Emily McKay Binns, 77, educator, theologian, dies

THERE'S little doubt that Emily McKay Binns had a special in with the Lord.

Take the time she was giving the address at a plaque dedication ceremony to honor a police officer killed in the line of duty, something this highly regarded theologian and teacher regularly did.

It was a rainy, wind-swept day in December 2004 when the plaque was dedicated to honor the memory of Officer Edward C. Plenskofski, killed in 1927 when he was struck by a trolley while running to an auto accident.

The usual police officials and Plenskofski's family were gathered on Snyder Avenue near 5th Street, where he was killed, when the pastor of Mount Enon Baptist Church, across the street, came out and invited the group into the church.

After delivering the address, Emily said, "The rains were falling and the winds were blowing, but before we leave here, the sun will be shining. I'm sure the Lord will clear up the weather."

And, of course, when the group emerged from the church, the sun was shining as promised.

Emily Binns, former professor of theology and chair of the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at Villanova University and longtime teacher and administrator at various colleges and universities, died Monday. She was 77 and lived in Devon.

The plaque program is run by her brother, attorney James J. Binns, and she enjoyed honoring the officers who sacrificed their lives in their service to the city.

"She will be remembered for her dedication to scholarship, her contributions to academic leadership, her commitment to social justice and her extraordinary personal charm, grace and wit," her brother said.

Emily was born in Philadelphia to Joseph and Emily Binns and grew up in Mayfair. She graduated from St. Hubert Catholic High School for Girls and entered the Sisters of St. Joseph. She was a nun for 20 years, teaching at local parochial schools.

She graduated from Chestnut Hill College with a bachelor's degree in the classics. She received her master's degree and Ph.D. in religion/theology from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

She was a recognized authority on the controversial French philosopher and Jesuit priest, Teilhard de Chardin, and lectured widely on his ideas and writings.

During her career, she was dean of Rosemont College, academic dean of Emmanuel College in Boston and member of the boards of trustees of Gwynedd-Mercy College and Sacred Heart Country Day School.

At one period in her busy life, the Air Force flew her around the world to minister to servicemen and women at military bases.

Because the Air Force technically isn't allowed to fly civilians in military planes, they gave her the rank of general, her brother said.

She had her own opinion on the Catholic practice of confession. She told an Inquirer writer in 1984 that confession should not be a routine "numerical listing of faults." Instead, she said, Catholics should seek "a reconciliation within and for the community."

"The world in which we live forbids any trivialization of evil," she said. "Instead of merely obeying a list of rules and regulations, we have to look to the global concerns of humanity, to the great spiritual and moral questions of our day."

Besides her brother, she is survived by nieces, nephews and great-nieces and great-nephews. She was predeceased by another brother, Joseph F. Binns.

Services: Funeral Mass 10:30 a.m. Monday at the Cathedral Basilica of Ss. Peter and Paul, 18th Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Friends may call at 9:30 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the James J. Binns Judeo-Christian School at Roman Catholic High School, 301 N. Broad St., Philadelphia 19107. *