Father Richard McCormick, John A. O'Brien professor emeritus of Christian ethics at Notre Dame, died Saturday at Colombiere Center in Clarkston, Mich.

Father McCormick, a moral theologian who specialized in medical ethics, joined the Notre Dame faculty in 1986. He previoulsy was the Rose F. Kennedy professor of Christian Ethics in Georgetown University's Kennedy Center for Bioethics from 1973-86 and a professor of moral theology at the Jesuit School of Theology in Chicago from 1957-73.

Born Oct. 3, 1922 in Toledo, Ohio, Father McCormick entered the Society of Jesus in 1940 and was graduated from Loyola University in Chicago five years later. He obtained a master's degree from Loyola in 1950 and in 1953 was ordained to the priesthood. In 1957 he obtained his doctoral degree in theology from the Gregorian University in Rome.

The recipient of a number of academic honors and awards, Father McCormick was a member of the American Academy of the Arts and Sciences and past president of the Catholic Theological Society of America. He wrote numerous books and articles on medical ethics, and his work was published in periodicals ranging from Common-wealth and Theological Studies to Sports Illustrated. He made frequent appearances on television news programs to discuss both ethical issues in public policy and ecclesiastical politics.

Visitation will be on Wedensday at Gesu Church in Toledo, Ohio, where a funeral Mass will be celebrated Thursday at 11 a.m.

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