John Richard Cavanaugh (June 10, 1929 – July 26, 2007) was an American priest, teacher, and scholar. He was born in

Rochester, New York Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...

, the fourth child and second son of William Cavanaugh and Helen Louise (Kavanaugh) Cavanaugh. After graduating from Aquinas Institute of Rochester in 1946, he entered seminary studies for the

Congregation of St. Basil The Congregation of St. Basil (, abbreviation CSB), also called the Basilians, is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men, with priests, seminarians and lay associates. It is an apostolic community whose members p ...

(The Basilians). He was ordained as a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

in 1955. The following year he earned his Master's in English from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

and then went on to teach English language and literature at the newly established

St. John Fisher College St. John Fisher University is a private university in Rochester, New York in the United States. It is named after John Fisher, an English Catholic cardinal and saint. It was named St. John Fisher College until July 1, 2022. History St. John F ...

in Rochester, which had been founded by the Basilians in 1948. He was a member of the English department from 1956 to 1994. In 1959, he began doctoral studies at

Saint Louis University Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Missi ...

. After completing his course work there, he returned to teaching at St. John Fisher College in 1962. He completed his doctoral dissertation in 1970. Both his Master's thesis and his doctoral dissertation were studies of certain features of St. Thomas More's writings. In 1984, he took a yearlong sabbatical trip to Ireland. When he returned to Fisher as Chair of the English Department, he launched an Irish literature course and became active in recounting Ireland's history and countering stereotypes of the Irish people. To that end, he helped found the Rochester chapter of the

Irish-American Culture Institute Irish Americans () are Irish ethnics who live within in the United States, whether immigrants from Ireland or Americans with full or partial Irish ancestry. Irish immigration to the United States From the 17th century to the mid-19th c ...

, a group that brings Irish artists and scholars to Rochester. In addition to his teaching and scholarship, Cavanaugh enjoyed playing bagpipes, an activity he had to give up when he developed heart problems in 1980. He served on the board of trustees for Fisher and

Aquinas Institute The Aquinas Institute of Rochester is a Catholic, private, college-preparatory, co-educational school educating in the Basilian tradition. The school is located in Rochester, New York, and was established in 1902. The Aquinas Institute was foun ...

. In 2003, he established Fisher's first endowed chair, The William and Helen Chair of Catholic Studies, named in honor of his parents. In 2000, he was named Distinguished

Irish American Irish Americans () are Irish ethnics who live within in the United States, whether immigrants from Ireland or Americans with full or partial Irish ancestry. Irish immigration to the United States From the 17th century to the mid-19th c ...

of the Millennium Year at the sixth annual Rochester Irish Festival, and in 2001 he was the Grand Marshal of the St. Patrick's Day parade. A bronze statue of Cavanaugh was erected on the east side of the Fisher campus in his honor.

References

1929 births 2007 deaths Writers from Rochester, New York Religious leaders from Rochester, New York Saint Louis University alumni St. John Fisher University {{US-academic-bio-stub