary liturgical renewal and ecumenical dialogue; the role of the senses in liturgy; and many, many other things.

After two degrees at St John’s, Nathan got an advanced master’s degree at KU Leuven in Belgium, and then came to Notre Dame to work with Maxwell Johnson, who he loved and revered. Though he worked on a number of different projects at Notre Dame, including the Baptisteries of the Ancient World grant and catalogue with Robin Jensen and Nathan Dennis, he wrote his dissertation work, as he had always intended, on the Barcelona Papyrus and its implications for anaphoral history (published as a monograph with Brill in 2023). He finished his Ph.D. in 2020 and was hired at Aquinas Institute in St. Louis, where he has served as an assistant professor in sacramental and liturgical theology ever since.

Nathan was passionate about liturgical renewal and its foundation in the history of Christian practice. He was interested in the pastoral implications of liturgical studies, for example in his work at the PrayTell blog. He loved to travel and cared about seeing the on-the-ground places where liturgical history had been made. He was also a dedicated and generous collaborator who developed heartfelt friendships and co-authored and -edited numerous projects. For him the friendships and the scholarly work were intertwined: though extraordinarily productive as a scholar, he was even more remarkable in his personal generosity, always remembering that we are persons first, scholars second.

Nathan was always a man of deep faith, and that faith carried him through the struggles of over a year of treatment for leukemia. His colleagues at Aquinas Institute, as well as throughout the world, were also deeply supportive, and he treasured the love he received. He understood the hope and disappointment, the physical and emotional pain associated with the disease and with his long-term confinement, as a participation in Christ’s Paschal Mystery. He rarely complained and was a deep support to me personally and his other friends and family, even as he stretched himself to accept help – always a challenge for him. He continued to do what he loved throughout his treatment, with several books and articles still forthcoming. He remotely introduced Teresa Berger’s Berakah address at the North American Academy of Liturgy 2025, a vulnerable moment as he was visibly ill. He was asked to contribute the junior scholar’s perspective for the 2026 100th Anniversary edition of Worship and finished it, knowing he might be running out of time. His passion project in his last months was the production of an Open Access Exultet Scroll modeled on the medieval Exultet rolls but intended for contemporary church use for the proclamation of the Easter Vigil. This project, one of his last, shows the deep intersection of his love for liturgical history and of the church.

In his last day Nathan consoled his friends and family with his deep hope in Christ and his love for his family, friends and professional colleagues, and indeed the whole of creation. He left lucidly and willingly to go to God and spoke his profound hopes for the theological discipline, and especially for early liturgical history, which was so dear to him. He was only 34, but he left us eight books (three monographs, five co-authored or co-edited books, three of which are forthcoming), 27 peer-reviewed journal articles (including several interdisciplinary co-authored works), the Sensory Liturgy open access experimental pedagogical project, wisdom, and precious memories. He will be very deeply missed.

Memorial reflection and photo credit: Kimberly Hope Belcher

Andrew Dominic Ciferni, O. Praem.

d. 2025

Andrew Dominic Ciferni, O. Praem., died on August 21, 2025.

Andrew Dominic Ciferni, O. Praem. was born in Philadelphia, PA on February 3, 1942 the oldest of four sons of Amelia and Amedeo Ciferni. He was named Dominic at Baptism, the name of his paternal grandfather. Father Andrew attended Saint Edmond’s Elementary School, staffed by the IHM Sisters. Andrew served Mass at Saint Edmond’s Parish and loved both the liturgy of the church and his family’s roots and rituals from the Abruzzi region of Italy.

Father Andrew attended Bishop Neumann High School in South Philadelphia where he came to know the Norbertines who staffed the school. One week after his graduation from high school in 1959 he attended the dedication of the new Saint Norbert Abbey in DePere, Wisconsin. He received the white Norbertine habit at Daylesford Priory on August 28, 1959. From 1961 to 1965 he lived at St. Norbert Abbey in De Pere and studied at St. Norbert College, graduating in 1965.

In the Fall of 1965 Father Andrew went to Rome to study theology at the Gregorian University, during the final session of Vatican II. During his years in Rome he travelled to many Norbertine abbeys, deeply devoted to the history and charism of the Order, first learned at Daylesford from his novice master, Father Julian Resch, O.Praem. Father Andrew was ordained at Daylesford in 1968 and returned to Rome for one year, obtaining his S.T.L degree from the Gregorianum; he returned to Daylesford for one year where he taught liturgy and theology while serving as Daylesford’s Director of Liturgy.

In September 1970 Father Andrew began doctoral studies in liturgy at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana, USA, while serving as Rector of Holy Cross Dorm there. Father Andrew’s Notre Dame years were joy-filled and life-changing. He returned to Daylesford in 1974 and was appointed Director of Liturgy. He was also very involved with the Body of Christ Community and taught in Insearch, a program of studies for local men and women in religious formation in their respective communities. At Daylesford he served as Master of Novices. In 1987 he moved to Washington, DC as formation director of Daylesford seminarians. From 1987 to 1991 he taught homiletics and liturgy at The Catholic University, and from 1991 to 1997 was professor and then dean, at Washington Theological Union.

