Michael Joseph Buckley (October 12, 1931 – July 25, 2019) was an American

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

priest and philosophical theologian. He was the Bea Professor of Theology at

Santa Clara University Santa Clara University is a private university, private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California, United States. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university' ...

. He also served as president of the

Catholic Theological Society of America The Catholic Theological Society of America (CTSA) is a professional association of Catholic theologians founded in 1946 to promote studies and research in theology within the Catholic tradition. Its members are primarily in the United States and ...

. Buckley was born on October 12, 1931, in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, California, the son of Eleanor (''née'' Fletcher) and colonel

Michael Buckley Jr Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * he He ..., a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name * Michael (bishop elect)">Michael (surname)">he He ..., a given nam ...

. He graduated from

Bellarmine College Preparatory Bellarmine College Preparatory is an all-boys, Jesuit, private secondary school located in San Jose, California. Founded on May 8, 1851, it is the oldest Jesuit secondary school in California and the second-oldest west of the Mississippi River. ...

. He studied philosophy at

Gonzaga University Gonzaga University (GU) ( ) is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit university in Spokane, Washington, United States. It is Higher education accreditation in the United States, accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges ...

, receiving a BA and MA. He graduated from

with a

Master of Sacred Theology Master of Theology (, abbreviated ThM, MTh or MTheol, or ''Sacrae Theologiae Magister''; abbreviated STM) is a post-graduate degree offered by universities, divinity schools, and seminaries. It can serve as a transition degree for entrance into a ...

and received a PhD in 1967 from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

, studying under

Richard McKeon Richard McKeon (; April 26, 1900 – March 31, 1985) was an American philosopher and longtime professor at the University of Chicago. His ideas formed the basis for the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Life, times, and influences McKeo ...

. He received two

honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

s. He died on July 25, 2019, in

Los Gatos Los Gatos (; ; ) is an incorporated town in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The population is 33,529 according to the 2020 census. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area just southwest of San Jose in the foothills of t ...

, California.

Publications

*''Motion and Motion's God: Thematic Variations in Aristotle, Cicero, Newton and Hegel'' (Princeton, 1971). *''At the Origins of Modern Atheism'' (Yale, 1987). *''Papal Primacy and the Episcopate: Towards a Relational Understanding'' (Herder, 1998). *''The Catholic University as Promise and Project'' (Georgetown, 1998). *''Denying and Disclosing God: The Ambiguous Progress of Modern Atheism'' (Yale, 2000). *''What Do You Seek? The Questions of Jesus as Challenge and Promise'' (Eerdmans, 2016).

Activities

*President, Catholic Theological Society of America, 1991–1992 *Advisory Committee, Princeton Center of Theological Inquiry, 1999–2000 *Chair, Jesuit International Theological Commission *Executive Director, Committees on Doctrine and Pastoral Research and Practices at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) *Consultant Board Member, Herder/Crossroad Press *Member, Clare Hall, Cambridge University

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buckley, Michael J. 1931 births 2019 deaths 20th-century American Jesuits 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American Roman Catholic theologians 21st-century American Jesuits 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American Roman Catholic theologians American male non-fiction writers American Roman Catholic writers Bellarmine College Preparatory alumni Boston College faculty Catholics from California Gonzaga University alumni Presidents of the Catholic Theological Society of America Santa Clara University alumni Santa Clara University faculty University of Chicago alumni University of Notre Dame faculty Writers from San Francisco