While I Breathe, I Hope - by Richard R Gaillardetz (Paperback)

About the Book

"Diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer, theologian Dr. Richard R. Gaillardetz started sharing his thoughts and reflections on CaringBridge and signed off each entry with the Latin phrase " dum spiro, spero" ("While I breathe, I hope"). In his chronologically compiled essays, Rick moves through his final season of life seeking insight from his Christian faith, while discovering new meaning in the signs and symbols that mark familiar liturgical seasons and celebrations. He explores fears and doubts, joys and sufferings, and the graces and blessings he encounters along his final journey. With shots of humor, a few sports analogies, and a sprinkling of quotes from Karl Rahner, Rick offers wisdom for all in his poignant exploration of what it means to be a person of faith, entering the paschal mystery, ever hopeful for the life to come."--

Book Synopsis

2025 Catholic Media Association First Place Award, Grief and Bereavement

2025 Catholic Media Association Second Place Award, Memoir

Deeply spiritual and personal reflections from distinguished theologian Richard R. Gaillardetz.

Diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer, theologian Dr. Richard R. Gaillardetz started sharing his thoughts and reflections on CaringBridge and signed off each entry with the Latin phrase "dum spiro, spero" ("While I breathe, I hope"). In his chronologically compiled essays, Rick moves through his final season of life seeking insight from his Christian faith, while discovering new meaning in the signs and symbols that mark familiar liturgical seasons and celebrations. He explores fears and doubts, joys and sufferings, and the graces and blessings he encounters along his final journey. With shots of humor, a few sports analogies, and a sprinkling of quotes from Karl Rahner, Rick offers wisdom for all in his poignant exploration of what it means to be a person of faith, entering the paschal mystery, ever hopeful for the life to come.

Review Quotes

"A brilliantly written and intimate portrait of Christian hope in the face of terminal illness. A must-read for all those who will, or care for those who are, dying."

"Gaillardez walks the reader through his final months with a terminal diagnosis, revealing the heart of a theologian who spent his life getting to know God. It was an honor to read his words, which seemed drenched with holiness."

Catholic Media Association

"I wholeheartedly recommend this book, and I also hope that many of us will benefit from its wisdom."

Irish Theological Quarterly

-- (4/20/2025 12:00:00 AM)

"Richard Gaillardetz's final book is an extraordinary gift to the Church. This book will inspire all readers because it intensely connects us to that same hope that overcomes suffering."
Catholic Books Review-- (1/1/2025 12:00:00 AM)

"With pastoral sensitivity, Gaillardetz reminds us that what we often need is 'the promise that we do not suffer alone.' This is a wise and moving final work that abounds with gratitude for life."
The Christian Century-- (8/2/2024 12:00:00 AM)

"Rick did not write because he was directed to do so by another. He wrote as a free act of love, opening the door of his mind and heart, offering insight to all of us living in the shadow of death, preparing us to make passage through dying and death to the new life for which we hope."
from Foreword by Michael Downey-- (2/9/2024 12:00:00 AM)

About the Author

Richard R. Gaillardetz (1958-2023), held the Joseph Chair of Catholic Systematic Theology at Boston College. He published numerous articles and authored or edited twelve books, including An Unfinished Council: Vatican II, Pope Francis, and the Renewal of Catholicism and Keys to the Council: Unlocking the Teaching of Vatican II (co-authored with Catherine Clifford), both published by Liturgical Press. He was a contributor to Give Us This Day. Gaillardetz was a delegate on the US Catholic-Methodist Ecumenical Dialogue and served as president of the Catholic Theological Society of America between 2013 and 2014.