Father Andrew returned to Daylesford in 1997 as Director of Liturgy and Rector of the abbey church. That year he wrote the Vision Statement for Daylesford Abbey. He served on the Liturgical Commission of the Order and then was appointed the chair of the International Commission on Oder Spirituality. He travelled to Norbertine Houses in Europe and India. In the abbey he was Director of Theology students, Director of the Associates, and Prior of the Abbey.

Father Andrew was active in the North American Academy of Liturgy for many years and worked across several seminars. He was also instrumental in the founding of the Catholic Academy of Liturgy in 2001 and was the first elected leader of that academy.

As a member of Archmere’s Board of Trustees, Father Andrew composed in 2005 the Archmere Prayer, prayed daily to this day at the school.

In 2013 Father Andrew became the Director of the Center for Norbertine Studies at Saint Norbert College, De Pere, Wisconsin. He served again as a Trustee of the college, finally serving as Chair of the Board of Trustees of the college from 2019 to 2022. Father Andrew returned to Daylesford in 2018, but continued to chair the Trustees of the college. He again served on Archmere’s Board of Trustees. At Daylesford he served as canonry liturgist, director of formation, master of professed, vocation director, and part of the programming team of the Abbey’s Spirituality Center. In 2020 Father Andrew composed the text for the hymn “Novem Saeculi,” commemorating the 900th Anniversary of the founding of the Norbertine Order.

In 2014, Fr. Andrew authored the text for “Sound the Bells of Holy Freedom,” which was chosen as the official hymn for the 2015 World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, presided over by Pope Francis. This was just one more example of how Andrew’s passion for all things liturgical was fueled by what would be the primary focus of his ministry as a Norbertine: to bring the masses to prayer in joyful, intentional words and music.

Though his accomplishments in his life as a Norbertine of Daylesford Abbey are impressive and world renowned, he enjoyed being surrounded by the beauties of the earth most associated with his Italian American heritage and humble upbringing. Most notably, Andrew loved all things Italian: good wine, fine art and specialties to delight his Italian pallet. He loved classical music, was an avid reader of historical, religious and architectural literature with a seemingly endless, unquenchable intellectual curiosity. And of course, he loved everything associated with the Fightin’ Irish of the University of Notre Dame.

During the last three years Father Andrew doctored for cancer. In this Jubilee Year of Hope Father Andrew was a model of Saint Paul’s word in Romans 12:12 – “Rejoice in Hope, Endure in Affliction, Persevere in Prayer.” If in life, Andrew was a force to be reckoned with as a liturgist extraordinaire, as he faced death, he was the epitome of grace, serenity and surrender to his caretakers and especially to the will of the God he loved and praised his whole religious life. Inspired by Pope Francis’ own heroic suffering, Father Andrew died on August 21, 2025, knowing with Pope Francis that “Hope does not disappoint” (Romans 5:5).

Obituary and image from Dignity Memorial, with additional material courtesy of Ed Foley.

Peyton Gardner Craighill

1929-2019

The Rev. Dr. Peyton Gardner Craighill, died peacefully in Lexington, VA on Tuesday, June 4, 2019 at age 89. He was born in Nanchang, China on October 24, 1929, also known as Black Thursday, the day that the Wall Street stock market first crashed, as the youngest child of missionaries Marian Gardner Craighill, a teacher and writer, and Lloyd Rutherford Craighill, Sr., Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Anqing.

Craighill spent his early childhood years in China until World War II and spoke fluent Mandarin Chinese for most of his life. His father and future father-in-law Donald Roberts, a college professor in Shanghai, were both interned in a Japanese concentration camp while Peyton, his mother, and his siblings returned to the United States and settled with family in Englewood, NJ.

He graduated from Episcopal High School in Alexandria, VA, followed by Yale University where he received a bachelor’s degree in psychology, then the M.Div from Virginia Theological Seminary.

In 1961 Peyton joined the faculty of Tainan Theological College in Taiwan, and on April 24, 1962 he and Mary Roberts were married at the college chapel. They served a joint ministry as teachers and administrators, Peyton eventually as vice principal, returning twice to the US to pursue a master of sacred theology degree at The General Theological Seminary and later a PhD in liturgy at Princeton Theological Seminary.

He was a member of the Southeast Asia Association for Theological Education and the Taiwan Church Consultation Council, and was influential in the design and construction of several Episcopal churches in Taiwan. He maintained a love of architecture and design throughout his life, especially around worship spaces. The annual meetings of the North American Academy of Liturgy, where he was an active member of the Environment and Art seminar, were a highlight for him each year.

