José Mariano Sánchez, Ph.D.: 1932-2022

10/31/2022

José Mariano Sánchez, Ph.D., a professor emeritus of history at Saint Louis University, died at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico on Sept. 29, 2022. He was 89.

After grade school and high school in Santa Fe, Sánchez graduated from Saint Louis University in 1954 with a degree in history. He discovered a love of teaching during two years of military service.

Sánchez earned an M.A. in history from Saint Louis University in 1957 and a Ph.D. in European history from the University of New Mexico in 1961.

Sánchez taught history at Saint Louis University from 1960 until his retirement in 2004. He was promoted to full professor in 1969 and served as chair of the department from 1971 to 1974.

His study of Pius XII and the Holocaust won recognition, and Sánchez was offered an all-expenses paid invitation to participate in a prestigious international conference on the topic at the Sorbonne. He published several well-received books, including: 

• Reform and Reaction: The Politico-Religious Background of the Spanish Civil War (1964)
• Anticlericalism: A Brief History (1972)
• The Spanish Civil War as a Religious Tragedy (1987)
• Pius XII and the Holocaust (2002)
• Pope Gabriel: A Counterfactual History (2006)

He also published articles on Vatican relations with Spain and issues of academic freedom, as well as a vivid account of his years in a Christian Brothers grade school in Santa Fe. 

Sánchez was a gifted teacher, whose courses on Western Civilization, Twentieth Century European History, Spain, and the Spanish Civil War won the admiration of thousands of students for his knowledge, his wit, and his personal concern for them. Each year SLU’s Department of History honors the outstanding teaching assistant with the José Sánchez  Teaching Award.

Sánchez and his wife, Carol, raised their five children in St. Roch’s Parish in St. Louis before moving to Santa Fe to be closer to family.

“Sánchez was an exemplary teacher, colleague, mentor, and friend,” said Daniel Schlafly, Ph.D., professor emeritus of history. “His 44 years at Saint Louis University embodied the highest ideals of our Catholic and Jesuit mission.” 

He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother, his sisters, Carol, his wife of 65 years, and his daughter Clara. Sánchez is survived by his children, Manuel (Susan), Maria, Leonora (Brian) and Rodrigo; three grandchildren, a great-grandchild, and numerous nieces and nephews.

A funeral was held on Oct. 24 at Cristo Rey Church in Santa Fe. Fr. R. Bentley Anderson, S.J., a former colleague at Saint Louis University, presided.