Midwest Jesuits | Chicago-Detroit Province

Fr. Joseph F. Downey, SJ

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October 16, 1916, to October 20, 2010
Clarkston, MI

Fr. Joseph F. Downey, SJ, educator, editor, and writer, died on October 20, 2010, at Colombiere Center in Clarkston, Michigan. A native of Lima, Ohio, Fr. Downey was born to Thomas and Anna Downey on October 16, 1916.

Following his freshman year at Xavier University in Cincinnati, he entered the Jesuits in 1935 at the Milford Novitiate in Milford, Ohio. During his Jesuit formation, Fr. Downey studied Philosophy at the former West Baden College in Indiana (1939–1942) taught at St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati (1942–1944), earned a master’s degree in English from Loyola University Chicago (1946), and completed his theology studies at West Baden College (1949). He was ordained on June 16, 1948, and went on to earn a master’s degree in education from Loyola University Chicago (1951), where he also taught part-time.

For more than a decade, Fr. Downey served in higher education as an administrator and professor. He got his start in 1951 at the University of Detroit (now University of Detroit Mercy) as assistant dean of arts and sciences and professor (1951–1953). In 1953 he joined the faculty of St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein, Illinois, where he also served as registrar until 1958. That same year he was named Dean of Arts and Sciences at John Carroll University in Cleveland. “Many of Fr. Joe Downey’s co-workers have commented that, throughout their lives, Joe always modeled to them the kind of enthusiasm for working to establish God’s Kingdom that St. Ignatius talked of as the magis, the greater, as in ad majorem Dei gloriam,” says Fr. James Riley, SJ, a friend and colleague of Fr. Downey. “Whether as college students, retreatants, or readers, Joe always happily challenged people to do more and learn more.”

In 1962, Fr. Downey was assigned as Socius for the Detroit Province of the Jesuits (now joined with the Chicago Province). “When Fr. John McGrail, SJ, became the first provincial for the Province of Detroit, he named Joe Downey as his Socius, or right-hand man,” explains friend and colleague Walter Farrell, SJ. “When I became provincial in 1965, I found Joe to be a boon companion in the office. He was a talented man. I’d like to remember Joe best, however, as a welcoming and warm person, a diligent worker, and one who knew what it meant to be a Jesuit and was willing to tell the world about it.”

At the end of his tenure as Socius in 1969, Fr. Downey moved to New York City and used his gifts in a new way as editor of America Magazine, where he remained until 1973. An avid golfer, he was well known for hauling his clubs on public transportation from his office in midtown to courses in the outskirts of Manhattan and beyond.

Ever willing and available for new assignments, Fr. Downey left the hustle and bustle of New York for the peace and quiet of Clinton, Ohio, where he served as Superior and Director of Loyola of the Lakes Retreat House from 1974 to 1985.

For the next 20 years, Fr. Downey made his home in Chicago and put his considerable literary talents to use at Loyola Press, first as associate editor (1986–1989), then as editorial director of Trade Books (1989–1994), and finally as editorial consultant (1994–2004). “One of the first things that always comes to mind when I think about Joe was his chuckle,” says Fr. Daniel Flaherty, SJ, who worked with Fr. Downey both at America Magazine and at Loyola Press. “It’s hard for me to recall a conversation with him that wasn’t punctuated at regular intervals by that chuckle. I had the pleasure of his daily company—and his chuckle—for more than 20 years.”

”Fr. Downey was my first boss in book publishing and one of the most important mentors in my life,” recalls Jeremy Langford, Provincial Assistant for Communications for the Chicago-Detroit Province. “When I was hired as an editor at Loyola Press in 1993, I was fresh out of Notre Dame and Joe was a 76-year old veteran teacher and wordsmith. While nobody wrote a better letter or edited texts with more precision, Fr. Downey’s greatest gift was being a Jesuit priest. In our many conversations in the five years we worked together and the many years thereafter, he always brought the conversation back to the importance of faith and finding the person God dreams us to be. I’ll always be grateful to Fr. Downey for his example, wisdom, and guidance.”