The family moved back to Princeton in 1978 and Peyton spent several years working at the Episcopal Church Center in New York before becoming Associate Dean of the School of Theology at the University of the South in Sewanee, TN. While in Sewanee Peyton realized his lifelong dream of designing and building a house in a style he came to call “Appalachian shibui,” which incorporated elements of Japanese, modern, and timber frame design.

In 1983 he joined the faculty at The Episcopal Academy in Merion, PA and served as a chaplain and religion teacher until 1988 when Allen Bartlett, Bishop of Pennsylvania, asked him to create and lead the School of the Diaconate to prepare vocational deacons for service. Peyton also served as a chaplain at maximum-security Graterford Prison, where he became very active in the criminal justice reform movement and joined the board of directors of the Pennsylvania Prison Society.

After his retirement Peyton spent two years at St. James Church in Taichung, Taiwan and, returning to the US, as a part-time Senior Associate at the Church of the Redeemer in Bryn Mawr, PA. He and Mary traveled often, several times with the Yale Alumni Chorus, and chaperoned a memorable trip one summer with Yale’s undergraduate chorus throughout Africa.

They moved to the retirement community Kendal at Lexington in Virginia in 2008 where he continued to be active in local church life and write on laity living out the baptismal covenant. He is survived by his wife, Mary, his three children, their spouses and families, a sister, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, nieces, nephews, and “a constellation of cousins.”

A memorial of Peyton’s life is expected to take place at Grace Episcopal Church on Monday, June 10, 2019 in Lexington, VA, with an additional service planned for later in the year in Bryn Mawr, PA.

May light perpetual shine upon him.
Bio and Image Credit: General Theological Seminary and Craighill Family

John David Grabner

1940-2023

John David Grabner died June 17, 2023, in Moscow, Idaho at the age of 82.

From young adulthood John had a keen interest in the church’s worship. Learning was a lifelong passion and pursuit. He completed degrees at the University of Washington, Princeton Theological Seminary, and the University of Notre Dame. He thoroughly enjoyed his PhD years within the Notre Dame and South Bend communities, where lifelong friendships were built and maintained and family life was nurtured.

John was ordained in the United Methodist Church and served congregations in South Bend, IN and Pasco and White Salmon, WA. In 1991, he was called to serve Moscow First United Methodist in Moscow, ID. He was later ordained in the Episcopal Church and served as a supply priest to many churches around the Palouse. In addition to his priestly supply work. John drove the night express and Dial-a-Ride, where he enjoyed serving the students of Washington State University the general public. He moved to Pullman WA in 2005 and got a real kick of driving his car with Washington Husky license plates around “Cougar country.”

John took a lively interest in all things – whether intellectual, humorous, and leisurely, and could erupt in raucous guffaw with little prompting. Travel was always a part of his life, primarily in the form of road trips to visit family and friends. Often, these involved detours into little towns “to just take a look at some of the churches” or “to look up my old friend so-and-so.” In later years, he enjoyed international travel with old and new friends and to places like Europe, the Middle East, and the Caribbean. John also appreciated the world of music and live theater. He loved, in no particular order, cardinals, nutcrackers, books, straw hats and trains. He always had a recommendation for the next British murder mystery to watch on any streaming platform. John was a proud and lovable curmudgeon who, according to friends, set the curmudgeon bar so high as to be nearly unattainable for others.

Surviving John are his daughters Rachel and Hilary, brother Frank, sister-in-law Shirley, and nieces and nephews. A memorial liturgy for John was held on July 15, 2023 at St. James’ Episcopal Church in Pullman, WA.

May John’s memory be eternal.

Bio Credit: This remembrance is based on the one included in the worship folder for his memorial liturgy and kindly shared with the entire NAAL community by Michael Aune and Kyle Schiefelbein-Guerrero.

Charles Wallich Gusmer

October 11, 1938- March 24, 2021

Father Charlie, as he preferred to be called by those who knew him best, was a scholar and a priest whose training, experience, and long careers in both the academy and the parish bridged the pre- and post-Vatican II era.

Born in 1938 in Orange New Jersey, Gusmer completed his undergraduate degree at Seton Hall, pursued seminary work at Immaculate Conception in 1960, completing it at the Canisianum at The University of Innsbruck. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1966.

In 1967 he joined the faculty of Immaculate Conception Seminary, where he taught Sacramental Theology and Liturgy for 22 years, completing his doctorate at the University of Trier in 1970. A founding member of The North American Academy of Liturgy, he was elected Vice President in 1976, offering “A Bill of Rites: Liturgical Adaptation in America” as his Vice Presidential Address in 1977, and serving as President for the 1978 meeting.

