Father Lawler, noted Catholic scholar, dies at age 77

Published: 2003-11-13

PITTSBURGH (CNS) -- Capuchin Franciscan Father Ronald Lawler, director of the Pittsburgh diocesan Office of Adult Faith Formation and a noted Catholic scholar, theologian and lecturer, died Nov. 5 at Vincentian Home in Pittsburgh after a long battle with cancer. He was 77. His funeral Mass was celebrated Nov. 10 at Our Lady of the Angels-St. Augustine Church in Pittsburgh. He was buried at St. Augustine Cemetery in Shaler. Father Lawler devoted most of his 52 years in priestly ministry to teaching seminarians. "The good influence that Father Ronald had on so many Capuchins and diocesan priests cannot be exaggerated," said Boston Archbishop Sean P. O'Malley, a Capuchin Franciscan and a former student of the priest's. "His brilliant mind, Herculean capacity to work, his boundless love for Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church and the Catholic priesthood have made an indelible mark on our lives," he told the Pittsburgh Catholic, diocesan newspaper.

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