Fr. Dominic W. Maruca S.J. passed away on Saturday, 27 August 2022. Born in Trenton (New Jersey, USA) on 15 September 1927, Fr. Maruca entered the Society of Jesus on 14 September 1945 and was ordained a priest on 22 June 1958. After a Licentiate in Philosophy (1952) and in Theology (1959) at Woodstock College, he enrolled for his doctorate in the Faculty of Theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University (1960), obtaining the academic degree three years later, defending a dissertation entitled Instruments in the Hand of God: a Study in the Spirituality of St. Ignatius.

In the academic year 1978-1979 he was invited to teach at the Institute of Spirituality at the Gregorian University as Visiting Professor, later becoming Adjunct Professor (1980) and Extraordinary Professor (1983). His courses focused mainly on spiritual formation, spiritual direction and the priestly apostolate. Due to his competence and profound preparation in various areas of spiritual theology, he was appointed Consultor to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints and the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. From 1984 to 1989 he was also Rector of the Collegio San Roberto Bellarmino in Rome.

After his appointment as Professor Emeritus (1997), he returned to Baltimore (Maryland, USA), where he served as spiritual director at the Center for Continuing Formation at St. Mary's Seminary (1997- 2001) and then at Loyola University (2001-2011). We join in prayerful communion in giving thanks to the Lord for Fr. Maruca's commitment and dedication during his years of teaching at our University.