Father Charlie left Immaculate Conception in 1990 to begin what would be a 19 year pastorate at St. Catherine of Sienna in Cedar Grove, New Jersey, from which he retired in 2009.  He remained active in his retirement years, service as Seton Associate of the Sisters of Charity beginning in 2013.

The Mass of Christian Burial was held at St Catherine of Siena Church on June 5, 2021. Services of evening prayer, vigil, and burial may be viewed at this link.

Donations are requested to The Scholarship Fund for Inner City Children, Archdiocese of Newark, PO Box 9500, Newark, NJ, 07104.

May Father Charlie rest in peace and rise rejoicing.

Bio and Image Credit: The Family and Friends of Charles W Gusmer

Jean Marie Hiesberger

1941-2017

Jean Marie Hiesberger, 75, died on June 15, 2017.

Jean Marie was born September 18, 1941 in Kansas City, MO to Anton and Elizabeth Hiesberger, later moving to Jefferson City, MO. A graduate of St. Mary’s College (Leavenworth, KS) and St. John’s University (Collegeville, MN), she served as a Catholic educator through her work as an author, senior editor at Paulist Press, director of the Institute for Pastoral Life, and consultant. At St. John’s she joined the first cohort of lay students studying graduate level theology. Following her master’s degree she lived in New York and New Jersey, serving as the first Director of Religious Education at St. John & Paul Parish in Larchmont and then for sixteen years as a senior editor at Paulist Press. There she also co-founded, with her husband, Robert Heyer, the vibrant Community for Bread and Justice, which endures to this day.

During her years in Kansas City beginning in 1984, she worked as founding director of the Institute for Pastoral Life and then as an author and consultant. She served as general editor for Oxford University Press’ Catholic Study Bible: Personal Study Edition (1995). Her other books include 52 Saints to Pray With (2014), Fostering Leadership Skills in Ministry (2008), Take Ten: Daily Bible Reflections for Teens (2004), Dealing with Conflict and Anger (1996), FamilyTime (1993-1995) and the photo and meditation book, You Have Given Us Today (1973).

In 2012 she received the Sister Mary Anthony Wagner award presented to alumnae of Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary “who have prophetically and courageously embraced and used their gifts, and encouraged other women to develop their gifts for the good of the church and the world.” She received the National Association of Lay Ministry’s Gaudium et Spes Award for “fostering the baptismal call of the laity according to the vision of Vatican II” in 2004. She served on the Board of Regents at Conception Abbey Seminary College, on the editorial boards of New Catholic World and Catholic Key, on the Diocese of Kansas City/St. Joseph’s Priestly Life Committee, and the Catholic-Southern Baptist National Dialogue Team. Her work helping to launch the Cristo Rey School in Kansas City was also close to her heart. She was a retired member of The North American Academy of Liturgy.

Jean Marie is survived by her husband, Robert Heyer; daughter, Kristin Heyer and husband Mark Potter; grandsons, Owen and Luke Potter; siblings, Judy Vaillancourt and husband Tom, John Hiesberger and Michael Madrone; sister-in-law, Tem Hiesberger. She was preceded in death by her parents and brother, Tony Hiesberger. Condolences may be expressed to the family at https://www.muehlebachchapel.com. The family suggests memorial contributions to Cristo Rey Kansas City High School, 211 Linwood Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64111.

May light perpetual shine upon her.
Bio and Image Credit: Muehlebach Funeral Care

Jay Koyle

d. 2026.

Jay Koyle died on March 13, 2026.

The Very Rev. Dr. Jay Koyle, Dean of the Diocese of Algoma and Incumbent of St. Luke’s Cathedral, died peacefully on Friday, March 13, after a brief illness, with his family by his side. He is survived by his wife, The Rev. Susan Montague-Koyle, and their sons Stephen and Kevin, as well as his sister, Ms. Julie Koyle, and his mother, Mrs. Irene Koyle. He will be greatly missed by many extended family and friends, along with the many members of the St. Luke’s Cathedral congregation and the wider diocesan family who loved him dearly.

Jay served the Church with distinction for many decades. Ordained to the priesthood in 1987 in the Diocese of Huron, he exercised a wide-ranging ministry in parish leadership, theological education, and the life of the wider Church. He relocated from the Diocese of Huron to the Diocese of Algoma in 2010 where he served first as the Congregational Development Officer and later as the Executive Archdeacon. In 2024, he was installed as the Dean of Algoma and Incumbent of St. Luke’s Cathedral, bringing to that ministry deep pastoral care, intellectual curiosity, and a generous spirit of leadership.

Alongside his cathedral ministry, Jay served as Provost and Director of the School of Theology at Thorneloe University, where he contributed significantly to theological education and leadership development within the Anglican Church of Canada. A respected liturgical scholar and teacher, he was widely known for his work in liturgy, preaching, and congregational renewal.

