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2008
Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J., the Laurence J. McGinley Professor of Religion and Society at Fordham University since 1988, an internationally renowned author and lecturer on theological topics, and the first American to be named a cardinal who was not a bishop, died at the age of 90 on December 12, 2008. Revered by colleagues and students alike for his work ethic, modesty, gentility and sense of humor, Cardinal Dulles was referred to by fellow theologians as "the grand old man of Catholic theology today in the United States." Cardinal Dulles began his connection with Fordham in 1951, while still a Jesuit in training, when he was appointed an instructor in philosophy. He left Fordham in 1953 to pursue theological studies in preparation for ordination in 1956. After graduate studies in theology in Europe, he undertook an academic and priestly career that spanned five decades and included professorships at the Jesuit school of theology at Woodstock College, the Catholic University of America, and several visiting posts at the world’s top universities and seminaries. In 1988, when he reached the retirement age of 70 in his post as professor of systematic theology at Catholic University, he returned to Fordham–35 years after he had left–to take up the McGinley Chair. Cardinal Dulles referred to his years in the McGinley Chair as the happiest and most satisfying of his life, pleased with the freedom that the position gave him to teach, to lecture and to assume visiting appointments all over the world. "A man of prodigious intellect and great holiness, Cardinal Dulles devoted his entire life to the task of advancing the dialogue between faith and reason," said Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham University. "In the process, he enriched both the Church and the Academy with his wisdom and his warmth. Therefore, it is not at all surprising that he was the first American theologian to be named to the College of Cardinals." Pope Benedict XVI met privately with Cardinal Dulles at St. Joseph's Seminary (Dunwoodie), in Yonkers, N.Y., on April 19, 2008, during the Pontiff’s pastoral visit to the United States. The private audience was a recognition of the Cardinal’s intellectual and moral influence as a Jesuit, a theologian and a writer. During the meeting, the Pope blessed Cardinal Dulles, and was presented with a copy of the Cardinal’s book Church and Society: The Laurence J. McGinley Lectures, 1988-2007 (Fordham University Press, 2008). Avery Robert Dulles was born on August 24, 1918, in Auburn, N.Y., the son of Janet Pomeroy Avery and John Foster Dulles, who went on to serve as Secretary of State under President Dwight D. Eisenhower. His paternal uncle was Allan Dulles, a founding father of the CIA. His great-grandfather John W. Foster and his grand-uncle Robert Lansing both had served as U.S. Secretaries of State. The Dulles family raised their son as a Presbyterian. He did his primary schooling in New York City and was educated on the secondary level in Switzerland and at Choate. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Harvard College in 1940 with a concentration in history and literature. His senior thesis on Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, the Renaissance polymath, was published by Harvard University Press as the Phi Beta Kappa Prize Essay of 1940. As a young man entering Harvard in 1936, Dulles had already abandoned his Presbyterian upbringing and considered himself an agnostic. However, exposure to the works of the great philosophers and to Catholic writers in his later college years led him to convert to Catholicism while a first-year student at Harvard Law School. In 1946, following service in the U.S. Navy during World War II, he entered the novitiate of the Society of Jesus in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. On account of his father's high profile and his own uniqueness as an Ivy League-educated convert, Dulles' priestly ordination in 1956 in the company of fellow Jesuits by Francis Cardinal Spellman (a 1911 Fordham graduate), celebrated in the Fordham University Church on the Rose Hill campus in the Bronx, was reported on the front page of The New York Times. After doctoral studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, Dulles was awarded a doctorate in sacred theology in 1960. Dulles once described his decision to convert to Catholicism as reminiscent of the action of "one of those timid swimmers who closes his eyes as he jumps into the roaring sea." He also declared that, on his entry into the Catholic Church, "I made a venture that appeared foolhardy in the eyes of most of my family and friends. As a vowed religious, I