Marc Lalonde: ‘A consummate colleague who was generous with his time and knowledge'

The Department of Religions and Cultures mourns the loss of our dear colleague and friend, Dr. Marc Lalonde, who passed away January 1, 2025, after a brief battle with cancer.

Marc began as a graduate student with the Department of Religion, as it was then known, receiving his MA in 1988 and PhD, under the supervision of Charles Davis, in 1995. He taught in the department for 27 years, first as an LTA (Limited Term Appointment), and since 2010 as an Extended Term Appointment (ETA). He was in the process of applying for promotion to teaching professor, a new type of faculty position created by the university, an honour which he will hopefully receive posthumously.

Over the course of his career, Marc taught nearly 140 courses at both the undergraduate and graduate level (including repeated courses and reading courses). He supervised and served on the committees of multiple graduate students; he taught and revamped the undergraduate capstone course, as well as many core courses in the department; and he served as the undergraduate advisor for many years.

Marc oversaw the department’s undergraduate programs. In this role he was instrumental in formulating and revising the undergraduate curriculum and the goals and outcomes of the different undergraduate programs, and he also played a key role in a multi-year project of outreach and recruitment at local CEGEPs.

'His generosity was unmatched'

As a teacher and mentor, Marc profoundly influenced two generations of students, inspiring many in their own scholarship and teaching. In comments gathered for his application for promotion to teaching professor and in expressions of sympathy since his passing, his students have come forward to praise his many positive qualities and to thank him for the time and energy that he devoted to them.

Marc cared deeply about his students and was a generous, encouraging, and highly skilled teacher and mentor whose classes were demanding yet rewarding. One student wrote that “his generosity was unmatched and his knowledge was deep like an ocean.” Another student referred to his ability to explain clearly and open up very difficult texts as “Lalonde magic.”

Despite his heavy teaching load, Marc was also a successful researcher. He published in his areas of expertise: critical theory, the philosophy of religion, the philosophy and ethics of Charles Taylor, post-Holocaust thought and religious literature. His many publications include a 2007 monograph, From Critical Theology to a Critical Theory of Religious Insight: Essays in Contemporary Religious Thought, and articles on “Moral Authenticity in a Turbulent Age: Charles Taylor and the Diary of Etty Hillesum” and “Power/Knowledge and Liberation: Foucault as a Parabolic Thinker.” Two final articles were accepted for publication by Religious Inquiries and Studies in Religion/Sciences Religieuses shortly before his passing.

Marc was a consummate colleague who was generous with his time and knowledge, and always eager to help others. A self-effacing and down-to-earth person, he acted with grace, wisdom and kindness. Both his students and faculty colleagues knew that they could always count on Marc.

We thank you, Marc, for your years of dedication and devotion to the department, your colleagues, your students and the university. You will be greatly missed.

Those who would like to make a donation in his memory can do so here.