Demise of Fr John N. Schumacher SJ (1927–2014)

The Ateneo de Manila University Department of History mourns with the University community the passing away of Fr. John N. Schumacher, SJ, one of the most prominent historians of the Philippines, who taught with the Department for twelve years and continued to influence a great number of students, colleagues, fellow historians and academics in the Philippines and beyond.
 
Fr. Schumacher was instrumental in crafting a number of courses for the History Department, particularly the reconceptualization of the Rizal course into what generations of students would take as “Rizal and the Emergence of the Philippine Nation” from a 1-unit Rizal course into a 3-unit subject that still forms part of the current core curriculum. He was one of those who facilitated the integration of Philippine History into the Ateneo curriculum and was responsible for the institutionalization of a number of History subjects that are still being offered by the Department for its majors in the undergraduate and graduate levels. He mentored many History graduate students who eventually became prominent historians themselves. His published works on the Propaganda Movement, Philippine nationalism, Philippine Church history, and Jose Rizal continue to be standard readings that have influenced generations of students and historians.
 
We remember him in our prayers, as we mourn the loss of a major pillar of modern Philippine historiography, whose life and scholarship were constantly dedicated to the service of God and the nation.