took up a career that would make no sense unless the Catholic faith were true." In the account of his conversion, A Testimonial To Grace (1946, Sheed and Ward, reissued with an afterword, 1996), he wrote that, "Although I cannot rival the generous dedication of St. Paul and Ignatius of Loyola, I am, like them, content to be employed in the service of Christ and the gospel, whether in sickness or in health, in good repute or ill repute. … I trust that his grace will not fail me, and that I will not fail his grace, in the years to come." During his tenure at Fordham, Cardinal Dulles delivered 39 McGinley Chair lectures on theological subjects that were sometimes controversial, including the death penalty, John Paul II and human rights, and church reform. He was considered an American theologian well-versed in ecumenism and a voice for religious freedom, a centrist in Catholic theology. While he applauded the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, he also stressed the need not to undermine Catholic Church polity and the fundamental teachings of earlier popes and councils of the Church. In the last decade of his life he had been seen among his colleagues to have moved to the right, suggesting in 1998 a need for a "countercultural," more orthodox Church, and calling for "doctrinal firmness" in the face of dissent on such issues as the ordination of women. On February 21, 2001, Dulles was elevated to the College of Cardinals by Pope John Paul II on the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Cardinal Dulles was one of three Americans honored that day, and the only one of the three who was not a diocesan bishop. This honor crowned his lifelong work as a Jesuit, a theologian and a writer. Commenting on the experience, Cardinal Dulles said, "I enjoyed it, but that’s not really what counts. I prefer to spend my time reading, thinking, writing, teaching. I’m not particularly made for ceremonies." Cardinal Dulles' work as a theologian saw its high point following the reforms made by Vatican Council II, when he wrote his most influential work, Models of the Church, (Doubleday & Co., 1974). The book takes a look at Catholic ecclesiology through five theological models derived from themes enunciated at Vatican II, in order to offer a deeper understanding of how the various ways of thinking about the Church found in the Scriptures may prove relevant to the modern world. "There were a few years after Vatican II when the church seemed to be asking people to look at different ideas, but I came to fairly traditional conclusions," he said in a 2001 interview with Fordham Magazine."Vatican II said we had to re-examine what is time-conditioned, but having done that, I think we came back to say the councils were right on." Cardinal Dulles’ writings included 24 books and more than 800 articles, essays and reviews on theological topics. The books include Models of Revelation (Doubleday, 1983), The Catholicity of the Church (Clarendon Press, 1985), The Assurance of Things Hoped For: A Theology of Christian Faith (Oxford University Press, 1994) and A History of Apologetics (Ignatius Press, 2005). He was the recipient of 38 honorary doctorates, and was awarded the Croix de Guerre by the French government for his liaison work with the French navy during World War II. He served as an editor and adviser on several religious publications, including The New Oxford Review and Concilium. Cardinal Dulles served as the president of both the Catholic Theological Society of America and the American Theological Society. He served on the papacy’s International Theological Commission and was also a member of the United States Lutheran/Roman Catholic Dialogue. His other awards include the Cardinal Spellman Award for distinguished achievement in theology, the Boston College Presidential Bicentennial Award, America magazine’s Campion Award, the Cardinal Gibbons Award from the Catholic University of America, the Fordham Founder’s Award (2002) and the Newman Award from Loyola College in Baltimore. He served on the Board of Trustees of Fordham University from 1969 to 1972. The Cardinal is survived by the children of his eldest brother, John W. F. Dulles, and sister-in-law, Eleanor Dulles: John Foster Dulles II, Edith Dulles Lawlis, Ellen Coelho and Robert Avery Dulles; nieces Janet Hinshaw-Thomas and Lilly Holt, and nephews Foster Hinshaw and David Hinshaw; cousins Allen Jebsen, Joanna Jebsen Cook, Tina Afokpa, Per Jebsen, Dr. Mary Parke Manning, Thomas Manning, Diane Igleheart and Joan Talley; and by godson Andrew Curry. John W. F. Dulles, the Cardinal’s brother, and John Dulles' wife of 68 years, Eleanor Ritter Dulles, both passed away at ages 95 and 91, respectively, in June 2008, in San Antonio, Texas.
