Biographical Note

Raymond G. Helmick, SJ was born in 1931, in Arlington, Massachusetts. He graduated from Boston College High School (1949), entered the New England Province of Jesuits (September 1949), and completed his novitiate (1954). Helmick studied at Weston College, where he received his Licentiate in Philosophy. He also received his B.A. (1956) and M.A. in philosophy (1957), both from Boston College. Helmick served on the faculty at St. George's College in Kingston, Jamaica. Between stints teaching in Jamaica, he attended Hochschule Sankt Georgen in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, where he received his Licentiate in Theology. He was ordained in Germany (1963). Helmick studied theology at the Union Theological Seminary in New York as a graduate student, and took his Final Vows London, England (1973).

Helmick began his career in conflict resolution in 1973, working for multiple organizations and focusing on turmoil around the world. He maintained correspondence with numerous world leaders. Helmick worked for the Centre for Human Rights and Responsibilities in London, England. He became the co-founder of the Centre of Concern for Human Dignity in Dublin, Ireland, and London. Helmick lived at the St. Aloysius Gonzaga Jesuit Community, Washington (1981-1984); there he worked to promote the creation of the United States Institute of Peace and also worked for the Washington Research Consortium (later the Conflict Analysis Center). In 1984, Helmick moved back to Massachusetts to teach conflict resolution and theology in Boston College's Department of Theology. He remained active in his efforts for conflict resolution around the world, including becoming co-founder of the United States Interreligious Committee for Peace in the Middle East. Throughout his career, Helmick published articles and books about both religion and conflict resolution. Helmick died in 2016.

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