Richard R. Gaillardetz

1958 - 2023

News Story
By Mark Zaborney
Blade Staff Writer


Richard R. Gaillardetz, a theologian and former University of Toledo professor of Catholic studies, died Nov. 7 in his West Roxbury, Mass., home. He was 65.

He learned 21 months ago that he had pancreatic cancer, his wife, Diana Gaillardetz, said. He wrote regularly on the CaringBridge website during the course of his illness

"He really did a great job of reflecting honestly and vulnerably about what he was going through," she said. "He was a great writer and it gave him purpose. His reflections made a lot of difference to a lot of people, people we never met."

Mr. Gaillardetz, formerly of Ottawa Hills, became professor of systematic theology at Boston College in 2011, when he left UT, and was theology department chairman from 2016 to 2022.

He came to UT in 2001 as the Margaret and Thomas Murray and James J. Bacik Endowed Chair in Catholic Studies.

"He was very passionate about what he did, and he loved working with the students," Mrs. Gaillardetz said. "He was a big mentor for a number of them.

"He loved the Catholic Church and wanted it to be better and wanted it to speak to all people more, particularly women. He had a strong sense of purpose and integrity."

His role in the founding of the Center for Religious Understanding at UT showed his openness to those of all faiths, or none, she said.

"That's where the teacher in him came in," Mrs. Gaillardetz said.

He had a keen mind for theology, said the Rev. James Bacik, a priest and scholar, who encouraged Mr. Gaillardetz to apply for the position at UT.

"He could take the ideas he knew from the world of theology and put them in a way people could understand them. That was his great ability," said Father Bacik, former pastor of Corpus Christi University Parish.

He navigated the politics of teaching at a state university with poise - and made a lot of friends.

"He found a way to teach courses that concentrated on understanding material without pushing a viewpoint," Father Bacik said. "He treasured the Catholic tradition and knew it well and drew on it. He wanted people to understand. He wasn't trying to convince people of a faith position."

Zachary Dehm was first a friend of Mr. Gaillardetz's sons David and Andrew before taking a class from him at UT. He since has studied with him at Boston College, from which Mr. Dehm received a master's degree in theological studies.

"He was just a compelling and charismatic speaker," said Mr. Dehm, a doctoral student in theology at Duquesne University, Pittsburgh. "He managed to make complex questions really accessible and comprehensible."

Mr. Gaillardetz, known too for his work on how Vatican II was interpreted and received, was an author of nine books, wrote more than 100 articles and book reviews, and traveled the world to give talks and presentations.

A conference last year at Boston College to mark his legacy drew hundreds of theologians and former students.

"With heartfelt gratitude, we will greatly miss him and strive to continue his theological work," said the Rev. Andrea Vicini, current Boston College theology department chairman in a remembrance on the college website.

His specialty was ecclesiology, or the study of the church and authority in the church. Stephen Pope, a Boston College theology professor, said in the school's remembrance: "I don't think anyone would deny that Rick was the most accomplished ecclesiologist in the English-speaking world."

He was born May 11, 1958, to Jeannine and Roger Gaillardetz in Bitburg, Germany, where his father was stationed in the Air Force. He graduated from high school in Austin, Texas.

He had a bachelor's degree in humanities from University of Texas. He worked in campus ministry for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth and afterward received a master's degree in theology from St. Mary's University, San Antonio.

He later attended the University of Notre Dame, from which he received a master's degree and doctorate in theology. He was hired by the University of St. Thomas graduate school of theology at St. Mary's Seminary in Houston, Texas, where he taught for 10 years.

Surviving are his wife, the former Diana Guedry Horadam, whom he married May 28, 1989; his mother, Jeannine Gaillardetz; sons David Gaillardetz, Andrew Gaillardetz, Brian Gaillardetz, and Greg Gaillardetz; sisters Sandra Neely, Lisa Blackman, and Julie Hosea; and grandson.

A memorial Mass will begin at 7 p.m. Saturday at Corpus Christi University Parish in Toledo, with a live stream available at ccup.org. Arrangements were by Gormley Funeral Service, West Roxbury, Mass.

The family suggests tributes to Good Shepherd Community Care Hospice, Newton, Mass. or to Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.