Br. Brutus J. Clay, a Jesuit brother of many talents best known for his prayerful humility, died Wednesday, April 2, at Genesys Hospital in Grand Blanc, MI. For 58 years, he served wherever he was needed in the Society of Jesus. His journey took him from the Kentucky farmland of his youth to the Jesuit Curia in Rome, the Xavier University Jesuit Community in Cincinnati, Canisius Secondary School in Chikuni, Zambia, and the Loyola University Chicago Jesuit Community. In 2003, he retired to the Colombiere Jesuit Community in Clarkston, MI. Br. Clay was 90 years old. “Br. Clay was a very dedicated and industrious worker,” explains Fr. Daniel Flaherty, SJ, who knew Clay for nearly sixty years. “When he joined the Jesuits at the age of 32, he brought with him a lot of valuable experience from his family’s horse and coal businesses and his time in the U.S. Army Air Corps. Along with that he had a wonderful, easygoing personality with a Kentucky accent that everyone tried to imitate.” Doing his best impersonation, Fr. Patrick McGrath, SJ, recalls one of his favorite Br. Clay stories: “When I was a scholastic studying philosophy at Loyola University, Br. Brutus was the sacristan for our community and was always in the chapel either caring for it or praying. One morning I happened to be in the chapel very early when he came in, walked right up to the tabernacle, and said aloud with his great accent, ‘Good morning, Lord!’ It was very natural—he was just saying hello to a friend he knew so well. That was Br. Brutus, a Kentucky gentleman of the first order.” Br. Brutus Clay was born in Atlanta, GA, and grew up in Kentucky and Maryland. He attended St. Mary’s Parochial School in Paris, KY, Mt. Washington Country School in Baltimore, and Versailles and Paris Public Schools in KY. He graduated from Georgetown Prep in Garret Park, MD, in 1937 and then entered Holy Cross College. After graduating from Holy Cross in 1941 with a BA in English, he served the U.S. Army Air Corps as an airplane mechanic from 1942 to 1945 and then tried his hand at farming for another three years. He joined the Jesuits at the Milford, OH, novitiate in 1949. Br. Clay served in the house library at West Baden College for 3 years beginning in 1953 before being assigned to work in the Society’s General Curia in Rome as the Brother Secretary for the American Assistancy from 1956 to 1969. For the next five years he served as the Brother Secretary for the Chicago Province staff in Oak Park, IL. From 1974 to 1980 he was assigned to serve the Xavier University Jesuit community as guest master, secretary, and health insurance agent. “Br. Clay was an excellent Jesuit and wanted to put his talents at the service of others,” says Fr. Flaherty. “In his sixties he volunteered to go to Africa to offer his business skills and experience to Canisius Secondary School in Zambia.” From 1980 to 1987, Br. Clay was bursar of the school and sacristan. When he returned to Chicago for what would be his longest assignment, Br. Clay joined Loyola University Chicago’s Jesuit community and served as an assistant in the rector’s office, house sacristan, and library assistant. “Br. Brutus was a holy man,” explains Fr. Ray Baumhart, former president of Loyola University. “He liked to be the sacristan and was very detail-oriented and conscientious. He was very prayerful, and we always made sure he was aware of people’s prayer requests to the Jesuits. He was a good monk." “Everyone loved Br. Brutus,” says Fr. McGrath. “He got along with people of all ages and walks of life. I especially enjoyed his stories of serving Fr. General Pedro Arrupe, SJ, in Rome, or the people of Zambia because they illustrated what it means to be a dedicated Jesuit willing to serve wherever there is a need.” Being a horseman from Kentucky, Br. Clay was also a crowd favorite around the time of the Kentucky Derby. Fr. Baumhart recalls, “We used to play up to him around Derby time because he tracked horses and always had his favorites. Then the day after the Derby he’d explain why his choice didn’t win!” In 2003, Br. Clay retired to Colombiere Center in Clarkston, MI, where he served as sacristan and prayed for the Church and Society until his death. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Jesuit Partnership or the Jesuit International Missions by writing or calling:
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Fr. Paul Huber, a legendary Jesuit priest at St. Francis Xavier Church in downtown Cincinnati, died Thursday, January 31, at Colombiere Center in Clarkston, MI. For 53 years, Fr. Huber heard confessions, conducted Mass, and visited the sick as associate pastor, before retiring in 2005 at the age of 93. An excellent listener, Fr. Huber was instrumental in building and continuing the reputation of the St. Francis Xavier Church confessional before the years of psychotherapy. “Parish ministry was his niche,” said St. Francis Xavier Pastor Fr. Eric Knapp, S.J. “He conducted a quality ministry to the homeless, outcasts, battered women, and prisoners. People felt loved in his presence. He was just a walking emissary of compassion.” Parishioner Dave Thelen joined