Jay held a Doctor of Ministry in Homiletics from Seabury-Western Theological Seminary, a Master of Arts in Theology (Liturgical Studies) from the University of Notre Dame, a Master of Divinity from Huron University College, and a Bachelor of Music (Honours) in Music Education from Western University.

Throughout his ministry he served the wider Church through teaching, writing, and participation in national and international bodies devoted to liturgical life and renewal. He was a member of Associated Parishes for Liturgy and Mission, Societas Liturgica, and the International Anglican Liturgical Consultation, and served as Chair of Faith, Worship and Ministry for the Anglican Church of Canada from 2016 to 2019. He also was a member of the North American Academy of Liturgy, where he was a longtime member of the Christian Initiation Seminar.

Those who knew Jay experienced him as a gifted preacher, thoughtful theologian, and generous pastor. His warmth, humour, and deep love for the Church enriched the communities he served and the many students and colleagues who learned alongside him.

As we commend Jay to God’s eternal care, we give thanks for the compassionate care of doctors and nurses and for the love of family and friends who surrounded him in his final days.

Obituary and image from the Diocese of Algoma and Dignity Memorial. 

Willy J. Malarcher

1929 – 2019

Artist and liturgical design consultant, Willy J. Malarcher, Englewood, NJ, died peacefully on February 25, 2019. He was 90 years old. Surviving are Patricia, his wife of 60 years, his son Paul and daughter Maura Malarcher.

          Willy was a member of the North American Academy of Liturgy since the 1970s and is regarded as one of the early American pioneers in the field of liturgical design. He possessed a lifelong interest in the integration of art and religion and earned his MFA degree from The Catholic University of America.

          Willy’s designs for new and renovated worship spaces won awards in several competitions sponsored by the American Institute of Architects and various liturgical organizations. His portfolio includes churches, chapels and cathedrals in Paterson, NJ and Puyo, Ecuador. Prior to his own business, Willy & Group, he worked at the Rambusch Decorating Company.

          Willy was a prolific artist. He exhibited his personal artwork in several solo and two-person shows in countless galleries and museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. He often spoke at liturgy, art and architecture conferences and wrote frequently on liturgical design topics.

          Willy was ordained a permanent deacon for the Archdiocese of Newark in 1975, and ministered at the Holy Name Medical Center, Teaneck, NJ until 2017. A Memorial Service will take place Saturday, April 27, at 11 AM in one of Willy’s award winning projects, Our Lady of the Rosary Chapel, 175 Route 340, Sparkill, NY 10976.

May perpetual light shine upon him.

Submitted by Richard S. Vosko

Image Credit: https://www.barrettfuneralhome.net/obituaries/Willy-Malarcher/

Kendall McCabe

1940 – 2019

Kendall Kane McCabe died peacefully in the early morning hours of April 11 at Grandview Medical Center,Dayton, Ohio. McCabe was born and raised with his parents and grandparents in Berlin, Maryland. He attended Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA, completed the MDiv at Yale Divinity School, received the PhD from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland and the MA in English Literature at the University of Virginia. Raised in the United Brethren and Evangelical United Brethren traditions, McCabe was ordained and served United Methodist churches in the Peninsula-Delaware Conference prior to obtaining a teaching position at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC.

In 1980 McCabe moved to Dayton to begin what would become a 32 year appointment to the faculty of United Theological Seminary. At United, McCabe was professor of Preaching and Worship, Vice President of Academic Affairs and Academic Dean, and at his retirement in 2012 held the Heisel Chair in Evangelism. He is remembered by colleagues and students alike as a premier scholar of liturgy and homiletics, and as one of the foremost scholars within the Evangelical United Brethren tradition. He is survived by his friend and house mate, Michael Welly, and the United Theological Seminary community.

A funeral service celebrating Kendall McCabe’s life and ministry will be held at First Baptist Church, Dayton, on Saturday, April 20, at 11:00 a.m., hosted by First United Methodist Church. The Rev. Timothy J. Forbess, one of McCabe’s’s former students and colleagues, will officiate. Memorials may be made to the McCabe Preaching Award at United Theological Seminary, 4501 Denlinger Road, Dayton, OH 45426.

May his memory be for a blessing. And may light perpetual shine upon him.

Bio: Based on obituary in Dayton Daily News
Image Credit: United Theological Seminary

William (Bill) H. Petersen

d. 2025

William (Bill) H. Petersen died on June 5, 2025.

We are sorry to announce the death of the Rev. Dr. Bill Petersen on June 5, 2025. A longtime member of the Academy and participant in the Advent Project seminar, Bill was active in many scholarly communities.

Upon news of his death, his colleagues in Associated Parishes for Liturgy and Mission said: “Bill was a tremendous scholar, a beloved mentor and former seminary dean, a prayerful leader, and a great storyteller. As Michael Merriman notes, Bill was a gift to ‘his family, his students, his sister and brother clergy, and to APLM. I thank God for giving him to us, his family and friends, as a companion on our earthly pilgrimage.’ Jay Koyle adds, ‘He was such a kind and encouraging person, and I appreciated the times he gave me feedback on things I was working on or even pondering, particularly relating to the eschatological dimensions of the liturgy.’”

