Obituary of Joseph Owens

OWENS-the death of Rev. Joseph Owens, C.S.s.R., occurred at Providence Health Centre, Toronto, on Sunday, October 30, 2005, in his 98th year and the 77th year of his Religious Life. Father Owens was born in Saint John on April 17, 1908, a son of the late Louis and Josephine (Quinn) Owens. Father was ordained in 1933 and served in parishes in Saskatchewan and British Columbia and did graduate studies at the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, Toronto, and taught philosophy to younger members of his Community until he received his Licentiate in Mediaeval Studies in 1946. He then continued to study at the Institute while also lecturing in philosophy in Redemptorist houses of study. In 1951 he received his Doctorate in Mediaeval Studies summa cum laude from the Institute and became a professor of philosophy at the Pontifical Institute in 1954. In medieval philosophy he taught and wrote extensively on the philosophy of St. Thomas, especially in the areas of metaphysics (the study of ultimate reality), the philosophy of the human person, the philosophy of knowledge, and ethics. Father Owens wrote nine philosophy books and almost 150 articles and forty book reviews. Having passed the usual retirement age in 1973, he continued to publish and teach part-time for another 25 years. He is survived by two nieces, Anne Cole (David), and Katherine Furness (Ralph); and four nephews, Bryson Eldridge (Jacqueline), William Eldridge (Trina), Robert Eldridge, and Gerard Eldridge (Susan). Resting at Fitzpatrick's Funeral Home, 100 Waterloo St., with visiting on Sunday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Peter's Church on Monday morning at eleven o'clock. Interment will take place in St. Peter's Calvary.