A memorial is scheduled for Sunday, February 1 for Michael Mendiola, a professor of Christian ethics at the Pacific School of Religion. Mr. Mendiola died December 18 at his home in Oakland after a battle with cancer. He was 56.

Mr. Mendiola, who was openly gay, had a "real concentration and understanding of the nature of suffering," his spouse Paul Gabel told the Bay Area Reporter.

Gabel said that Mr. Mendiola was especially interested in "who's suffering counts and how do you describe suffering in the context of ethical behavior."

"What was most important for him was to bring together a religious tradition and ethical behavior in the context of the LGBT community and issues," Gabel said.

Born in Globe, Arizona, in 1952, Mr. Mendiola received a BA in philosophy from St. Mary's Seminary in Perryville, Missouri, an MA in religious studies at DePaul University in Chicago, and a Ph.D. from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. He earned his doctorate in ethics under PSR professor Karen Lebacqz and served as her research assistant in 1991.

He joined the PSR faculty in 1994 after serving as a visiting faculty member since 1992.

"The first thing everybody noticed about Michael was his infectious laugh and his energy and enthusiasm for the field of ethics," Lebacqz said. "He was one of the best natural-born teachers there ever was, and part of his gift was that he really loved his subject matter and really loved teaching it."

Mr. Mendiola was also central in the founding of the seminary's groundbreaking Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry in 2000. "His creativity and his sense of organization and his sense of call for what the center could be was really important in the formation and development of CLGS," said Mary Tolbert, the center's executive director. Mr. Mendiola served as the first chair of the CLGS executive committee.

Gabel said that Mr. Mendiola served on the board of directors of Project Inform, a San Francisco-based national HIV treatment information agency, between approximately 1998-2002.

Mr. Mendiola also was "a very enthusiastic Frameline supporter," Gabel said, adding that the annual LGBT film festival was a favorite of his.

Gabel and Mr. Mendiola had been together for 28 years and were married in San Francisco City Hall on August 1, 2008.

Gabel was appreciative to Kaiser Hospital in Oakland and the medical personnel who cared for Mr. Mendiola, including his oncologist Dr. Peter Gordon, hospice coordinator Bill Cunningham, and Suhki Lensky.

In addition to Gabel, Mr. Mendiola is survived by three sisters residing in Arizona, Jo Ann Aguirre, Rosie Baroldy, and Armida Bittner; by many nephews and nieces; and by a family of friends. Contributions can be sent to the Michael M. Mendiola Scholarship Fund at Pacific School of Religion, 1798 Scenic Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94709. Gabel said the scholarship would be awarded to an LGBT student at PSR.

The memorial service will be held on Sunday, February 1 at 2 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way, in Berkeley.