His kindness, love and support was felt by everyone in the Anglican Colloquium of NAAL, which he convened for several years and faithfully attended. His gentle spirit and humor will be deeply missed.

Rest eternal grant him, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon him.

Image and Bio shared with the Academy by James Farwell.

Gerard S. Sloyan

1920-2020

Gerard S. Sloyan, 100, died on February 22, 2020.

A founding member of The North American Academy of Liturgy, Fr. Sloyan was also the oldest priest in the Diocese of Trenton, NJ, in which he celebrated the 75th anniversary of his ordination as priest in June 2019.

Born in the Bronx in 1919 and formed for the priesthood at Immaculate Conception Seminary in Darlington, NJ, Father Sloyan would go on to complete the STL and PhD at The Catholic University of America, where he would return in 1950 to teach and chair the Department of Christian Education until 1967. From 1967-1990, he was Professor in the School of Religious Studies at Temple University in Philadelphia. After his first retirement from Temple, he returned to Catholic University of America in 1994 as Distinguished Professor, and went in 1996 to Georgetown, also as Distinguished Professor. He was one of those few scholars who was equally conversant in biblical studies, systematic theology, liturgical studies, and the formation and education of laity and clergy alike, a trait which made him an invaluable bridge across these fields as well as in his wide-ranging ecumenical and interfaith work, particularly in more recent years, in Roman Catholic-Jewish dialog.

Of his many publications, perhaps best known among members of the North Academy of Liturgy are Worship in a New Key: What the Council Teaches on Liturgy (1965), Commentary on the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy of the Second Vatican Council (1964), To Hear the Word of God: Homiles at Mass(1965), Liturgy in Focus (1964), and Preaching from the Lectionary (2004).

Funeral arrangements are pending in Potomac, Maryland, where he resided in an assisted living facility adjacent to Our Lady of Mercy Parish.

May light perpetual shine upon him.
Bio Credit: https://www.biola.edu/talbot/ce20/database/gerard-s-sloyan
Image Credit: https://www.praytellblog.com/index.php/2020/02/24/gerard-sloyan-a-symposium-and-some-sad-news/

Robert F. Taft, S.J.

1932-2018

The Rt. Rev. Dr. Robert F. Taft, S.J.,  a leading light in the study of Eastern liturgies, Archimandrite in the Ukrainian Catholic Church, and founding member of the North American Academy of Liturgy, died peacefully after a long illness on November 2, 2018.

Born in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1932, and beginning Jesuit formation in 1949 in Weston, Massachusetts, Taft went on to study oriental languages, be ordained in the Greek Catholic Church (1963) and pursue further studies in oriental liturgy, writing his doctoral dissertation on The Great Entrance in Chrysostom’s Divine Office at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome, which would become his primary academic institutional home for the rest of his illustrious scholarly and teaching career.

It would not be an overstatement to say that Robert Taft has contributed more to the scholarship of the Oriental traditions, and to ecumenical relations between the Eastern and Western churches, than any liturgical scholar in recent history. There is no more comprehensive account of Chrysostom’s Divine Office and its origins than his five volumes on the same (Volume 5 is in final preparation for publication). His The Liturgy of the Hours: East and West (1987) remains a definitive resource for liturgical scholars and students worldwide. The hundreds of articles he wrote and the thousands he shepherded through the scholarly journals of which he was editor are a continuing testimony to the depth and breadth of the scholarship he both engaged and cultivated. And he may be credited with helping to lead the Roman Catholic Church to recognize the Anaphora of Addai and Mari, in use to this day by the Assyrian Church of The East, paving the way for congregations in this historic Christian Church and the Roman Catholic Church to receive communion from one another. The two pectoral crosses one often finds him wearing in photographs, including the one in this brief memorial, were witness to his full standing as scholar and priest in both Western and Eastern Christian churches.

The funeral mass for Robert Taft will be held at the Campion Center in Weston, Massachusetts, on Monday, November 12, at 10 am.

May light perpetual shine upon him, and may his memory be eternal.

