Show menuPaul Ladouceur (1944–2025)
Dr. Paul Ladouceur, Orthodox theologian, teacher, and advocate for Christian unity, fell asleep in the Lord on Friday, June 13, 2025, at the age of 81.
A scholar of deep conviction and wide vision, Paul served as an adjunct professor at Trinity College, University of Toronto, and taught theology at the Institut de théologie orthodoxe de Montréal. He was a beloved teacher and mentor, known not only for his rigorous academic work but also for his dedication to fostering dialogue across Christian traditions and spiritual communities.
Born in Quebec to a French-Canadian Roman Catholic family, Paul’s early academic career included doctoral work on political regionalism in Ghana, culminating in his publication Chiefs and Politicians. His career in international development—with the Canadian government and the World Health Organization—reflected a lifelong concern for justice, inclusion, and human dignity.
After his reception into the Orthodox Church in 1994 at a French-speaking community in France, he emerged as one of the leading voices in modern Orthodox theology. His landmark book, Modern Orthodox Theology (2019), offered a sweeping yet lucid introduction to the Russian Religious Renaissance, the Neopatristic revival, and the ongoing debates around theosis, personhood, and ecclesiology. A bridge-builder by vocation, he worked tirelessly to make the riches of Orthodox theology accessible to lay readers, always with clarity, charity, and intellectual depth.
A defining thread throughout his work was ecumenical engagement. Paul was a longtime member of the Canadian Council of Churches, representing the Orthodox Church in America on the Commission on Faith and Witness—the Council’s theological commission. In that context, he contributed to inter-denominational theological reflection on sacraments, anthropology, and spirituality, offering an Orthodox voice both deeply rooted and deeply open. He believed that Orthodox participation in ecumenical work was not about compromise, but about truthful witness—articulated not only in words, but in shared service, listening, and love.
He was also a key participant in the groundbreaking Orthodox–Pentecostal academic dialogue, where he helped shape a respectful space of exchange on pneumatology, prayer, and the role of the Holy Spirit in the Church. By approaching dialogue as mutual discovery rather than competition, he modeled an Orthodox ecumenism that was both faithful and forward-looking.
An ardent translator and advocate for overlooked voices, Dr. Ladouceur brought attention to the work of Fr Sergius Bulgakov, Saint Maria of Paris, and Myrrha Lot-Borodin. He championed the theological contributions of Orthodox women, and his online ministry—especially through the French-language site Pages orthodoxes de la Transfiguration—served thousands seeking theological clarity and spiritual depth.
A man of great personal humility and generous intellect, Paul was also a lover of nature and silence, often found hiking or skiing, finding in the created world the same divine energies he spoke of in the classroom. Those who knew him remember not just his insight, but his smile, his warmth, and his unshakeable hope in the reconciled Body of Christ.
He is mourned by students, colleagues, parishes, and the wide ecumenical and Orthodox communities he so faithfully served. May his memory be eternal.
by Fr. Geoffrey Ready
