BRAZIL: Theologian Jaci Corréia Maraschin dies at 79
Episcopal News Service. July 2, 2009 [070209-05]
ENS staff
The Rev. Jaci Corréia Maraschin, an influential poet, theologian and priest in the Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil (Igreja Episcopal Anglicana do Brasil, or IEAB), has died aged 79.
In a June 30 news release, the IEAB described Maraschin as an "ardent defender of liberty, inclusiveness, the ordination of women, and creativity in hymns and liturgy."
Maraschin's contribution to liturgical music, as author, composer, and translator, "is a valuable legacy not only for the IEAB but also many other churches in Brazil and beyond," the provincial news release said, noting that his latest project was to coordinate a revision of the IEAB's hymnal.
"It would be difficult to think of a priest, theology student, or lay leader in the IEAB who was not profoundly influenced by the Rev. Maraschin, whose motto was 'life goes only as far as liberty does.'"
Maraschin has served on several international commissions, including the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC), on which he helped to draft the document Gift of Authority, signed by both churches.
Maraschin also assisted in the writing of The Anglican Communion and Homosexuality, a book intended to support the process of listening to gay and lesbian Anglicans.
"Jaci brought a depth of understanding to the traditions of the church catholic to the writing of Chapter 4 of the Anglican Communion and Homosexuality," the Rev. Canon Phil Groves, facilitator of the Anglican Communion Listening Process, told ENS. "His depth of knowledge allowed us to place the issue in the context of the developing traditions of the church, challenging us to be faithful to the faith once delivered to the saints in a rapidly changing world. His approach was rooted in the past, positive about the present and giving hope to the future."
In 1976, Maraschin was elected to serve on the Commission on Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches.
During the early 1950s, Maraschin studied at General Theological Seminary in New York. When he returned to Brazil in 1956, he was put in charge of coordinating Christian education and began to teach at the Theological Seminary of Brazil, "ambitiously modernizing religious education and seeking to incorporate the diversity and richness of Brazilian culture," the provincial news release said.
Maraschin is survived by his wife Ana Dulce, daughters Ana Isabela and Rosa Maria, and four grandchildren.