GERARD MANNION, a fine scholar and one of the theological world’s great impresarios, died suddenly on 21 September, reportedly suffering a heart attack while jogging in the Washington area. The following day would have been his forty-ninth birthday.

Mannion’s dazzling academic career had taken him to a professorship in Catholic Studies at Georgetown; he was also a senior research fellow at the university’s Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs. He founded Ecclesiological Investigations, a sprawling ecumenical and international research network that convened annual conferences around the globe. Though these were learned gatherings, they were also very convivial affairs. Wherever Gerard found himself, he always ensured there was a party to attend.