When he moved to Colombiere Center in Clarkston, Michigan, in 2004, Fr. Downey devoted his time to writing and to praying for the Church and Society. In the final years of his life he completed 10 books on spirituality, including Searching for the Christian End-Person: An Inside Story, When God Tells the Story Back to Us: Faith for the Senior Years, and The Spiritual Way: A Guide for Catholic Laypeople.

“I would say Joe’s living revealed God’s goodness on a daily basis,” says Fr. George Lane, SJ, president emeritus of Loyola Press and longtime coworker and friend of Fr. Downey.

Memorial gifts:

Memorial gifts may be made to The Jesuits, 2050 N. Clark Street, Chicago, Illinois 60614.

To make an online contribution, click here.

Br. Herman F. Elsaesser, SJ

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October 15, 1919, to September 24, 2010
Grand Blanc, MI

Br. Herman F. Elsaesser, SJ, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio died on September 24, 2010 at Genesys Hospital in Grand Blanc, Michigan. “He not only made major contributions to our education, but more importantly to our formation as Catholic men,” recalls Richard J. Brennan, a 1954 graduate of Saint Ignatius College Prep and a student of Br. Elsaesser. “Sixty years later some of us still gather to reminisce about our fortunate experiences at Ignatius. Almost always the inspiration, dedication, leadership, and understanding of Herman Elsaesser is recalled.”

Br. Elsaesser, known to his friends as a “jack-of-all-trades”, was born to Anthony and Bertha Elsaesser on October 15, 1919. After graduating from St. Xavier High School in 1937, he attended Xavier University for just one year before entering the Jesuits on September 1, 1938. He later earned a bachelor’s degree from Xavier University in 1942. Br. Elsaesser went to study classics at the former West Baden College in West Baden, Indiana, until 1945. He then taught at St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland until 1946, when he went to teach at Saint Ignatius College Prep (then St. Ignatius) in Chicago until 1951.

After SICP Br. Elsaesser began a four-year training program in carpentry, which was to be his work for the remainder of his career. After studying and working as a carpenter for five years, he returned to Saint Ignatius College Prep to teach until 1959. He then taught at Loyola Academy until 1970, when he returned to Cincinnati for graduate studies in Classics at Xavier University and to teach at Covington Latin School. Br. Elsaesser took a short sabbatical to return to Xavier University to earn his master’s degree in Classics. He spent the remainder of his years visiting nursing homes and tending to the needs of his fellow Jesuits before joining the Colombiere Center community in 1992.

Fr. William Verbryke, SJ, expressed what a kind and gentle man Herman was, “he was exemplary in how he cared for and tended to his fellow Jesuits and family, in particular, Br. McNamara and his great aunt Marie.” Fr. Verbryke also spoke of Br. Elsaesser’s willingness to care for others. He explained, “One day Herm came to me and said that he felt the need to make himself available to go to the Colombiere Center because he read that people of his age were living longer and therefore needed to care for those older than himself. He wanted to make himself available to be of service to those older than him.” At this point, Br. Elsaesser was already in his seventies. “This was his spirit of generosity, kindness, and gentleness.”

Memorial gifts:

Memorial gifts may be made to The Jesuits, 2050 N. Clark Street, Chicago, Illinois 60614.

To make an online contribution, click here.

Br. John J. Petrus, SJ

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December 27, 1931, to August 29, 2010
Cleveland, OH

Br. John J. Petrus, SJ, who served as a Jesuit for 49 years, died on August 29, 2010 in Cleveland, Ohio. Br. Petrus was born to Joseph and Elizabeth Petrus on December 27, 1931, in Fairport Harbor, Ohio. He was the beloved oldest brother of Lawrence Petrus, Judith (Stephen) Foltin, Martha (Ernest) Petti and Elaine (William) Schneid and the devoted uncle to many nieces and nephews.

Br. Petrus, who was more fondly known to his Jesuit brothers as “Tu Es,” (a nickname given to him by his classmates referring to the inscription in the dome of the St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome) graduated from Harvey High School, located in Painesville, Ohio, in 1950. He entered the Jesuits in March of 1961 and took his final vows on April 22, 1972, in Cleveland, Ohio. His service carried him all over the Midwest, working in various schools as a maintenance and boiler room employee. He performed the majority of his service at Colombiere College in Clarkston, Michigan.

