Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Rev. Robert F. Drinan, SJ (New England Province), 86, died on Sunday, January 28, 2007, at Sibley Memorial Hospital. He was a Jesuit for 64 years and a priest for 53 years. He had been ill with pneumonia and congestive heart failure.

A renowned professor at Georgetown University and a former congressman, Father Drinan was known for his dedication to human rights and social justice issues.

Born in Boston, Mass., Father Drinan grew up in Hyde Park, where he graduated from Hyde Park High School in 1938.  Following his graduation from Boston College, Father Drinan entered the Society of Jesus at St. Stanislaus Novitiate, Shadowbrook, in Lennox, Mass., on June 29, 1942.  After taking his First Vows on June 30, 1944, he pursued college studies at Shadowbrook for a year and then studied philosophy at Weston College in Massachusetts, from 1945 until 1947.

As a Jesuit scholastic, Father Drinan studied at Georgetown University Law School, where he received an LL.B in 1949 and an LL.M in 1951. He studied theology at Weston College from 1950 to 1954 and received a licentiate in Sacred Theology.  Father Drinan was ordained at Weston College Chapel on June 20, 1953.  He made his tertianship at Villa S. Ignazio, in Florence, Italy, from 1954 until 1955, and his Final Profession in the Society of Jesus on August 15, 1958, at Boston College.

Father Drinan started his priestly ministry at Boston College School of Law in 1955, where he served as assistant dean, law professor and dean.  During this period he also taught law at other schools including the University of Texas law school and was appointed to several Massachusetts state commissions convened to study legal issues such as judicial salaries and lawyer conflicts of interests. 

In 1970, Father Drinan became the first Roman Catholic priest to win election to the U.S. House of Representatives and was re-elected four times.  He served in that capacity from 1971 until 1981, when complying with the directive of Pope John Paul II that priests withdraw from electoral politics, he did not seek re-election.

In 1981, Father Drinan served as the president of Americans for Democratic Action, in Washington, D.C. The following year he returned to academic work at the Georgetown University Law Center. Here he focused his attention on legal ethics and international human rights, moderated the Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics, contributed to law reviews and journals, and authored several books including The Mobilization of Shame: A World View of Human Rights, published in 2001. In 2004, Father Drinan received the ABA Medal from the American Bar Association, the organization’s highest honor for distinguished service in law. On May 10, 2006, he was presented with the distinguished service award on behalf of the U.S. House of Representatives.

In October 2006, Father Drinan was honored by the Georgetown Law Center with the establishment of the Robert F. Drinan, SJ, Chair in Human Rights for his extensive involvement in human rights. At the time of his death, Father Drinan was still working at Georgetown, teaching a class on religion and government and an advanced legal ethics seminar.

“He was a much cherished member of our community, admired for his simplicity of life and his dedication to the cause of justice and enjoyed for his energy and his gift of friendship,” said Rev. John Langan, SJ, rector of the Georgetown University Jesuit Community.

Announcements from the Maryland Province are published as needed.
This notice is archived on the web: www.mdsj.org/Deaths/ Drinan_Robert_2.htm
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact William Watters, SJ, 410.532.1412.