Image Credit: https://orthodoxyindialogue.com/2017/11/07/an-encomium-for-robert-f-taft-sj-by-a-a-j-deville/
Bio Credit: John Baldovin, http://www.praytellblog.com/index.php/2018/11/02/robert-taft-sj-1932-2018-the-pray-tell-obituary/ ; John Burger, https://aleteia.org/2018/11/02/fr-robert-taft-feisty-ecumenist-and-liturgical-historian-dies-at-86/

Mons Arthur Teig

1935-2019 

Mons Arthur Teig, age 84, of Wayzata, Minnesota, died at home on May 11, 2019.  He attended Waldorf and Concordia colleges; holds Masters’ degrees from Luther Seminary, Union Seminary, Notre Dame, and a Ph.D from Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. He was an Associate Pastor at Trinity Lutheran in Brooklyn, New York, a Senior Pastor at Palisades Lutheran in Pacific Palisades, California, and a Professor of Worship at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota for 19 years. Through his work on the staff of the American Lutheran Church, he became known globally as a worship and liturgy expert and helped lay the foundations for the ongoing work of the worship office of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He was also a member of the Consultation on Common Texts, which created the Common Lectionary and the Revised Common Lectionary, and a longtime member of The North American Academy of Liturgy, working within the Liturgical Hermeneutics seminar, and most recently, in Exploring Contemporary and Alternative Worship.

He is preceded in death by his parents and sister, Karen Schlueter. His spouse, Shirley, survives him, along with children, grandchildren, siblings, in-laws, nieces, nephews, and an even larger cloud of witnesses among the students and others of us he has influenced through his pastoral, academic, and ecumenical work over the years.

Rest eternal grant him O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon us all.

Bio and Image Credit: Central Lutheran Church, Minneapolis, MN

Geoffrey Wainwright

July 16, 1939 – March 17, 2020

Geoffrey Wainwright was born in Yorkshire, England, the only child of Willie and Martha Ann Wainwright. At the University of Cambridge he studied Modern Languages and then Theology. He received a theological doctorate from the University of Geneva in 1972, and his Cambridge D.D. in 1987. He was ordained by the British Methodist Conference in 1967. For six years he served as a pastor and teacher at the Protestant Faculty of Theology in Yaoundé, Cameroon, which welcomed students from the French speaking churches along the West African coast. On returning to Britain in 1973 he taught at The Queen’s College (joint Anglican Methodist) in Birmingham. In 1979 he moved with his wife and three children to the United States where he taught at Union Theological Seminary in New York before moving to Durham in 1983 where he became Professor of Systematic Theology at Duke Divinity School until his retirement in 2012.

He was a member (1976-1991) in the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches. He was a principal editor of the text “Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry” drawn up by the Commission at Lima, Peru in 1982. Between 1986 and 2011 he served as chair on the Methodist side of the Joint Commission for Dialogue between the World Methodist Council and the Roman Catholic Church. Among his books the most influential remain his systematic theology, Doxology: The Praise of God in Worship, Doctrine and Life (OUP 1980), and The Oxford History of Christian Worship, co-edited by fellow Academy member Karen Westerfield Tucker.

He enjoyed traveling to international meetings where his language skills, (particularly French, German and Italian) made him feel at home. He took advantage of these travels to visit art museums and architectural monuments and record them with his ever-present camera. His love of photography continued to the end of his life. The first passion of his life was cricket which he learned in his Yorkshire village where his father was secretary of the Monk Bretton cricket club. Geoffrey played for Monk Bretton, for his school teams and his college team. He was sad that Americans did not share his enthusiasm for cricket. When he visited Australia, his hosts had to take him to every major cricket ground even out of season.

In 1965 he married Margaret Wiles, who survives him as do his children, Joanna Paulman (Lance), Catherine Aravosis, Dominic Wainwright (Jeannie) and his grandchildren, Wesley Paulman, Matthaios and Sofia Eleni Aravosis.

Tributes in his memory may be sent to Duke Divinity School, Box 90968, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708.

A Service of Christian Burial is contemplated at a time when this becomes possible.

May light perpetual shine upon him.

Bio Credit: The Family of Geoffrey Wainwright
Image Credit: Duke Divinity School

Scott Weidler

June 21, 1959 – January 23, 2021

Born and raised in the Los Angeles area, Scott completed degrees in elementary education from Concordia

University, Nebraska; in sacred music from Wittenberg University; and in liturgy from the University of Notre Dame. He served several congregations as cantor, including Good Shepherd Lutheran (Lancaster, PA) and Immanuel Lutheran (Chicago). He was also an integral part of the Leadership Program for Musicians, a partnership between The Episcopal Church and the

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Most recently, Scott had been Program Director for Worship and Music at the churchwide offices of the ELCA, where his significant contributions included the development of the denomination’s current hymnal (Evangelical Lutheran Worship, 2006), and a variety of related worship resources published as recently as 2017 (Singing in Community: Paperless Music for Worship). Scott had been a member of the Liturgical Music seminar of the North American Academy of Liturgy and remained an active contributor to regional and national programming and resources of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians.

An online service to celebrate his life and work will be sponsored by the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians celebrate on Saturday, January 30, 2021, at 2:00 pm Eastern Time, with an online gathering and breakout rooms available following. You may register for the service here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUpd-2vrzMuGNzTRRaqmzUIAGmr0TO9s2P3

Memorial gifts in honor of Scott may be made to:
The Association of Lutheran Church Musicians
https://alcm.org/make-a-donation/

Music that Makes Community
https://www.musicthatmakescommunity.org/donate_to_mmc

May light perpetual shine upon him.

