Photo credit: The Catholic University of America, The School of Theology and Religious Studies.
The editorial staff of Horizons: The Journal of the College Theology Society deeply mourns the loss of our beloved mentor and colleague Father Gerard Sloyan, an associate editor of the journal from its origins to 2013, a founder of the College Theology Society, and CTS president (1966–68). Father Sloyan exquisitely embodied the ideal of a gentleman scholar; he performed the pastoral duties of his priesthood with compassion and gentleness; and he practiced the craft of teaching with enthusiasm and a laser focus on the well-being of his students. In short, Father Sloyan was a giant in the practice of theology and teaching after the Second Vatican Council, and on his shoulders we all stand.
Father Sloyan was always an ardent supporter of Horizons. In 1994, editor Walter E. Conn dedicated issue 21, no. 2 to him, writing:
No expression of gratitude could adequately recognize the many different and important ways Gerry has contributed to the College Theology Society and especially to Horizons; the dedication of this issue to him is but a futile gesture. As associate editor, Gerry has striven for a high level of style and accuracy in Horizons. Inelegance and sloppiness are things up with which he does not put.
Editor Conn was correct. There is simply no way for any of us to thank and to honor Father Sloyan for his countless contributions to theology, Scripture studies, liturgy, religious studies, and to Catholic higher education. Indeed, Horizons and CTS owe a debt to Father Sloyan's visionary commitment to lay Catholic theologians that can never be repaid. He was a model of Christian praxis and a deft scholar-teacher showing us how to enact the aggiornamento and ressourcement of Vatican II. His wit, wisdom, and passion are sorely missed.