St. Francis Xavier Church in 1969 because of Fr. Huber’s example of quiet humility. As their family priest, Fr. Huber lived long enough to baptize Thelen’s grandchildren. “He was a part of our family and a very holy man,” Thelen commented. “I have an urge to pray to him rather than for him.” A native of Bellevue, KY, Fr. Huber attended Sacred Heart grade school and St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati. After high school graduation, he was a student at Xavier University for one year before deciding to join the Jesuits. In 1931, he entered the Jesuit order in Milford, OH. During his studies to become a priest, Fr. Huber earned a bachelor’s degree in 1936 and a master’s degree in English in 1939, both at West Baden College, IN. Prior to his ordination, he taught at St. Xavier High School from 1939 to 1942. He was ordained a priest on June 13, 1945, in West Baden. Shortly after his ordination Fr. Huber was assigned to teach at University of Detroit High School. During his summers he helped other ministries: in 1946 he assisted with parish work at Holy Family Church in Chicago and in 1948 he worked at Cook County Hospital. Fr. Huber remained at University of Detroit High School until 1951, when he was assigned to St. Xavier Church in Cincinnati as associate pastor where he was to remain for the next 53 years. At St. Xavier he celebrated Mass every day, as well as once a month at the Hamilton County Justice Center. Fr. Joe Schell, SJ, became friends with Fr. Huber when they joined the Jesuits in 1931, training side by side for the first seven years of their priestly formation. After many years in separate ministries, the two reunited at Colombiere Center in 2005 for their final mission, to pray for the Church and the Society of Jesus. “Paul didn’t like to be fussed over,” said Fr. Schell. “Recently, we were at a special event and I tried to brush something off his mouth. He pushed my hand away and said, ‘I’m not that far gone!’ I’m sure he’s in heaven now, brushing away the angels while they try to adjust his halo. If it were my choice I would canonize him. He was a saint.” Memorial gifts may be made to The Fr. Paul Huber, SJ, Fund for Outreach Programs, St. Francis Xavier Church, 607 Sycamore St., Cincinnati, OH 45202-2512.
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Fr. Fred Bergewisch, SJ, was born in 1920, in Cincinnati, OH, where he attended grade school at St. Mary’s and high school at St. Xavier High School. He attended both the University of Cincinnati and Berea College part time while also working in an FBI field office in Cincinnati before entering the United States Navy in 1943. He completed midshipman school at Cornell University and was sent to Japan, where he was in active duty as a Lieutenant Junior Grade until 1946. “Fred was a leader in the military and was involved in heavy combat situations,” explains Fr. Jim Chambers, SJ, a close friend and contemporary of Fr. Bergewisch. “He was always grateful to the Lord for surviving the War, and even though he was offered a permanent commission to the US Navy at the end of his service, he felt a calling to the priesthood and joined the Jesuits.” Bergewisch entered the Jesuits at the Milford Novitiate in September 1946. During his studies to become a Jesuit priest, he earned a B.A. in philosophy in 1950, a Ph.L. (licentiate in philosophy) from St. Louis University in 1951, and an S.T.L. (licentiate in sacred theology) from West Baden College in 1956. Fr. Bergewisch was ordained a priest on June 15, 1955, in West Baden, IN. Following his ordination, Fr. Bergewisch was assigned to Loyola Academy to serve as both treasurer and teacher. In 1959 he was assigned to Loyola University and taught theology for six years before becoming superior of the Jesuit scholastics (Jesuits in formation) there. From 1968 to 1971 he earned a doctoral degree at The Catholic University of America and then returned to Loyola University an associate professor. Fr. Bergewisch taught at Loyola University until 1980, when he was appointed a field advocate with the Chancery Marriage Tribunal responsible for interviewing and working with couples seeking marriage annulments. During this time he also directed a number of retreats in both Chicago and Cincinnati. In 1989, at the age of 69, he volunteered to serve as a missionary and was reassigned to Arequipa, Peru. “Fred was an extremely talented and dedicated Jesuit,” says Fr. Chambers. “Late in his life, he felt a call to serve as a missionary, so he learned Spanish and went to Peru where he taught seminarians and ministered to the people. He put into practice the ideal of living a ‘preferential option for the poor.’” “Fred was quite a guy, there was no other quite like him,” says Fr. Bob Beckman, SJ, who served with Fr. Bergewisch in Peru. “He came down to Peru at the age when most others are eagerly looking forward to a quiet retirement. He had only minimal contact with the Latin American culture and language but felt the call to follow the Ignatian spirit to go ‘where the need is greatest and there is hope of doing the greatest good.’” Fr. Bergewisch spent many hours of the day hearing confessions and listening to people’s heartfelt hopes and concerns. “People flocked to him; he was a proverbial ‘Pied Piper,’” says Fr. Beckman. “He received each and every one of them and led them to hope, joy, and new life.” When Fr. Bergewisch wasn’t hearing confession or teaching in the seminary, he was directing others in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Fr. Bergewisch is survived by his sister Lois (Roy) Krabacher, uncle to Dave, Don, Ann and Jim, great uncle of ten. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Jesuit Partnership or the Jesuit International Missions by writing or calling:
