Rector of pontifical university in Brazil dies in wind-related accident during Arizona visit

The Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná in Curitiba, Brazil, held a memorial Mass for Rogério Renato Mateucci after the tragedy.

The head of a pontifical university in Brazil died during a visit to the U.S. this month after suffering a head injury in Arizona.

The Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná in Curitiba, Brazil, announced a memorial Mass in honor of Marist Brother Rogério Renato Mateucci, who died on Oct. 16 after being struck on the head by a piece of roofing at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West home near Scottsdale, Arizona.

Mateucci was reportedly part of a walking tour at the historic home when high winds tore part of the roof off of the structure. He allegedly died instantly. The school held the memorial Mass on Oct. 19.

The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation said it an announcement that it “[extended] its deepest condolences to the family and loved ones” of Mateucci. The property would be closed until further notice, the foundation said.

The Brazilian pontifical university, meanwhile, said it had canceled two days of classes in the wake of Mateucci’s death.

Mateucci had been appointed to the rectorship of the university first in 2021. He had previously served as a vice rector there as well as on the school’s board of directors.

His death was also mourned at Kent State University in Ohio, where he gave a keynote commencement address in May 2025 in which he called on graduates to take risks “to offer affection and make life easier for those around you.”

“May you have the courage to say yes to the life that persists in you,” he told the assembly.

Paulo Mussi Augusto, associate vice president for global education at the Ohio school, said Mateucci “spoke and acted with a rare gentleness and had a remarkable ability to listen, always making room for others to be heard.”

“As a man of faith, he was steadfast, slow to judge and always willing to give people another chance,” Augusto said. “His legacy will continue to inspire all of us who had the privilege of knowing him.”