William E. May, Ph.D.
May 27, 1928–December 13, 2014
It would have been twenty-nine years in April since I first met Bill May—my former teacher, friend, mentor, and colleague. Not since that time have I known a harder working theologian—or a more colorful one! He spoke often of his own work, but, humble to the core, he never praised it. He reserved that praise for the personalities and projects of his many family members, friends, colleagues, students, and so on. He was a moral theologian whose theology was done thoroughly in accord with two famous Latin phrases, sentire cum Ecclesia and in corde Ecclesiae—defending her teaching on contraception in Humanae vitae and the teaching on the existence of moral absolutes in the face of dissent and proportionalistic methodologies. His favorite expression was “God is good!”
Bill was a native of St. Louis, Missouri, as was his wife of fifty-six years, Patricia Ann (Keck). They met at a dance in Milwaukee in December 1957, and after marrying in October the following year, would have seven children and sixteen grandchildren together. But before marrying, Bill thought he might have a vocation to the priesthood. Working toward this goal, he received BA and MA degrees in philosophy at the Catholic University of America (Washington, DC). But he eventually discerned that he was not called to Holy Orders, but to marriage instead.
Bill's first jobs in the 1950s and 1960s were in the book publishing business as an editor, working at publishers such as Bruce in Milwaukee. Eventually, while working full time to support his growing family, he would study for a doctorate in philosophy at Marquette University, earning the degree in 1968 with a dissertation on the metaphysics of Henri Bergson. It was only later while teaching at Catholic University—first in the Department of Religion, then later in the graduate level School of Theology and Religious Studies—that he would teach theology. In fact, his first book (which won an award) was on the topic of Christology (1970). By the early 1970s, having been asked to teach moral theology, his publications shifted to ethics and the “new biology.” His next two books, Becoming Human: An Invitation to Christian Ethics (1975) and Existence, Medicine, and Ethics: Reflections on Human Life (1977) reflect these new areas of scholarly concern.
In all, Bill would author or co-author some twelve books, edit and translate several others, and publish hundreds of scholarly articles and scores of book reviews, not to mention the many pamphlets and popular articles and essays that he wrote since his very first article was published in The New Scholasticism in 1962. Among his books, several stand out for their excellence and wide use as texts in universities, colleges, and seminaries: An Introduction to Moral Theology, revised edition (Our Sunday Visitor, 2003); Catholic Sexual Ethics: A Summary, Explanation, & Defense (co-authored with Ronald Lawler, O.F.M., Cap., and Joseph Boyle), 3rd edition (Our Sunday Visitor, 2011); and Catholic Bioethics and the Gift of Human Life, 3rd edition (Our Sunday Visitor, 2013).
After teaching at Catholic University from 1971 to 1991, Bill was offered a position as the Michael J. McGivney Professor of Moral Theology at the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family (Washington, DC), where he would teach from 1991 until retiring in 2008. Throughout his career, Bill lectured at various academic institutions around the world—both as a conference participant and as a guest professor. A notable feature of his work was his longtime association and collaboration with the “new natural law theory” developed by Germain Grisez, John Finnis, and Joseph Boyle.
Bill was also an active member of many learned societies, including the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars (of which he was president from 1985 to 1987). And he received numerous awards from these same professional associations, including one from the Culture of Life Foundation–where he was a senior fellow at the time of his death—that is named after him and of which he was the first recipient in 2008. His contributions to the field of bioethics were recognized by, among others, the Center for Bioethics and Culture, who bestowed on him their Paul Ramsey Award in 2007.
One of his greatest honors was to be named one of the first two lay members (along with John Finnis) of the International Theological Commission, with St. John Paul II appointing him to that advisory body where he would serve two terms, from 1986 to 1997. This same pope would give him the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice medal in 1991.
Bill will be sorely missed by all those who knew and loved him—especially his family and friends—and by all who took great inspiration from his deep Catholic faith and moral courage. And that was true I believe for all others who crossed his path.
I am sure that St. John Paul II—whom Bill called the “Champion of Marriage and the Family”—is happy to be joined in God's Kingdom by their other great champion, Dr. William E. May. Bill died on the fifty-seventh anniversary of his first meeting with his future wife.
Biography
Mark S. Latkovic, S.T.D., is Professor of Moral and Systematic Theology at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Detroit, MI.