Patrick Ryan, S.J., died on Aug. 9 at the age of 85. Fr. Ryan was the former Laurence McGinley Chair ahead of the current chair, Thomas Massaro, S.J.
He died of respiratory failure at Montefiore Hospital in Norwood, according to Fordham Now. Ryan was known amongst the Fordham community for his fostering of interfaith dialogue.
As a missionary in West Africa for almost 50 years, Ryan was known by students for his friendly and humorous nature. Most recently serving as the McGinley chair from 2009-2022, Ryan made his lectures both academic and accessible for the student body. Massaro said he wants to further the tradition implemented by Ryan.
“He had an exemplary way of dealing with people of all ages–students, faculty colleagues, fellow Jesuits–that I admired and strived to imitate over the years,” Massaro said. “I cried more than a few tears as I concelebrated his funeral mass, and I will miss him dearly.”
Ryan was a New Yorker at heart. Born on Aug. 11, 1939 in Woodside, Queens, to Tipperary native Patrick “Paddy Lacken” Ryan and Manhattan native Nancy Ryan (formerly Anna Kennedy) he had a profoundly Irish upbringing.
Paddy Lacken, as he was known in Ireland and New York, was a member of the Irish Republican Army, serving as Captain in the C Company of the 6th Battalion, Tipperary No. 1 Brigade, 3rd South Division. Strongly against the Anglo-Irish Treaty during the Irish Civil War, Lacken was captured by pro-treaty forces in 1923 and sentenced to execution. According to novelist Peadar O’Donnell, Lacken was “mistakenly transferred to Harepark Camp in the Curragh.” Orders were sent for his release, but his fellow prisoners kept him hidden.
Following his immigration to the United States, Lacken remained a strong Irish nationalist. His family was also heavily involved in the Gaelic Athletic Association.
Ryan lost his father at the age of four and entered the Society of Jesus, colloquially known as Jesuits, at 18, after graduating from Regis High School on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. He was ordained a priest 11 years later in the Fordham University Church.
Ryan lived in West Africa for 26 years, notably serving as president of Loyola Jesuit College in Nigeria from 1999 to 2005.
“He so loved Africa, as we attested by the homily, by Father Ugo Nacciarone, at his funeral,” Massaro said. “He built bridges between the churches in the USA and West Africa, where he served in many roles during decades as a missionary in Ghana and Nigeria.”
Back at Fordham, Ryan worked as a political science professor and vice president of mission integration and ministry in the early 2000s, before being appointed as the McGinley chair several years later. Ryan was beloved by students and cared for his community.
“He [Ryan] lived in Walsh Hall residence with many students over the years as well,” Massaro said, “which demonstrates his commitment to contribute to campus life in a variety of ways, including as a celebrant of countless liturgies on campus.”
He was also beloved by the religious community on campus. “He contributed much to the Jesuit community at Spellman Hall and even to the scholastics who live in Ciszek Hall, not to mention Murray-Weigel Hall where he spent the last two or so years of his life,” said Massaro.
Political science Professor Nicholas Tampio said he appreciated Fr. Ryan’s talent for staging interfaith dialogue.
“Father Ryan would deliver learned lectures that spanned how the Abrahamic religions understood marriage, death, and war,” Tampio said. “The dinners afterwards on Arthur Avenue were some of my favorite experiences at Fordham. Father Ryan showed by example how people from different faiths could interact respectfully and as friends.”
University Church Sacristan Augustine Preziosi, FCRH ’23, GSAS ’26, first became a student of Ryan’s in 2020. He worked with Ryan in liturgies throughout New York and considered him a great mentor.
“I spent a great deal of time with him and his friendship is something I will deeply cherish my entire life,” Preziosi said. “He cared very much about my spiritual and professional growth, but also my parents and brother. Never did he not end a conversation asking me to give his best to my family and fiancee.”
Preziosi described Ryan as having the type of wisdom that never made another feel unintelligent.
“He was a great companion of Christ, and as my friend, he did everything he could to help me become a more faithful servant of Our Lord,” he said.
Ryan’s Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated in the University Church on Aug. 16. At his request, Ryan’s cremains will be transported to Ghana, where he will be laid to rest.
