McManus, Frederick R. (Frederick Richard), 1923-2005

Frederick Richard McManus, 1923-2005, attended the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts from 1940-1942. In 1947, he studied at St. John's Seminary in Brighton, Massachusetts, where he received an A.B. and in 1954 obtained his J.C.D. from the Catholic University of America (CUA). Ordained 1 May 1947 in Boston, he served one year as an assistant pastor at St. Catherine of Siena Church in Norwood, Massachusetts, then as an assistant pastor at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston, 1948-1950, during which he also served as the Archdiocese Master of Ceremonies. Following this, he spent one year as Secretary for the Metropolitan Tribunal of Boston, which is the church court for the Metropolitan Episcopal See of Boston which adjudicates internal church legal affairs. In 1954, he began a four-year term as professor of canon law and moral theology at his alma mater, St. John's Seminary. After a few years there, McManus took a position as professor of canon law at CUA, holding this position until 1993, remaining thereafter Professor Emeritus. While at CUA, McManus edited the canon law journal, the Jurist, and served in various administrative positions. He was the Dean of the School of Canon Law (1967-1973), Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies (1974-1983) and Academic Vice President (1983-1985). He was also a founder of the liturgical studies program and a member of the 1968 Committee on Humane Vitae. Besides these duties, he served on the Bishop's Committee on the Liturgy of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB), established in 1958 under the name of the Bishop's Commission on the Liturgical Apostolate and reorganized in 1968 under the current name, with the mission to study and report on canonical and liturgical issues and official statements. He was Director of the Secretariat and editor of the committee's newsletter (1965-1975) and continued thereafter to aid the committee's work as a staff consultant. He was involved in all aspects of canon law from teaching and the liturgical committee to various other commissions, boards and associations, including the Canon Law Society of America and Second Vatican Council commissions. In addition, he published continuously, with contributions to journals such as American ecclesiastical review, Catholic World, Commonweal, the Jurist, the Living light, Theology today and Worship.