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Father James Brichetto, a Jesuit priest with “the common touch,” died Saturday, Nov. 17, at the age of 76. Whether talking with truck drivers over breakfast or chatting with firemen at the firehouse, Fr. Brichetto had a “rough-and-ready” reputation. “His idea of church was being out and about with the people,” said nephew Mike Davis. “He brought many people to the faith, and also brought many people back to the faith.” During his 18-year ministry as associate pastor at St. Francis Xavier Church in Cincinnati, he simultaneously became chaplain to the Cincinnati Fire Department, helping those in crisis. Davis remembered: “It was nothing for him to be called out at 3 or 4 in the morning to be there for people in their moment of need.” Perhaps the greatest hour of need came in 1977 at the infamous Beverly Hills Supper Club Fire in Southgate, KY. Fr. Brichetto helped anoint many of the 165 victims killed that evening and comforted those who survived the tragedy. Fire code violations contributed to the carnage as 2,400 people tried to escape a fire that may have started in aluminum wiring. Fr. Brichetto was a native of Cincinnati, where he attended St. Francis Xavier grade school and high school, graduating in 1949. That same year he entered the Jesuit novitiate in Milford, OH. During his training to become a Jesuit, he earned an A.B. in Latin and an M.A. in sociology from Loyola University Chicago. He also studied philosophy and theology at West Baden, IN, where he was ordained to the priesthood in 1963. Fr. Brichetto started out as a teacher and coach at St. Ignatius College Prep in Chicago, IL, from 1956 to 1959, while still training to be a Jesuit priest. After ordination, he returned to Chicago as an assistant pastor at Holy Family Catholic Church from 1964 to 1966, where he led the youth and men’s club. He then went back to his hometown to teach at his alma mater, St. Xavier High School, until 1970, and led athletics there. In 1970, he became associate pastor of St. Xavier Church, where he served until 1988, conducting an active ministry to senior citizens, ranging from Bingo to bus trips to European tours. For the next 12 years, he was administrator, pastor, and associate pastor for several parishes in need. From 1988-93 he worked for two Ohio parishes: St. Michael in New Vienna and St. Benignus in Greenfield. Fr. Brichetto served as pastor at St. Joan of Arc in Indianapolis, IN, until 1995. Though his time there was short, parishioner Carl Henn remembered him well: “He gave vigorous homilies with rigorous theology. We gained an appreciation for the Jesuit order because of Fr. Brichetto.” Two Cincinnati parishes followed. Fr. Brichetto served at St. Antoninus until 1997 and then at St. Louis until 2000. “He simply went where the Lord called him,” Davis commented. It was with reluctance, however, that he followed the call to retirement at Colombiere Jesuit Community in Clarkston, MI, in 2001. That is where he spent his final years and days, always eager to “help out,” always hoping to return to work. Fr. Brichetto is survived by his sister, Sylvia Davis, and ten nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Jesuit Partnership or the Jesuit International Missions by writing or calling:
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Fr. Kevin E. Gallagher, SJ, a Cincinnati Jesuit missionary who served in Peru for 44 years, died on Saturday November 3, 2007. Fr. Kevin E. Gallagher, SJ, a graduate of St. Xavier High School (‘47) and Xavier University (‘51), died Saturday, Nov. 3, at St. Margaret Hall at the age of 78. A Jesuit priest, he spent most of his life as a missionary in Peru. For the majority of his 43 years there, Fr. Gallagher worked to establish schools for the urban and rural poor through Fe y Alegría (Faith and Joy). A Jesuit-founded-organization, Fe y Alegría has built 70 high schools and many more grammar schools in Peru and serves more than 70,000 students throughout South America. Much of Fr. Gallagher’s work involved preparing teachers academically and spiritually for their work in these schools. In a 1985 interview, Fr. Gallagher explained, “In our schools, it’s not unusual for a family to eat one day and not eat the next. . . . When we open a school it may begin as nothing more than a reed hut, but over the years they’re transformed into brick buildings.” As a modern missionary, Fr. Gallagher was sensitive to and respectful of Peruvian culture. In the same interview he summed up his approach, “We have to learn to blend in with the Peruvian society, not try to change it, but to help them and grow with them.” Fr. Gallagher was born in Cincinnati, OH, where he attended Holy Family Catholic School (’43) and St. Xavier High School (’47). According to high school friend Jim Ryan, Fr. Gallagher knew even then he wanted to be a missionary to South America. After graduating from Xavier University with a B.A. in philosophy, he entered the Jesuit novitiate in Milford, OH, in 1951. During his training to become a Jesuit priest he earned an M.A. in English from Loyola University Chicago in 1959 and an S.T.L. from West Baden College in Indiana in 1962. