Thomas Mulvihill King, S.J. (born May 9, 1929 in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, died June 23, 2009 in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

) was a professor of

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

. King entered the

Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

in 1951 after completing undergraduate studies in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

at the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...

. As a

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

, he undertook further studies at

Fordham University Fordham University () is a Private university, private Jesuit universities, Jesuit research university in New York City. Established in 1841 and named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the The Bronx, Bronx in which its origina ...

and

Woodstock College Woodstock College was a Jesuit seminary that existed from 1869 to 1974. It was the oldest Jesuit seminary in the United States. The school was located in Woodstock, Maryland, west of Baltimore, from its establishment until 1969, when it moved to ...

and was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

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 deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

in 1964. After completing a doctorate in

at the

University of Strasbourg The University of Strasbourg (french: Université de Strasbourg, Unistra) is a public research university located in Strasbourg, Alsace, France, with over 52,000 students and 3,300 researchers. The French university traces its history to the ea ...

in 1968, King began teaching at Georgetown. A member of the American Teilhard Association, he has written or edited several books on

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin Pierre Teilhard de Chardin ( (); 1 May 1881 – 10 April 1955) was a French Jesuit priest, scientist, paleontologist, theologian, philosopher and teacher. He was Darwinian in outlook and the author of several influential theological and philos ...

, including ''Teilhard's Mysticism of Knowing'' (1981), ''Teilhard and the Unity of Knowledge'' (1983) ''Teilhard de Chardin'' (1988), ''The Letters of Teilhard de Chardin and Lucile Swan'' (1993) and ''Teilhard's Mass'' (2005). His other works include ''Sartre and the Sacred'' (1974), ''Enchantments: Religion and the Power of the Word'' (1989), ''Merton: Mystic at the Center of America'' (1992) and ''Jung's Four and Some Philosophers'' (1999). He also wrote the introduction for a new 2004 translation by Sion Cowell of Teilhard's ''The Divine Milieu.''

Impact at Georgetown University

Father King was also well-known among Georgetown students and alumni for offering

Mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...

at 11:15 p.m. each night from Sunday to Friday in Dahlgren Chapel on Georgetown's main campus, a tradition he started in 1969. In 1999, ''

The Hoya ''The Hoya'', founded in 1920, is the oldest and largest student newspaper of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., serving as the university’s newspaper of record. ''The Hoya'' is a student-run paper that prints every Friday and publish ...

'', Georgetown's student newspaper, declared King "Georgetown's Man of the Century", noting that "no one has had a more significant presence on campus and effect on students than Father King.". In addition, Father King was presented as third in a series of cover stories regarding Jesuit identity in the ''Georgetown Voice'' on September 27, 2001.

Political Positions

In line with Catholic moral teaching, he took a strong stance against abortion and euthanasia and was the co-founder of the University Faculty of Life, a group that seeks to create dialogue on life issues in the academic community. King was also a member of

Pax Christi Pax Christi International is an international Catholic peace movement. The Pax Christi International website declares its mission is "to transform a world shaken by violence, terrorism, deepening inequalities, and global insecurity." History ...

and opposed war and capital punishment, though he stressed the peaceful prevention of conflict over strict

pacifism Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence. Pacifists generally reject theories of Just War. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaign ...

Final Days

Fr. King turned 80 on May 9, 2009. Many different groups of friends, colleagues, and former students came together to celebrate his 80th birthday and 40 years of 11:15pm Mass over the months of May and June. On June 23, 2009, King died of

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

in his bedroom at the Jesuit Residence at Georgetown University in

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

.In Memoriam: Fr. Thomas King, S.J. Georgetown Alumni Online
Retrieved on 2009-06-26.

