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Biographical Note

The late Monsignor Michael  J. Wrenn passed away on October 26, 2008, as a result of an accidental fall followed by an incapacitating illness of some nine months duration. He was 72. Monsignor was the  pastor of St. John the Evangelist Church in New York City for many years. He was also the founder and for a decade the director of a graduate catechetical institute, the Archdiocesan Catechetical Institute, awarding the Master's Degree in Religious Studies, and even after relinquishing that position he continued to serve both as a special consultant for religious education to Cardinal John J. O'Connor and as a board member of another catechetical institute. He translated a number of books from French into English, and was the author, notably, of Catechisms and Controversies: Religious Education in the Postconciliar Years (Ignatius Press, 1991 He wrote, spoke, and preached widely on religious topics, including especially catechetics and related theological topics, including sacred Scripture, both in the United States and other countries. He was a charter member and also served as an officer of the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars in the United States.

KENNETH D. WHITEHEAD is a former career diplomat and a former U.S. assistant secretary of education. He now works as a writer and translator in Falls Church, Virginia. He has translated some twenty books from French, German, and Italian and is the author, inter alia, of Catholic Colleges and Federal Funding (Ignatius Press, 1988). He has served as the chairman of the board of directors of a graduate catechetical institute. He is married to a full-time professional parish director of religious education (DRE), and he and his wife have four grown sons.


Copyright ©; Kenneth D. Whitehead and the family of the late Msgr. Michael J. Wrenn. 1996 & 2009.

Version: 30th March 2009

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