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1961. Fr. Gallagher began his ministry in Peru as a religion teacher and vice principal for Colegio San José in Arequipa in 1964. He became the Jesuit major superior for the southern region of Peru in 1968. Then in 1973 he started his most lengthy ministry as educational advisor for Fe y Alegría in Lima. “Kevin wanted to work with the poor,” said colleague Fr. T. Mattingly Garr, S.J. “His true gift was as a reconciler. He was convinced that if you kept on talking, people would come together. Like Lima’s famous St. Martin de Porres, he could get a cat, a dog, and a mouse to drink from the same bowl and enjoy it.” In 1997, Fr. Gallagher became president and rector at Lima’s Colegio de la Inmaculada, a post he held until 2003, when he returned to Colegio San José in Arequipa, this time as educational advisor to the rector and principal. Cousin and friend Fr. Tom Kennealy, SJ, remembers: “His great love was for the Society of Jesus and Peru. He was one of the best conversationalists I’ve ever known and was a gifted listener. He gave his undivided attention. He heard what you said and understood what you meant.” Fr. Gallagher is survived by nephews Peter and Thomas Schwartz and niece Chrissie Sofranec as well as many cousins. Visitation will be Wednesday, Nov. 7, at The Bellarmine Chapel at Xavier University, 3801 Ledgewood, from 5 p.m. until Mass of Christian Burial at 7:30 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Jesuit Partnership or the Jesuit International Missions by writing or calling:
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Fr. Richard T. Lambert, SJ, a Chicago Jesuit missionary who served in India for 46 years, died on Monday August 27, 2007. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Jesuit Partnership or the Jesuit International Missions by writing or calling:
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Cincinnati native Fr. William G. Topmoeller, SJ, was a Jesuit priest and highly respected theology professor and retreat master died on June 13, 2007. Fr. William Topmoeller was born in Cincinnati, OH, where he attended grammar school at Ursuline Academy and high school at St. Xavier High School. After graduating in 1939, he entered the Jesuit novitiate in Milford, OH. During his training to become a Jesuit priest, he earned a BA in philosophy (1944) and an MA in English (1948) from Loyola University Chicago along with a Ph.L. (1946) and S.T.L. (1953) from the former West Baden College in Indiana. Fr. Topmoeller was ordained for priestly ministry at West Baden College in 1952. Fr. Topmoeller’s principal ministries as a Jesuit included teaching Latin, English, and religion at St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati from 1946 to 1949. In 1956, after completing his S.T.D. from the Gregorian University in Rome, Fr. Topmoeller was assigned to St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein, IL, where he taught dogmatic theology until 1967. Fr. Don Meehling says, “I have many happy memories of his first days as a theology professor at St. Mary of the Lake Seminary.” From 1968 to 1970, he taught theology at Loyola University Chicago. During the late 60’s, Fr. Topmoeller began to focus his energies on the field of ecumenism. He directed Loyola’s Ecumenical Institute, was appointed to the Cardinal’s Committee on Human relations and Ecumenism, and authored the Archdiocese’s Directory for Ecumenism. He also served on the Board of Directors for both the Catholic Theological Society of America and the North American Academy of Ecumenists. In 1970, he was assigned to teach theology at Xavier University in Cincinnati. A year later he was named chairman of the department. . “He really enjoyed teaching theology and liked the students, and they enjoyed being in his classroom,” says Fr. Daniel Flaherty, a former provincial, “He was a great Jesuit, very involved in the spiritual aspect and enjoyed working in the core Ignatian ministries.” In 1977, Fr. Topmoeller returned to St. Xavier High School as rector and moderator of the Jesuit Family Club. In 1984, he was asked to focus his talents on retreat ministry. He tried to model his ministry on the work of Christ as an itinerant preacher. For six years he traveled throughout the United States and around the world directing and preaching retreats for nuns, laypeople, and priests. In 1989, he traveled to India, Nepal, and Japan (all of which are mission partners of the Chicago Province) to continue this work. Fr. Topmoeller joined the Faber Jesuit Community in Cincinnati, in 1990 where he served as community librarian while continuing to direct retreats and celebrate the liturgy in numerous Cincinnati parishes until declining health forced his retirement to Colombiere Center in Clarkston, MI in 1997. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Jesuit Partnership or the Jesuit International Missions by writing or calling:
