Margaret O'Gara was born in Chicago in 1947. She completed undergraduate studies at Trinity College, Washington, DC; master's studies at Yale Divinity School; and doctoral studies at the University of St. Michael's College, Toronto. For thirty-six years she was a member of the Faculty of Theology at St. Michael's. During that time she also served on six different ecumenical dialogues. She died in 2012 after suffering from cancer for two years.