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Francis J. Buckley, S.J., retired this year after more than 40 years of teaching at USF.
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USF’s Priestly “Troublemaker” Retires After More than 40 Years
After more than 40 years as a USF professor, Francis J. Buckley, S.J., a self-described “compulsive teacher,” theologian, and prolific author who passed on to generations of USF students his love of the Bible and a passion for discourse, retired this year.
Fr. Buckley continues to teach a graduate theology seminar this semester but will not continue as a full professor. Vision problems interfere with his preparation for teaching, he said. He quickly adds, however, “I can still talk, thank God,” and continues to hear confession and preside during Mass at various San Francisco churches, including St. Elizabeth’s for the Daughters of Charity, as he has for 35 years.
“I try to figure out how to wake the sisters up,” he said, with characteristic humor. “I take little polls during the sermon, such as, ‘how many of you have done such and such.’”
As a USF institution in his own right, Fr. Buckley helped define the university’s theology department since the beginning of his USF career in 1960. “He was the man behind the scenes in bringing the department up to the standards of Vatican II, including hiring women and changing the curriculum from a dogmatic to an historical perspective,” said Daniel Kendall, S.J., a department colleague since 1979. “Through his connections in Rome, he brought the best teachers here. He helped prepare the new wave of American theologians.”
A playful storyteller, erudite lecturer, and imposing scholar (he speaks six languages, including Latin, and can read Greek), Fr. Buckley has also authored, or co-authored, 110 books and countless articles. His books include Growing in the Church From Birth to Death, The Church in Dialogue: Culture and Tradition, and a series of books on catechisms for children written over 30 years with Maria de la Cruz Aymes, S.H. Writing is the second love of his life, and the channel through which he has acted out a relished role as “troublemaker.” Early in his career, he challenged Church censors with an article on the importance of love as a characteristic of the Church.
“They said, ‘love has nothing to do with the Catholic Church,’ so I looked up the list of condemned propositions and found their argument had been condemned as a heresy. I bundled it up and sent it to Rome. Since then, I’ve been left alone,” he said.
God, however, “is the passion” of his life and since his earliest years as a Jesuit, making the Church and its sacraments more accessible to people has been his life’s work. As a student at the Gregorian University in Rome during Vatican II, Fr. Buckley saw those hopes realized as the Church laid the foundation for a new era of ministering for and by the people. His teaching at USF was a testament to those goals, as he encouraged his students to “work to unify the whole human race” as enthusiastic learners and teachers in their own right.
“He was totally passionate about what was happening in the Church. He would come in every day and tell us exactly what was transpiring in Rome,” said Mary Romo, a student of Buckley’s in the 1960s and currently an adjunct professor of theology and religious studies at USF. “What struck me about him, and what struck others, is he is so positive. He influenced a lot of people and really took the time to learn about his students. He is a wonderful teacher, so engaging, and so focused.”
“Fr. Buckley, you have really inspired me to keep on studying, plus use every opportunity to share what I have learned,” wrote Jennifer Gagliardi, MA ’89.
As he maintains his vocation as counselor (he is an active spiritual director), Fr. Buckley said he continues to reflect on the spiritual life. “Revelation is more important to me than what I can work out with my own mind,” he said. “Even though I can’t do research anymore, I can still search out new insights, still grow from what I hear.”
Nor has he given up his love of jest. “I’m still an adolescent,” he said cheerfully. “I enjoy spreading joy and happiness. That’s my mission in life. And I can still cause some trouble.”
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