Remembering Father Langan

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I am terribly saddened by the death of Father John Langan. I am also equally proud and fortunate to have known Father Langan, to have worked with him, to count him as a professional and personal friend. While I write in the first person, I know that I speak on behalf of FASPE and on behalf of the many people at FASPE whom he touched—Fellows, Faculty and others.

I start with just a passing reference to his many professional accomplishments, all reported elsewhere. Simply, he was an extraordinary teacher, scholar and pastor. Here is a link to beautiful tribute to Father Langan from the Berkley Center at Georgetown University: HERE. He studied matters of fundamental ethics—human rights, just wars, bioethics and more—but all with an eye towards ultimate justice. His scholarship guided many and broke ground for all.

Father Langan joined FASPE from the very outset of our work. Or, perhaps, we joined him. He was enormously generous with his time and counsel in helping us to design our curriculum as we created the FASPE Seminary Program. Even more, he guided our Seminary Fellows in our early years, thus shaping several cohorts of Fellows and driving the underpinnings of how we think about ethics within the FASPE context.

I had the enormous privilege of spending hours with Father Langan in Poland. In memorable conversations in outside restaurants in the captivating central square of Krakow—often with our mutual friend, “Dr. Zubrowka” (my moniker for a favored brand of Polish vodka); visiting churches in Krakow; in very personal conversations on long “walks” through Birkenau; and in reflections long into the night in Oswiecim.

I will not forget his kindness, his openness, his unyielding commitment to ethical behavior. All who knew him will miss him.

David

David Goldman | Chairman
FASPE | www.faspe-ethics.org
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