Fr. Carl Bonk, SJ, who presided over the funeral Mass for Br. Petrus at St. Ignatius High School Chapel in Cleveland, Ohio, on September 2, 2010, remembered John warmly and spoke of him as being “a simple and humble man in the fullest sense of the word. He was truly a friend in the Lord. John fit in and was at home wherever he lived in the Jesuit communities.”

One of John’s Jesuit brothers from his entrance class and a close friend, Br. Anthony Kreutzjans, SJ, spoke of Br. Petrus as “quiet, peaceful, respectful, and dedicated.” He recalls, “I remember John telling me years ago when we were in early formation, ‘Our time is spent working for the Lord! Don’t work past quitting time, because then you are just working for the devil.’ John is a dear friend and I will miss him.”

Memorial gifts:

Memorial gifts may be made to The Jesuits, 2050 N. Clark Street, Chicago, Illinois 60614.

To make an online contribution, click here.

July 15, 1928, to July 4, 2010
Chicago, IL

Rev. Paul V. Robb, SJ, known for his gifts as a mentor, died on Sunday, July 4, 2010, at the age of 81. He was born on July 15, 1928, to Francis and Marguerite (Gerard) Robb in Toledo, OH. After graduating from Sacred Heart Grade School in Vincennes, IN, he attended Holy Cross Seminary in Notre Dame, IN, for three years and graduated from Reitz Memorial Catholic High School in Evansville, IN. Fr. Robb entered the Jesuits in 1947 after his freshman year at Vincennes University and was ordained on June 12, 1960, at the former West Baden College in West Baden, IN.

During his Jesuit formation, Fr. Robb earned a BA in English and Latin from the former Milford Novitiate in Milford, OH (1951); a PhL (1954) and STL (1961) from West Baden College; and an MA in philosophy (1959) and a PhD in psychology (1966) from Loyola University Chicago.

During regency, Fr. Robb taught mathematics and moderated the school newspaper at Loyola Academy in Wilmette, IL (1954–57). “Paul provided good counsel to me in high school and continued beyond my college years,” says Walter Buchmann. “He married my wife and me. I remember him warmly as a mentor and friend. He was a kind, intelligent, and unusually open-minded man. Knowing him was my good fortune.”

Following his ordination and doctoral work, Fr. Robb taught psychology as an assistant professor at Loyola University (1966–68) and then became director of novices at the Milford Novitiate (1968–69) and the Bellarmine School of Theology in North Aurora, IL (1969–70). From 1968–71, he also served as chairman of the Committee on Formation for the Jesuits in the United States.

“Paul was a good and faithful Jesuit who had a remarkable number of friends and admirers, especially among his former students” says Fr. George Lane, SJ, who lived in community with Fr. Robb for six years.

Through the 70s and 80s, Fr. Robb was an assistant professor at the former Jesuit School of Theology Chicago in Hyde Park. In addition to his teaching and administrative duties, in 1974 he founded the Institute for Spiritual Leadership (ISL) and served as director of the training program for spiritual directors until 1990.

“Paul was an incredibly dynamic teacher,” explains Sr. Suzanne Zuercher, OSB, who first met Fr. Robb at Loyola University and later worked with him as a codirector and an instructor at ISL. “He was a pioneer in the field of psycho-spirituality and his presentations were just incredible because they were so well developed and so touching. We trained people from all over the world, and many of Paul’s former students went back to their homelands and created centers or worked with people one on one. Paul really had an international influence.”

Former ISL student Brian Ventham of London reflects: “As director of our ISL program, as friend and priest, Paul has inspired my work as a psychotherapist. I repeat his words in countless sessions.”

