Joseph Peter Kenny, O.P, Death, 2013-01-28
Scope and Contents
This collection contains personal materials relating to friars after they have left the order, passed away, or transferred to another province. Each friar's file contents are mostly contain to their novitiate records, canonical assignments, historically important correspondence, and a small number of personal items if desired upon their passing. Within the broader collection, each Friar is sorted as a series.
Friars with particuarly substantial historically important papers or items outside of the scope of the Personal Files Collection are moved to a dedicated collection under their name.
This collection is a work in progress and any use of these files requires the explicit permission of the Provincial. Contact the Archivist to discuss access or inquire about friars that may not been cataloged yet.
Dates
- Creation: Death, 2013-01-28
Conditions Governing Access
Requires explicit permission from Provincial to access any records. Contact the Archivist for more information.
For comprehensive lists and records of individuals who left the order or transferred to other provinces, researchers must contact the archivist. Access to such materials may be restricted and is subject to privacy considerations and organizational policy.
Conditions Governing Use
Can only be accessed upon written permission of the Provincial. Contact the Archivist for further details.
Biographical / Historical
Father Joseph Peter Kenny, O.P., 77, a native of Chicago, Illinois, was born on January 12, 1936. He made his first profession as a Dominican Friar on August 31, 1957 and was ordained to the priesthood on April 15, 1963. Fr. Kenny was a missionary in Africa for nearly 50 years. He left for Nigeria at the request of the Holy See as resource person knowledgeable in Arabic and Islam, since there was a need at the very least to secure understanding and peace between the country's large Christian and Muslim communities.
Father Joe took time to learn Arabic in Rome, Tunisia, and Cairo, and to obtain a Ph.D. in Arabic and Islamic studies at the University of Edinburgh, UK. After working in northern Nigeria, he taught subjects on Islamic philosophy and theology for 22 years at the government-owned University of Ibadan, where he served as Chairman of the Department of Religious Studies. He also helped develop the Dominican Institute in Ibadan, where he taught courses on philosophy, theology, and communications for hundreds of lay students and seminarians, many of whom are now missionary priests in the United States.
He was fluent in 13 languages and recently travelled to both Iran and Lebanon in the interest of interfaith dialogue. A citizen of Nigeria as well as the United States, he was a consultant to the Association of Episcopal Conferences of West Africa, the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) Commission for Interreligious Dialogue, and the Nigerian Field Society. He wrote over 230 articles and books, with particular emphasis on Christian- Muslim relations. These, together with the largest collection of the works of St. Thomas Aquinas, are on his website: www.josephkenny.joyeurs.com.
Fr. Kenney died of cancer on January 28, 2013 in Washington DC. He was survived by his brothers Henry and Paul, and sisters Catherine and Margaret, as well as his fellow Nigerian Dominican priests and laity, and all who are brothers and sisters in Christ. A funeral Mass was celebrated at the Dominican House of Studies, 487 Michigan Ave., N.E., Washington
D.C. on Saturday, February 2, 2013 at 11:00 AM.
Extent
From the Collection: 100 Linear Feet (30 File Cabinets )
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
From the Collection: Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Archives of the Province of St. Albert the Great, U.S.A. Repository
1910 S. Ashland Ave
Chicago Illinois 60608 United States
3122430011
archivist@opcentral.org