Books Written or Edited By King

* ''Teilhard's Mass: Approaches to "The Mass on the World"''. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist, 2005. * ''Jung's Four and Some Philosophers: A Paradigm for Philosophy''. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1999. * ''The Letters of Teilhard de Chardin and Lucile Swan.'' Editor, with Mary Gilbert. Washington, DC: Georgetown Univ Pr, 1993. * ''Merton: Mystic at the Center of America''. Collegeville, Minn: Liturgical Pr, 1992. * ''Enchantments: Religion and the Power of the Word.'' Kansas City, Mo: Sheed & Ward, 1989. * ''Teilhard de Chardin.'' Wilmington, Del: Michael Glazier, 1988. * ''Teilhard and the Unity of Knowledge.'' Editor, with James F. Salmon. New York: Paulist Pr, 1983. * ''Teilhard's Mysticism of Knowing.'' New York: Seabury Pr, 1981. * ''Sartre and the Sacred.'' Chicago: Univ of Chicago Pr, 1974.

Journal Articles and Book Chapters by King

* "Reflection from a Roman Catholic Priest." In ''Hail Mary and Rhythmic Breathing: A New Way of Praying the Rosary,'' vii-viii. Mahwah, New Jersey: Paulist Press, 2006. * "Believers and their disbelief." Zygon 42, no. 3 (September 2007): 779-791. * "The Thomas Merton Encyclopedia." Theological Studies 67, no. 4 (December 2006): 931-932. * "God and the Human Future." In ''Teilhard and the Future of Humanity,'' 20-28. New York: Fordham University Press, 2006. * "An atheist on the 'compost of Catholicity': remembering Jean-Paul Sartre on his centennial." National Catholic Reporter 41, no. 32 (June 17, 2005): 18. * "Scientific Research as Adoration: Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955)." The Way 44, no. 3 (July 2005): 21-34. * "Teilhard makes Christianity most exciting thing on block." National Catholic Reporter 41, no. 25 (April 22, 2005): 8-10. * "Teilhard and the environment." Ecotheology 10, no. 1 (April 2005): 88-98. * "A Holy Man and Lover of the World: the spirituality of Teilhard de Chardin." America 192, no. 11 (March 28, 2005): 7-10. * Forward. In ''The Divine Milieu,'' vii-xxvi. Portland: Sussex Academic Press, 2004. * "Teilhard's unity of knowledge." In ''Teilhard in the 21st Century,'' 33-43. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2003. * "Globalization and the soul: according to Teilhard, Friedman, and others." Zygon 37, no. 1 (March 2002): 25-33. * "Teilhard and Globalization." Theology Digest 40, no. 3 (2002): 211-215. * "Le Salut du Monde selon Teilhard de Chardin (The Salvation of the World According to Teilhard de Chardin)." In ''Le sens de l'évolution en question? : Colloque international Teilhard de Chardin, 2001, Lille-Hastings,'' Saint-Etienne: Aubin, 2002. * "Virtual Faith: The Irreverent Spiritual Quest of Generation X (Book Review)." Theological Studies 60, no. 3 (September 1999): 587. * "Jung and Catholic Spirituality." America 180, no. 11 (April 1999): 12-15. * "Karl Barth And Thomas Merton Climbing Church Towers At Night." America 179, no. 19 (December 12, 1998): 12-14. * "Work on Teilhard, 1980-1994 : An Annotated Bibliography." With James F. Salmon. Zygon 30, no. 1 (March 1995): 131-142. * "An Explosion of Dazzling Flashes : Teilhard's Unity of Faith and Science." Zygon 30, no. 1 (March 1995): 105-115. * "The consecration of our world in the spiritual exercises of Ignatius." Journal of Spiritual Formation 15, no. 3 (November 1994): 273. * "Thomas Merton: The Development of a Spiritual Theologian." Theological Studies 47, no. 3 (September 1986): 546-547. * "The Milieux Teilhard left behind." America 152 (March 1985): 249-254. * "A Writer Loses Himself: A Study of Thomas Merton." Chicago Studies 24, no. 1 (1985): 69-86. * "A sermon for Teilhard's Mass on the world." In ''Teilhard and the Unity of Knowledge,'' 150-152. Ramsey, NJ: Paulist Press, 1983. * "Appendix : Teilhard and Piltdown." In ''Teilhard and the Unity of Knowledge,'' 159-169. Ramsey, NJ: Paulist Press, 1983. * "The Teilhard centennial." America 146, no. 16 (April 1982): 318-319. * "Atheism of Jean-Paul Sartre." In ''God in Contemporary Thought,'' 851-863. New York: Learned Pub, 1977.

