Democratizing Philosophy & Engaging Cultural Heritage
Father George Francis McLean’s lifelong dedication was not only to the rigorous pursuit of metaphysical inquiry but to the radical democratization of the philosophical endeavor itself. Grounded in his deep conviction that authentic truth transcends any single cultural boundary, he systematically mobilized philosophical communities on every continent.
Rather than exporting Western philosophical frameworks to the developing world, Father McLean sought to empower scholars within their native traditions. He engaged regional teams to articulate their unique cultural values, epistemologies, and civilizational insights, transforming global philosophical dialogue from a one-sided lecture into a multilateral symphony of reciprocal learning and mutual respect.
Papal Fellowship: Father George F. McLean, O.M.I., in personal audience with Pope Saint John Paul II in the Vatican. McLean’s enduring work as Secretary General of the World Union of Catholic Philosophical Societies (WUCPS) linked Catholic intellectual renewal directly with international ecumenical and interreligious exploration.
Priestly Vocation & Rome Formation
Born in Lowell, Massachusetts, on June 29, 1929, to a devout Scottish-Irish family, George Francis McLean felt an early call to religious life, entering the juniorate of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (O.M.I.) at age eleven. His intellectual aptitude led him to Rome for seven rigorous years of study at the Pontifical Gregorian University.
Studying alongside one hundred fellow seminarians and scholars representing over twenty nationalities, McLean developed his lifelong sensibility for cross-cultural encounter and intellectual fraternity. Ordained to the priesthood in 1955, he returned to the United States to complete his doctoral studies at The Catholic University of America (CUA) in 1958, defending a pioneering thesis on the metaphysical thought of Protestant theologian Paul Tillich.
The Catholic University of America & FISP
Joining the faculty of the School of Philosophy at CUA in 1958, Father McLean quickly became a dynamic institutional catalyst. From 1960 to 1968, he orchestrated the influential CUA summer philosophy workshops, publishing ten substantial volumes that examined the intersection of Christian philosophy with contemporary epistemology, science, and social theory.
For fifteen critical post-Vatican II years (1965–1980), he served as National Secretary of the American Catholic Philosophical Association (ACPA). His institutional statesmanship culminated at the 1978 World Congress of Philosophy in Vienna, where he was elected to the Steering Committee of the Fédération Internationale des Sociétés de Philosophie (FISP), serving continuously on its governing board through 1988.
Scholarly Diligence: Father McLean absorbed in manuscript preparation at his writing desk in Vienna. In the background hang the Crucifix and a portrait of Saint Eugène de Mazenod, founder of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, symbolizing the spiritual cornerstone of his intellectual labor.
Joy of Fellowship: Father McLean sharing an exuberant exchange with Church leadership and collaborators in Rome during an international philosophical presentation, exemplifying his warm pastoral grace and bridge-building temperament.
Founding the CRVP (1983)
In 1974, Father McLean was appointed Secretary General of both the International Society for Metaphysics (ISM) and the World Union of Catholic Philosophical Societies (WUCPS), offices he stewarded until 1998. Seeking agile conduits for global collaboration, he established the Inter-University Committee on Research (ICR) and the Center for the Study of Culture and Values (CSCV) in 1975.
Following landmark world symposia in Shantiniketan (India), New York, Jerusalem, Bogotá, and Nairobi, McLean formally established The Council for Research in Values and Philosophy (RVP/CRVP) in 1983. The CRVP was envisioned as an enduring platform dedicated to mobilizing scholars across all ideological divides to investigate the cultural and moral roots of social transformation.
Regional Research & Dialogue Programs
Spanning five decades, Father McLean’s field initiatives created self-sustaining scholarly networks across every geopolitical realm.
Islamic Philosophy & Central Asian Thought
Beginning with research in Cairo alongside Father Georges Anawati at the Dominican Institute for Oriental Studies (IDEO) and lectures at al-Azhar University, McLean became a trusted Western partner to the Islamic world. He conducted extended lecture tours across Iran, delivering lectures at the philosophical institutes and seminaries of Qom and Tehran.
