Bireley was born in
Evanston, Illinois, on July 26, 1933. He joined the Jesuits in 1951, making his final vows in 1974. He was ordained a priest in Germany in 1964. He took degrees in Latin and History from
Loyola University Chicago, in Philosophy from
West Baden College in Indiana, and in Theology from
Sankt Georgen Graduate School of Philosophy and Theology in
Frankfurt am Main. In 1972 he completed a doctorate in History at
Harvard University. He taught at Loyola University Chicago for 45 years. He served as president of the
American Catholic Historical Association (2008) and on the editorial boards of the
Catholic Historical Review (1979–85) and
Renaissance Quarterly (2000-3). He died on March 14, 2018, in
Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, aged 84. ==Works==