Keith J. Egan

Keith's funeral mass can be watched via the following livestream link: https://youtube.com/live/4R8UIo3yC48?feature=share

Keith J. Egan passed through death into eternal life in Christ on January 29, 2025, while in hospice care. He was born in 1930, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Agnes Shevlin Egan and James Anthony Egan. Keith was the youngest of four children and the only one to survive infancy. He is survived by his spouse, Connie Egan, his children, Bridget Lautaru and Brendan Egan, and his grandchildren Briana, Patrick and Ronan Lautaru, and Saoirse Egan. He is also survived by Carole Gilardi, who is more of a sister than a cousin.

Keith became a Carmelite Seminarian in 1944 and a novice in 1948. He attended Mount Carmel College in Niagara Falls, Ontario, where he majored in philosophy and history. He earned his master’s degree in medieval studies from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Keith then taught at and was vice principal of Joliet Catholic High School in Joliet, Illinois. The Carmelites then assigned Keith to study under Dom David Knowles, OSB, at the University of Cambridge in England from 1959 to 1964. At the University of Cambridge, Keith earned a doctorate in Medieval Studies in 1965. Keith then taught at Mount Carmel College where he became president of the college. During that time, he also taught part time at the Pontifical Institute of Medieval Studies in Toronto, Ontario. He then taught historical theology at Marquette University from 1968 to 1983.

In 1983, Keith and his family moved to South Bend, Indiana, where he taught at Saint Mary’s College and founded the Center for Spirituality. He also taught at the University of Notre Dame as an adjunct professor in spirituality in the Department of Theology from 1983 to 2017. Saint Mary’s College conferred an honorary doctorate on Keith in 2020. He also taught in summer school programs at various universities, especially at the University of Notre Dame.

Keith was a corresponding fellow as of 1993 in the Institutum Carmelitanum in Rome, Italy. He also was a member of the Catholic Theological Society of America and served as vice president and president of the College Theology Society. He presented a lecture at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, and lectured at other universities in Ireland, England, Spain and Italy. Many of his publications concerned the establishment and development of the Medieval Carmelite province in England. Essays, publications, and books by Keith can be found in his curriculum vitae.

Keith Egan was convinced that he had received many gifts in his life, especially his membership in the Carmelite Order. His gratitude to his Carmelite brothers was a theme he often mentioned in his later years. For many years, Keith was associated with the Carmelitana Collection at Whitefriars Hall in Washington, D.C. One of Keith’s great delights was to be a Carmelite, both as an ordained priest and as a lay Carmelite. Keith was an elected member of the Carmelite General Chapter in 1968 and held other positions in the Order. His curriculum vitae can be found at the Carmelitana Collection or upon request from his son, Brendan. (brendan.k.egan@gmail.com)

Connie and Keith moved to Holy Cross Village in 2017 and found a vibrant community of friends. Keith was a lifelong Pittsburgh Steelers and Pirates fan and a diehard Notre Dame Fighting Irish sports fan. He was always grateful for his cherished family and friends and, more in his deeds than his words, he lived a humble life in the service of others.

There will be a visitation on Tuesday, February 4, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at Church of Our Lady of Loretto on the campus of Saint Mary’s College, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:30 a.m.  The funeral mass can be watched via the following livestream link:  https://youtube.com/live/4R8UIo3yC48?feature=share

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations are preferred to the Center for Hospice Care, 501 Comfort Place, Mishawaka, Indiana 46545, or to the Carmelite Spiritual Center, 8419 Bailey Road, Darien, Illinois 60561.