Book Reviews by King

* "Boredom and the Religious Imagination (Book Review)." Theological Studies 61, no. 4 (December 2000): 799. * "Religion and the Spiritual in Carl Jung (Book Review)." Theological Studies 61, no. 2 (June 2000): 392. * "Wounded Prophet: A Portrait of Henri J. M. Nouwen (Book Review)." Theological Studies 60, no. 4 (December 1999): 792. * "Nearer My God: An Autobiography of Faith (Book Review)." America 178, no. 3 (January 31, 1998): 32-39. * "The Phenomenon of Teilhard: Prophet for a New Age (Book Review)." Theological Studies 58, no. 1 (March 1997): 193. * "Searching for Christ: The Spirituality of Dorothy Day (Book Review)." Theological Studies 56, no. 1 (March 1995): 169. * "Silent Lamp: The Thomas Merton Story (Book Review)." Theological Studies 54, no. 1 (March 1993): 199. * "Thomas Merton's Art of Denial: The Evolution of a Radical Humanist (Book Review)." Theological Studies 51, no. 1 (March 1990): 178. * "Up and Down Merton's Mountain: A Contemporary Spiritual Journey (Book Review)." Books and Religion 16, (1989): 9. * "Thomas Merton: The Ongoing Story; A Vow of Conversation (Book Review)." Books and Religion 16, (1989): 9. * "New seeds for Merton contemplation (Book Review)." Books and Religion 16, (1989): 9. * "Thomas Merton in Alaska (Book Review)." Books and Religion 16, (1989): 9. * "Thomas Merton on Nuclear Weapons (Book Review)." Books and Religion 16, (1989): 9. * "Honorable Reader (Book Review)." Books and Religion 16, (1989): 9. * "Thomas Merton (Book Review)." Theological Studies 47, no. 3 (September 1986): 546-547. * "A Reason to Hope: A Synthesis of Teilhard de Chardin's Vision and Systems Thinking (Book Review)." Theological Studies 45, no. 2 (June 1984): 395-396. * "The Cosmic Christ in Origen and Teilhard de Chardin (Book Review)." Theological Studies 44, no. 2 (June 1983): 324-325. * "Evolution from space (Book Review)." America 147 (October 1982): 238-239. * "The spirit of the earth (Book Review)." America 145 (December 1981): 407-408. * "Teilhard, Scripture, and Revelation (Book Review)." Theological Studies 42, no. 4 (December 1981): 690-691. * "Towards a New Mysticism (Book Review)." Theological Studies 42, no. 2 (June 1981): 318-320. * "The Heart of Matter (Book Review)." Theological Studies 40, no. 4 (December 1979): 760-762. * "Exercises in Religious Understanding (Book Review)." Theological Studies 36, no. 3 (September 1975): 533-534. * "Jung, Gods, and Modern Man (Book Review)." Theological Studies 32, no. 3 (September 1971): 554-555.

References

External links

Georgetown faculty webpage

Georgetown Jesuit Community - Profile for Rev. Thomas M. King, S.J.

"Sources of Stability", ''The Hoya'', Friday, January 21, 2000.

* ttp://www.georgetownvoice.com/2001-09-27/feature/a-life-dedicated-to-learning "Features: A Life Dedicated to Learning", ''The Georgetown Voice'', Thursday, September 27, 2001.
"Faculty Perspectives: The Rev. Thomas King, S.J.", ''The Hoya'', Tuesday, November 4, 2003.

"A Day in the Life: Teaching, prayer mark daily activities of Jesuit professor", ''The Hoya'', Friday, October 14, 2005.

"Voices: 40 Years of 11:15 p.m. Mass", ''The Georgetown Voice'', Thursday, January 29, 2009.
{{DEFAULTSORT:King, Thomas M 1929 births 2009 deaths People from Pittsburgh People from Washington, D.C. Georgetown University faculty 20th-century American Roman Catholic theologians 21st-century American Roman Catholic theologians Fordham University alumni 20th-century American Jesuits 21st-century American Jesuits Woodstock College alumni Catholics from Pennsylvania