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“As wise as a serpent, as gentle as a dove” could be a good description of Fr. Norm Langenderfer. He was a friendly, sociable person, deeply committed to his Jesuit vocation and to the people of Bihar. At the same time, he had a very loving heart, and he will be missed by all of us who knew him and admired him. On Dec. 26, 2006, we celebrated his 85th birthday at St. Michael’s. It was obvious at that time how much his community appreciated his presence with them, and how he served the community in so many ways—not least by his gentle presence. Many expressed their gratitude to Norm for his help in various areas of community life. He was never a burden, and tried to occupy himself usefully right up till the end. It seems that Norm was marked out from the beginning of his priestly life as a treasurer… a job that most of us try to avoid. But for Norm it was a pleasure. He once told me that there was no other work he would like to do so much. Unless, of course, it was giving retreats. As long as he could, he gave retreats to groups of religious, and all found his talks and direction very inspiring. He was always ready to take up a retreat, or give advice and direction, and it was certainly appreciated. He began his work as a treasurer at Khrist Raja in Bettiah in 1957-58. He was then also the director of candidates, and I was his assistant. That was my first experience of Norm’s dedicated character, and over the years I have met him often, and always enjoyed our conversations. Next was St. Xavier’s, Jaipur, where he was minister and treasurer from 1959 to 1963. His long stretch as treasurer for the Jesuit Society and Patna Diocese from 1963 to 1980 at St. Xavier’s in Patna brought him into contact with all the Jesuits and diocesan clergy, and anyone who entered his office found him a helpful and generous friend. In 1980, he moved to Muzaffarpur to be treasurer of the new diocese. He was instrumental in setting up the new diocese on a sound financial basis. After a stint of 13 years there, he was assigned to St. Michael’s in Patna as treasurer, and he remained active in that work as long as he could. Due to a slight shaking of his hands, he turned the work over to another capable minister, Br. Hilary Goveas. But Patna Archdiocese and Muzaffarpur Diocese will never forget the wonderful work that Norm did for them. And he always found time to give retreats, that apostolate so dear to his heart. So we feel a sense of loss at the passing of a loving friend and a committed son of St. Ignatius. We feel sure that in the heavenly account books, Norm has a very large credit balance. May he continue to pray for us in his place in the Lord’s own heart. May he rest in peace, and in the joy of the risen Lord In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Jesuit Partnership or the Jesuit International Missions by writing or calling:
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Fr. Donald O. Nastold, SJ, former principal of St. Ignatius College Prep and St. Xavier High School and former pastor at Bellarmine Chapel died on Thursday April 12, 2007. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Jesuit Partnership or the Jesuit International Missions by writing or calling:
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For a copy of the Chicago Tribune article on Fr. Krolikowski, please contact Eileen Meehan at 773-975-8181. Fr. Krolikowski was born in Chicago and attended St. Rose of Lima grade school and St. Ignatius College Prep. After graduating from St. Ignatius in 1939, he entered Chicago Teachers College and received a Bachelor of Education degree in 1943. He joined the Army in 1943 and served in World War II until 1946.
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Fr. Thomas J. Diehl, SJ, former pastor of St. Xavier Church, founder of The Jesuit Renewal Center (now known as The Jesuit Spiritual Center at Milford,) Cincinnati-area native and Jesuit priest died on Thursday November 23, 2006. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Jesuit Partnership or the Jesuit International Missions by writing or calling:
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Fr. Carl J. Moell, SJ, former associate pastor at St. Xavier Church, author best known for his writings on the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and Jesuit priest died on Sunday, November 19, 2006, in Cincinnati. During his lifetime, Fr. Moell published a number of books including: In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Jesuit Partnership or the Jesuit International Missions by writing or calling:
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