After a one-year sabbatical, Fr. Robb spent the next seven years leading workshops and writing about spirituality. In 1998, Chicago Province Treasurer Fr. Daniel Flaherty, SJ, brought Fr. Robb to the province as assistant treasurer. “While Paul was gifted in psychology and spiritual direction, he also was good with numbers and meticulous,” explains Fr. Flaherty. “In his later years, he was able to handle the day-to-day work of the business office and finish a book he’d been working on for some time called Passage Through Mid-Life: A Spiritual Journey to Wholeness. He was a man of many talents who lived a life of service.”

Memorial gifts:

Memorial gifts may be made to The Jesuits, 2050 N. Clark Street, Chicago, Illinois 60614.

To make an online contribution, click here.

Fr. William G. Goudreau, SJ

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November 14, 1921, to June 20, 2010
Patna, India

Fr. William G. Goudreau, SJ, who served as a Jesuit missionary to the people of India for 63 years, died on June 20, 2010, in Patna, India. Fr. Goudreau was born to Alfred and Rose (Charbeneau) Goudreau in St. Ignace, Michigan, on November 14, 1921. “He was certainly an intrepid missionary and a true son of St. Ignatius, as his place of birth indicates,” says Fr. Jerry Drinane, SJ, who served with Fr. Goudreau in India.

After graduating from LaSalle High School in 1939, Fr. Goudreau joined the Society of Jesus in Milford, Ohio. Early in his studies he volunteered for the foreign missions. In 1946 he was sent to Patna in the north of India. After completing studies for the priesthood, he was ordained in 1952 and began his ministry in rural India. For most of his career he established schools, clinics, and Christian communities among the low caste people of Bihar, a state in northeastern India. Two communities in rural Bihar owe much of their educational and health systems to his efforts.

“I can remember, even as a small child, my parents attending fund-raisers for Fr. Billie’s mission work in India,” says Mary VandenBosch of Brighton, Michigan. “I continued my parent’s tradition after their deaths, re-connecting with Fr. Billie some 15 years ago and continuing to support his work. I shall treasure his letters always. God has seen fit to call home a very special man.” In 1981, after 30 years in the villages, Fr. Goudreau started a mission team that traveled around northern India giving retreats and spiritual counseling. In 1991 Fr. Goudreau became chaplain to the Missionary of Charity Brothers in Gonpura. He made it a point to visit all the leprosy patients there each day. Finally, in 2003 he returned to Patna, where he served until his death.

“In India, he was famous for his love of dogs,” says Br. Jim Boynton, SJ, Fr. Goudreau’s nephew. “He always had a pair of German Shepards named Raja and Ranee (King and Queen) who were very well trained. He had a quick sense of humor that became even quicker with age. He enjoyed his visits back to the States and kept in constant contact with many family members and friends, who supported him with prayers and parcels of clothing and other goods.”

During his service in India, Fr. Goudreau also took it upon himself to raise many orphans. They call themselves his “sons,” and a number of them have also become Jesuits. Fr. Drinane says, “His name will go down in Patna Jesuit history as one of our great and zealous priests, and his memory will live on in our hearts.”

Memorial gifts:

Memorial gifts may be made to The Jesuits, 2050 N. Clark Street, Chicago, Illinois 60614.

To make an online contribution, click here.

Fr. Robert J. Murphy, SJ

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April 15, 1923, to May 1, 2010
Clarkston, Michigan

Fr. Robert J. Murphy, SJ, pastor and former novice master, died on May 1, 2010, at the age of 87 in Clarkston, Michigan. Fr. Murphy was born to Joseph G. and Ella (Moran) Murphy on April 15, 1923, in Chicago. Fr. Murphy entered the Jesuits in 1941, just after graduating from Saint Ignatius College Prep (then called St. Ignatius High School) in Chicago. “Bob Murphy was a year ahead of me at St. Ignatius,” says Jack Cavenagh, 1942 alumnus of the school. “He was a unique individual who combined a talent for leadership and managerial ability with a modest and engagingly humorous demeanor. I will never forget him.”

After completing a course of study in Philosophy at the former West Baden College in 1948, Fr. Murphy taught for three years at University of Detroit High School. He then returned to West Baden to complete his study of Theology before his ordination on June 14, 1954. Fr. Murphy next served as the secretary for the Provincial for the Chicago Province of the Jesuits until 1958. That year he began his ten-year service as master of novices at the former novitiate in Milford, Ohio.

