REVEREND THOMAS P. O’MALLEY, S.J.

Rev. Thomas P. O’Malley, S.J., 20th president of John Carroll University (1980-1988) died Wednesday, November 4.  Most recently, Fr. O’Malley was a professor in the Boston College Honors Program. He previously served as dean of Arts & Sciences at Boston College, and president of Loyola Marymount University.

“Fr. O’Malley was such a marvelous presence on campus,” recalls Rev. William M. Bichl, S.J., who knew him well. “He made a huge difference during his time at John Carroll.  If I had to highlight one thing, he heightened the awareness of the local community about John Carroll – that we weren’t the seminary on the hill but a full-blown college and university. He was a great man.”

Fr. O'Malley was born in Milton, Massachusetts, graduated from Boston College High School, Boston College, and Fordham University. He entered the Society of Jesus in 1952 after completing a Master's degree in Classical Languages at Fordham.

He taught Latin and Greek at The College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, from 1956 to 1958, where he also coached debate, and was a resident assistant in the dormitories.

In 1958, Fr. O’Malley began studying theology at the French-speaking Jesuit Faculty in Louvain, Belgium, where he received the Licentiate in Sacred Theology from the College St.-Albert de Louvain. He was ordained to the priesthood in Brussels in August 1961 and returned to the United States in 1962.

After a year's study of ascetical theology at St. Robert's Hall, Pomfret, Connecticut, he began doctoral studies at the University of Nijmegen, the Netherlands. In 1967, he received a Doctor in Letters degree specializing in Early Christian Latin and Greek literature.

Fr. O’Malley returned to the United States in 1967 and was named assistant pro­fessor and chairman of the Classics Department at Boston College. In 1969, he was promoted to associate professor and became chairman of the Theology Department. During these years, he served as trustee of the Boston Theological Institute, a consortium of theological faculties.

In 1973, he became Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Boston College, a post he held for seven years. During that time, he also was faculty advisor to the University Chorale of Boston College, a group in which he sang for several years.

During his tenure at John Carroll, much of Fr. O’Malley’s work was focused on the University’s
$16 million Centennial fundraising drive. The campaign yielded three major facilities: the recreation complex, a completely remodeled student center, and a new Saint Francis Chapel. The drive also elicited a $2.1 million commitment from the Edward J. and Louise E. Mellen Foundation for the Mellen Chair in Finance in the School of Business.

In 1985-86, Fr. O’Malley presided over the University’s Centennial celebration, a yearlong series of campus and community activities, seminars, and cultural programs. The Centennial spotlighted the University’s Jesuit heritage, Catholic tradition, and academic achievements.

In his Centennial Report Fr. O’Malley said: “We want to be a school that continues to prize excellence in teaching, in which classes are small and the faculty is uncommonly good … a school at which bright students are challenged and awakened … a school that produces solid, valuable graduates … a school where religious values are evident.”

Fr. O'Malley is survived by his brothers, Austin and John, and his sister, Mary. Condolences may be sent to: Austin O’Malley, 64 Carol Drive, Dedham, MA, 02026.  Fr. O’Malley’s funeral will be Tuesday, Nov. 10, at St. Ignatius Church in Chestnut Hill, Mass.

The following services will take place in Boston:
 
Wake:              Monday, November 9 from 4-6 p.m. and 7-9 p.m.
                       St. Mary's Hall (Boston College)
Funeral:           Mass at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, November 10
                       Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola
                       (28 Commonwealth Ave, Chestnut Hill, MA) 

His final resting place will be at Campion Center in Weston, Massachusetts.

There will be a Memorial Mass for Fr. O’Malley in Saint Francis Chapel on Tuesday, November 10, at 5:05 p.m.

Gifts in memory of Fr. O'Malley may be sent to John Carroll University, University Advancement, 20700 North Park Blvd, University Heights, OH 44118.

Please join us as we extend our expressions of prayer and sympathy to the Jesuit community, as well as to the family and friends of Fr. O’Malley.

Please share your remembrances of Father O'Malley in the guestbook.