Ralph Lanier Britsch (born 1938) was a history professor at

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

who specialized in the history of

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

work by

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

(LDS Church), particularly in the Pacific Islands and Asia.

Biography

Britsch is the son of Ralph A. Britsch, who was a BYU English professor and helped start the Humanities program at

. Britsch served as a

for the LDS Church in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

two times, first as a youth, and later as a senior missionary assigned to help document the history of the

Polynesian Cultural Center The Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC) is a family-centered cultural tourist attraction and living museum located in Laie, on the northern shore of Oahu, Hawaii. The PCC is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), was ...

. Britsch received his bachelor's degree and master's degree from BYU, and his Ph.D. from

Claremont Graduate University The Claremont Graduate University (CGU) is a private, all-graduate research university in Claremont, California. Founded in 1925, CGU is a member of the Claremont Colleges which includes five undergraduate (Pomona College, Claremont McKenna Co ...

in 1968. Among the books Britsch has written or edited are ''Nothing More Heroic: The Compelling Story of the First Latter-day Saint missionaries in India''; ''From the East: The History of the Latter-day Saints in Asia, 1851-1996''; ''Moramona: The Mormons in Hawai'i'' and ''Unto the Islands of the Sea: A History of the Latter-day Saints in the Pacific''. Britsch also wrote ''Counseling: A Guide to Helping Others''. For a time, Britsch was the director of BYU's

David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies The David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies provides international study and service opportunities for students at Brigham Young University (BYU). The center offers six interdisciplinary studies programs: Ancient Near East Studies, Asian ...

.''

Church News The ''Church News'' (or ''LDS Church News'') is a weekly tabloid-sized supplement to the ''Deseret News'' and the ''MormonTimes'', a Salt Lake City, Utah newspaper owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It is ...

'', August 8, 1992 Britsch was also Vice President for Academics at

Brigham Young University Hawaii Brigham may refer to: Places * Brigham, Cumbria, England * Brigham, East Riding of Yorkshire, England * Brigham City, Utah, USA * Brigham, Wisconsin, USA * Brigham, Quebec, Canada People * Brigham (surname), including a list of people with t ...

between 1986 and 1990. He and his previous wife JoAnn Murphy Britsch are the parents of six children; JoAnn died in 2005. Britsch has since married Shirley McKay in 2007. Britsch's older brother Todd Britsch was a humanities professor and later Academic Vice President at BYU. Britsch has served in many positions in the LDS Church, including numerous assignments in bishoprics of BYU student wards and in the leadership of BYU student stakes. He also served in the presidency of the Orem Utah Sharon Stake. He is currently a

patriarch The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in certai ...

in Orem, Utah.

Notes

References

* Joann and Lanier Britsch
"For Husbands and Helpmeets"
''

Ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

'', June 1973, p. 12 * R. Lanier Britsch
"From Bhutan to Wangts’ang: Taking the Gospel to Asia"
''

'', June 1980, p. 7 * https://web.archive.org/web/20080908093113/http://www.ldsinternationalsociety.org/isdb/organization.php
''BYU Magazine'' article on Britsch and his younger brother Todd.

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Britsch, R. Lanier 1938 births 20th-century Mormon missionaries 21st-century American historians 21st-century American male writers American Latter Day Saint writers American Mormon missionaries in the United States American leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Brigham Young University alumni Brigham Young University faculty Brigham Young University–Hawaii faculty Claremont Graduate University alumni Historians of the Latter Day Saint movement Latter Day Saints from Hawaii Latter Day Saints from Utah Living people Mormon missionaries in Hawaii Mormon studies scholars Patriarchs (LDS Church) Historians from California American male non-fiction writers