Bio and Image Credit: The Association of Lutheran Church Musicians and Martin Seltz

Louis Weil

1936-2022

The Rev. Dr. Louis Weil died on March 9, 2022, in Oakland, California.Born in Houston, Texas, in 1936, Louis completed his undergraduate work at Southern Methodist University, then continued his studies at Harvard University, The General Theological Seminary, and Institut Catholique de Paris (Ph.D in Sacred Liturgy). He was ordained to the diaconate in The Episcopal Church in 1961 and the priesthood in 1962, serving congregations and teaching posts in Puerto Rico and France until 1971, when he began teaching liturgics and church music at Nashotah House. In 1988 he joined the faculty at Church Divinity School of the Pacific, retiring in 2009.As gregarious and beloved as he was with his students in the classroom, Weil never stopped begin devoted to the worship life of his denomination, and to making it make sense not only in its language, but in how it was led. As part of the revision team that created the 1979 Book of Common Prayer of The Episcopal Church, his was a critical voice in reshaping its baptismal rite, and re-centering the life of the denomination around the vows and grace bestowed at baptism. He continued his work on refining the liturgy of his church through four terms on the denomination’s Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music.Weil was also a beloved member of the North American Academy of Liturgy, serving as its sixth president and recipient of the Berekah in 2012. His 2013 volume, Liturgical Sense, has become a classic for teaching both the history and practice of planning and presiding at Christian worship in and beyond The Episcopal Church. Ruth Myers, who succeeded him as Hodges-Haynes Professor of Liturgics at CDSP writes, “His wisdom, his pastoral insight, his humor, and his generous hospitality were legendary.”Plans for the Rite of Christian Burial will be posted on the CDSP website when complete.May Louis Weil rest in peace, and may his memory be for a blessing.Image and Bio Credit: Church Divinity School of the Pacific

Gláucia Vasconcelos Wilkey

1941-2019

Beloved and renowned liturgical theologian, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, affectionately known to her 7 grandchildren as Vovó, Gláucia Vasconcelos Wilkey completed her baptism in death on Thursday, January 10, 2019 in Austin, TX. A Service of Witness to the Resurrection was held on Saturday, March 23^rd at West Plano Presbyterian Church, Plano, Texas.

Born to Altino and Dionina Vasconcelos in Aquidauna, Mato Grosso, Brazil, Gláucia lived an extraordinary and generous life. She was the first woman in the history of Brazil to major in Theology at the Seminario Batista do Sul, going on to earn two Masters degrees and a Doctor of Ministry. She was ordained a Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (USA).

Her life’s work took her from Brazil to Toronto, Canada, Louisville, KY, Kansas City, MO, and Seattle, WA serving as musician, educator, pastor, denominational associate, and professor. Her keen love of music traveled with her, as she was brilliantly adept at weaving music to the spoken word, and connecting the arts to the sacraments.

Gláucia’s influence spread most widely when she served (1995-1999) as Associate for Worship, Office of Theology and Worship of the PC(USA). In that capacity, she founded the study project, Pastors as Liturgical Theologians, a model for liturgical formation; and, thereafter, from 1999 to 2008, as Assistant Professor at Seattle University’s School of Theology and Ministry. During this time she was the founder and director of the Summer Institute for Liturgy and Worship, a week-long ecumenical conference that shaped the liturgical vision of hundreds of pastors, musicians, educators, theologians, and practitioners. In addition to memberships in the North American Academy of Liturgy and Societas Liturgica, she was a founding member of the Association for Reformed & Liturgical Worship.

Her final gift to the wider church was serving as editor for a collection of illuminating essays by a group of ecumenical scholars titled, Worship and Culture: Foreign Country or Homeland? [Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing Co. 2014].

Friends and family who loved her best will remember her splendid hospitality, warmth, kindness, affection, and heart.  Meals at her home were frequently large and loud, filled with laugher and music, intellectual and rich conversation.

Gláucia entered her eternal rest preceded by beloved husband Jay Wilkey, as well as her parents, sister Debora, brother Eber, and her dear friend Elsa. She is survived by her daughters Nina Revering, Stella Hastings and husband Todd, seven grandchildren, one great-granddaughter, and many nieces and nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews in Brazil giving thanks for her life and witness.

Memorial contributions can be made to the Rev. Dr. Gláucia Vasconcelos Wilkey Memorial Fund at Pittsburg Presbyterian Church, www.pittpres.com to support Liturgy & Music programs for Children and Youth.

May light perpetual shine upon her.

Bio: David Batchelder
Image Credit: Seattle University School of Theology and Ministry