Richard McCormick, moral theologian, dead at 77

National Catholic Reporter, Feb 25, 2000

Jesuit Fr. Richard A. McCormick, 77, a leading U.S. Catholic moral theologian of the 20th century, died of respiratory failure Feb. 12.

Following a severe stroke last June he had moved to the Colombiere Center, a Jesuit retirement facility in Clarkston, Mich.

A specialist in medical ethics, from the 1960s through the 1980s McCormick was one of the key figures in scores of far-reaching ethical debates over new medical technology, especially in the genetic, reproductive and end-of-life areas.

A prolific author and popular lecturer, he spent most, of his teaching and research career in moral theology at three institutions: Jesuit School of Theology in Chicago (1957-74), Georgetown University (1974-86) and the University of Notre Dame (1986-99).

"Clearly he was one of the -- if not the -- premiere Roman Catholic moral theologians of the last half of the 20th century, and that's speaking modestly," said Mercy Sr. Margaret Farley, professor of Christian ethics at Yale University Divinity School and president of the Catholic Theological Society of America.

"He was certainly one of the most influential moral theologians in this country," said William E. May, a former member of the International Theological Commission who teaches at the Pope John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family in Washington.

McCormick was author, 1966-'84, and a co-author, 1985-'87, of "Notes on Moral Theology," a thematic survey of current moral theology literature in several languages that appeared each year in Theological Studies. The first 15 years of his "Notes on Moral Theology" were published in an 892-page book in 1981.

While McCormick regularly addressed the most controversial moral issues of the day, "he was never into waving red flags," Farley said. "His positions were always carefully thought through."

Born in Toledo Oct. 3, 1922, McCormick entered the Detroit province of the Society of Jesus in 1940. He was ordained a priest in 1953 after studies at Loyola University in Chicago and West Baden College in West Baden Springs, Ind., a Loyola affiliate. He earned licentiates in philosophy and theology from West Baden, a bachelor's degree and a master's in English from Loyola, and his doctorate in theology from the Gregorian University in Rome in 1957.

He taught at West Baden from 1957 to '64, and the Jesuit School of Theology in Chicago from 1964 to '73.

In 1973 he became the Rose F. Kennedy professor of Christian ethics at Georgetown University's Kennedy Center for Bioethics, and the following year he was named one of the first permanent researchers of the university's newly formed Woodstock Theological Center, where he remained until 1986.

Particularly during his years in Washington, he became a significant public figure in the emerging field of bioethics. In 1980 he published How Brave a New World/Dilemmas in Bioethics, a 440-page collection of essays on current bioethical issues.

In 1986 he moved to the University of Notre Dame as John A. O'Brien professor of Christian ethics, a post he held until last year.