✝ Kenan B. Osborne, OFM, Dr. Theol., S.T.L., S.T.B.
Professor Emeritus
Graduate Theological Union and the Franciscan School of Theology
✝ It is with a deep sense of loss yet also great hope, that we acknowledge the death of our dear Kenan on Good Friday 2019.
Kenan B. Osborne, OFM, had been Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology at the Franciscan School of Theology/Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA where he taught for over 30 years.
He was most recently retired at Old Mission Santa Barbara where he continued his research, writing and occasional speaking engagements.
A scholar and teacher of international repute, Dr. Osborne has authored over 21 books, dozens of articles, and has directed doctoral dissertations for students worldwide.
He had been a frequent guest lecturer at numerous colleges and universities throughout the U.S. and the world, mostly recently in China and Korea.
He is the author of The Permanent Diaconate: It's History and Place in the Sacrament of Orders (2007), Christian Sacraments in a Postmodern World: A Theology for the Third Millennium (1999) and The Resurrection of Jesus: New Considerations for its Theological Interpretation (2004).
He is considered an expert in Christology, the sacraments, the permanent diaconate, post-Vatican II theology, and contemporary and Chinese philosophy.
Fr. Osborne is the recipient of several awards for outstanding service to theological education and scholarship, including the Franciscan Institute Medal of Honor given by the Franciscan Institute, St. Bonaventure University, New York among others.
He was a member of and has served on the board and as President of both the Catholic Theological Society of America (CTSA) and the American Academy of Religion (AAR); and is the 2002 recipient of the John Courtney Murray Award for distinguished achievement in theology.
Fr. Osborne holds a Th.D. from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany (1967) and a Licentiate of Sacred Theology from The Catholic University of America (1965), and a Bachelor of Sacred Theology from Old Mission Theological Seminary, Santa Barbara, California (1956).
After receiving his B.A. in Philosophy from San Luis Rey College, California, Fr. Osborne joined the Franciscan Province of Saint Barbara where he served as Rector, President and Definitor.
Born in Santa Barbara, California, Fr. Osborne was an ordained Roman Catholic priest of the Franciscan Order and spoke seven languages, including German, French and some Chinese.
Lectio Books Authored
Read about Fr. Osborne’s book »
Social Share
Reflections
Big Picture
What has kept me on track has been Franciscan spirituality. Without a spirituality of some intensity, life today could become precarious. Spirituality moves us into the presence of a God who delights in creation, including the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
Career
Major times in my career include the seventeen times I have been to East Asia for educational purposes; the eleven times I have been in Latin America and in the Philippines for educational purposes; for my lectures given in Kenya; and for my semester teaching at the Pontifical Institute Antonianum in Rome.
Legacy
The twentieth century was a time of major change in science, religion, life-styles, education, etc. To spend my own life in the twentieth century and now my final years in the twenty-first century has been an unbelievable experience. So much has changed and for the better.