Rossier, a former student of Pope Benedict XVI, was born in Fribourg in 1957, took his first vows in 1984 and was ordained in 1991; he came to Dayton in 2003 and became executive director of the International Marian Research Institute in 2010.
“François was dedicated to the mission of IMRI of making Mary more known, loved and served. He cared deeply about IMRI’s work and its students,” said Kathleen Webb, dean of University libraries, in a statement. “He was a lovely person. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know and work with him. He was kind and thoughtful.”
As executive director, Rossier worked to make Mary more accessible worldwide. He supported the efforts of the Marian Library to launch a new version of its All About Mary website with centuries of information about the world’s most famous mother at anyone’s fingertips — from scripture and literature to poetry, scholarly publications, art and popular culture.
The Marianists — Society of Mary — are the founders and sponsors of the University of Dayton.
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