The Rev. Roy J. Enquist died Tuesday evening, April 13, 2010, following a brief battle with leukemia.
Memorial arrangements will be shared when they are known. The Seminary’s prayers extend to Mia Enquist, their family and loved ones.
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| The Rev. Roy J. Enquist |
The Rev. Dr. Enquist, an ordained Lutheran minister, was appointed Ecumenist at Washington National Cathedral in the spring of 2000, serving as the principal advisor and planner on matters regarding the Episcopal Cathedral's relationship with other faiths and denominations.Pr. Enquist received his Ph.D. from Union Theological Seminary in New York. He was professor emeritus of theology and ethics at Lutheran Theological Seminary in Gettysburg where he served as professor from 1980 to 1998. He had also served as visiting professor at theological schools in both Namibia and South Africa.
Additionally, Pr. Enquist has authored various works, including The Courage to Believe which was released in 2009. He served as an assistant professor at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, and as a professor of theology at Texas Lutheran University in Seguin from 1965 to 1980. He had also served as the assistant executive secretary of the Division of College and University Work of the National Lutheran Council and had studied as a visiting scholar at the Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge, Mass., and the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago.
2 comments:
The cause of Roy's death was acute leukemia, diagnosed only 12 days earlier. On April 1 Roy was admitted to Georgetown University Hospital, where he underwent daily chemotherapy treatment to temporarily relieve his symptoms, but just 24 hours before his death he was transferred to the Washington Home hospice on Upton St., NW. Throughout his brief ordeal, Roy's spouse Mia was steadfastly at his side, and family members and friends were able to visit with him, converse with him and comfort him at the hospital and hospice up until a few hours before his passing.
Although Roy knew during his final week-and-a-half that the end of his life was near, you'll be happy to learn that his mental capacities and winsome sense of humor were fully intact until about 24 hours prior to his passing, as I can personally testify. Roy faced his demise very courageously, and with characteristic humor and aplomb, I would even say. During the hour I spent with him late Monday afternoon he was his usual talkative self, and we had a non-stop conversation about the ecumenical church, the ELCA, Middle East advocacy within the ELCA and the Metro Washington DC Synod, and the latest developments in Palestine-Israel affairs. Plans for the upcoming April 26 Washington Theological Consortium discussion of the Palestine Kairos document "A Moment of Truth: A word of faith, hope and love from the heart of Palestinian suffering" were also a subject of conversation that he relished. Roy was very glad to hear of the synod Global Mission Committee's recent decision to endorse the synod Middle East Working Group's resolution of support for Palestine Kairos.
We'll all miss Roy very much, and cherish the ways in which he enriched our lives by his love of life, love of learning, and love of serving God with all his heart, soul, mind and strength. Many of us will also treasure the example provided by his earnest, uncompromising and unrelenting work and witness for justice and peace for all the people of the Holy Land. I'm sure he understood this work to be a holy calling, an inescapable dimension of his Christian discipleship. During his final days Roy continued to apply his gifted mind to the work at hand, and was insistent that we continue this work of advocacy for Middle East justice and peace without pause.
With joy for Roy's abundant life as well as sorrow at his sudden passing,
Paul H. Verduin
721 Dartmouth Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20910
301-495-7891
PaulVerduin@starpower.net
I have received word the funeral will be Saturday, 24 April, 1:00 pm at the Bethlehem Chapel of the National Cathedral.
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