A Memorial Mass for Jesuit Father William J. Byron will be celebrated at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Georgetown on Wednesday, April 24 at 5:30 p.m., with a reception to follow in McKenna Hall where the gathered can share their memories of the late priest.
Father William J. Byron, who served as the 12th president of The Catholic University of America from 1982-1992 and who was also a noted Catholic educator and prolific author, died April 9 at Manresa Hall, the health center of the Jesuit community at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. He was 96 years old.
During his tenure at CUA, Father Byron completed the first $50 million fundraising campaign that led to expanding undergraduate housing with the construction of Centennial Village. He also led the fundraising for the Pryzbyla Center, the naming of the Benjamin T. Rome School, and the new building for the Columbus School of Law. He also tripled the endowment and led the 100-year anniversary celebration of Catholic University.
After leaving CUA in 1992, he taught at the Georgetown University while serving as rector of the Jesuit community and director of the university’s Center of Advanced Study of Ethics. He later served pastor of Holy Trinity Church in Washington for three years prior to becoming interim president of Loyola University in New Orleans, and then president of his high school alma mater Saint Joseph’s Preparatory School for two years. He served as a professor of Business and Society at St. Joseph’s University before he retired from academia in 2009.
