Father Gary Riebe-Estrella SVD, Catholic Theological Union’s first Latino vice president and academic dean, died on June 2 at Techny, Ill., at age 79.
Born in Los Angeles in 1946, he was the younger of Elizabeth (nee Estrella) and Loren Laroye Riebe’s two sons. He entered Divine Word Seminary at Riverside, Calif., in 1959.
He professed vows in 1968 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1971.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Divine Word College in Epworth, Iowa, he studied at DePaul University and Catholic Theological Union (CTU) in Chicago and received his master’s degree in Theology from DePaul.
For his first assignment after ordination, he served as an instructor at Divine Word College. In 1976, he was transferred to the Western Province, where he served in pastoral ministry and held leadership roles.
In 1992, Father Riebe-Estrella earned his doctorate of Sacred Theology in Teología Practica (Practical Theology) from Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca in Salamanca, Spain. In 1993, he returned to the Chicago Province to serve as a professor at CTU.
Father Riebe-Estrella left his mark on academia as a Latino theological education, theologian and professor.
In 1996, he became one of the first Latinos in the United States to hold a major leadership position in a premiere theological school. He served as the vice president and academic dean of CTU for twelve years and is credited with cultivating a racially, ethnically and culturally diverse faculty.
A longtime member of the Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the United States (ACHTUS), he served as president of the organization from 1996 to 1997 and again from 2009 to 2010.
Father Riebe-Estrella’s pastoral work with Hispanic communities and decades of scholarship and leadership in theological education led to opportunities throughout his ministry to work with religious orders, organizations and higher education as a consultant in areas of diversity, formation and theological education.
His publications in Latin@ theologies and ministries established him as one of the first CTU religious alumni to make a mark in the field.
He founded and served as director of the formation house Casa Guadalupe in East Los Angeles and was appointed by the Generalate to positions in the PANAM Zone, which encompasses North and South America.
In 2014, he was transferred back to the Western Province, where again he held leadership roles, including admonitor and district superior in the Southern District of Los Angeles.
Father Riebe-Estrella returned to live at Techny in 2025.
A wake and funeral Mass were held in the Divine Word Residence chapel at Techny on June 7, followed by burial at St. Mary’s Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations for the care of elderly and infirmed missionaries may be sent to The Rector, Divine Word Residence, 1901 Waukegan Rd., P.O. Box 6000, Techny, IL 60082-6000.