His sustained conferences in Egypt, Mali, Senegal, Morocco, Tunisia, Pakistan, Malaysia, and Indonesia paved the way after 1991 for groundbreaking programs across the emerging Central Asian republics of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.
Father McLean in Tehran, Iran, surrounded by prominent Islamic philosophers and academic colleagues.
Father McLean and Vietnamese colleagues examining ancient archival manuscripts in Hanoi.
China, Southeast Asia & East Asian Heritage
Arriving in the People’s Republic of China during the earliest era of reform and opening, McLean forged historic partnerships with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) in Beijing, the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, Peking University, and Fudan University.
His vision championed the living relevance of Confucian, Daoist, and Buddhist insight in the face of modern scientific acceleration. His reach further deepened through sustained multi-year colloquia at leading university institutes across Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, and Taiwan.
Moral Foundations & Liberation
Beginning with early 1970s symposia on moral education in Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, and Brazil, McLean worked alongside Latin American thinkers to explore the deep roots of popular culture and democratic renewal.
Central & Eastern Europe
Throughout the Cold War era, McLean crossed the Iron Curtain to sustain dialogues with Academies of Sciences across Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary, aiding intellectual reconstruction post-1989.
African Cultural Philosophy
From an initial tour of 12 institutions, McLean expanded long-term research consortia encompassing 22 African universities from South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Kenya to Cameroon, Nigeria, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, and Senegal.
Full-Time Global Dedication & 300 Volumes
In 1993, at age 64, Father McLean took early retirement from his tenured professorship at The Catholic University of America. Free from routine institutional obligations, he poured his entire remaining vitality into the CRVP. Over the following twenty-three years, he traveled ceaselessly across four continents, spending upwards of nine months each year in humble university accommodations, village centers, and monastic hostels worldwide.
A centerpiece of this global vision was the annual Washington D.C. Ten-Week Seminar, inaugurated in 1984 and held continuously for 33 years. Each autumn, Father McLean hosted a select cohort of 10 to 12 visiting scholars from disparate countries and faiths—living, dining, researching, and debating together under one roof.
The monumental tangible fruit of these endeavors is the renowned CRVP monograph series, Cultural Heritage and Contemporary Change. Comprising more than 300 published volumes, these books were printed and distributed free of charge to over 350 university and national libraries across developing nations—ensuring that underprivileged scholars enjoyed unhindered access to world philosophy.
Festschrift Celebrations
International scholars honored Father McLean on major milestone birthdays with published collections honoring his service to global wisdom.
75th Birthday Celebrations
2004On his seventy-fifth jubilee, scholar communities across three continents compiled five dedicated celebratory volumes:
- • Diversity and Dialogue: Sofia, Bulgaria (2004)
- • To the Mountain: Fu Jen, Taiwan (2004)
- • Philosophical Traditions and Contemporary World: Moscow, Russia (2004)
- • Prajna Vihara: Bangkok, Thailand (2004)
- • Cultural Heritage and the Future of China: Nanchang, China (2004)
80th Birthday Celebrations
2009At his eightieth jubilee, Father McLean was presented with 80 red roses alongside five additional scholarly tribute works:
- • Asian Philosophy in the Making: Hanoi, Vietnam (2009)
- • Islam, Cultural Transformation and the Re-emergence of Falsafah: Tehran, Iran (2009)
- • Philosophy in Times of Social Crisis: Sofia, Bulgaria (2009)
- • Christianity, Culture and the Contemporary World: Beirut, Lebanon (2009)
- • 50 Years Anniversary Volume: Institute of Philosophy, Shanghai, China (2009)
In perpetual remembrance of the life, ministry, and global philosophical mission of Father George Francis McLean, O.M.I.
Caldwell Hall 427, 620 Michigan Avenue, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20064