“Fr. Murphy was Novice Master to many of us who joined the Society at Milford, Ohio,” says Bill Maloney of Asheville, North Carolina. “It was a time of change in the Church and in the Society. He was there for us and taught us many things about what it means to be a Jesuit. Let us remember him in our prayers.” From 1968-1971, Fr. Murphy served as the director of the Barrington Retreat House in Barrington, Illinois. After this he went on to serve as Pastor at St. Ignatius Parish in Chicago until 1978. From 1978-1980, Fr. Murphy served as the province coordinator of Christian Life Communities at Loyola University.

After this he returned to serve as associate pastor at St. Ignatius Parish in Chicago until 1982, and then at Christ the King Church in Lexington, Kentucky, from 1982-2002, when he went to Colombiere to pray for the Church and the Society. “Father Murphy was a very gentle and kind human being,” says Angela Cluck. “He will be sorely missed by all of us here in Lexington Kentucky.”

Memorial gifts:

Memorial gifts may be made to The Jesuits, 2050 N. Clark Street, Chicago, Illinois 60614.

To make an online contribution, click here.

Fr. Paul "Sam" Kehres, SJ

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December 15, 1919, to March 26, 2010
Pune, India

Fr. Paul “Sam” Kehres, SJ, teacher and Jesuit of the Patna Province of India, died on March 26, 2010, in the western Indian city of Pune. Fr. Kehres was born to Leo and Lenora (née Hengstler) Kehres on December 15, 1919, in Defiance, Ohio, where he was raised with his four brothers and three sisters. Fr. Kehres entered the Society on September 1, 1938, a year after his older brother Fr. John C. Kehres, SJ, who died in 2007. Fr. Sam Kehres was ordained on June 13, 1951, in West Baden, Indiana. In 1956 Fr. Kehres went to India, where he served as a professor at the Papal Seminary and De Nobili College in Pune. “He taught biology and inferior psychology,” says Fr. Theodore Bowling, SJ, friend and colleague of Fr. Kehres. “Someone once dubbed him as the superior professor of inferior psychology.”

In 1967 Fr. Kehres went to serve as a professor of biology and psychology at Sacred Heart College at Shembaganur in southern India. In 1972, he returned to Pune to resume his service at De Nobili College as both registrar and a teacher. Fr. Kehres continued to serve at De Nobili College for the rest of his life, wearing many hats over the years including superior of the philosophers, house treasurer, and house librarian.

Apart from his official duties, Fr. Kerhres was always available to the staff for proof-reading articles or books meant for publication, and to students for help in writing their assignments. “He was known to all the children around the campus as the Jadu Father, the one who does tricks with strings and wire puzzles to entertain them. By so doing he won the appreciation and thanks of the children’s parents,” says Fr. Bowling. “He died as he lived, quietly and peacefully, but his absence will be felt by all.”

Memorial gifts:

Memorial gifts may be made to The Jesuits, 2050 N. Clark Street, Chicago, Illinois 60614.

To make an online contribution, click here.

Fr. John W. Witek, SJ

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September 13, 1933, to January 31, 2010
Washington, District of Columbia

Fr. John W. Witek, SJ, internationally renowned scholar of East Asian history, died on January 31, 2010, at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, District of Columbia. He was 76 years old. Fr. Witek was born on September 13, 1933, in Chicago, Illinois, to John A. and Antoinette Witek. He attended grade school at Sacred Heart on Huron Street in Chicago. In 1951 Fr. Witek graduated from St. Ignatius High School (present day Saint Ignatius College Prep) and went on to undergraduate studies at Loyola University Chicago. He entered the Society of Jesus on September 1, 1952, at the Novitiate in Milford, Ohio.

Fr. Witek earned an M.A. in East Asian History from Loyola University Chicago in 1964, embarking on a subject that he studied for the rest of his life. “Though he didn’t start studying China until a later stage in life; Fr. Witek recognized that China was going to be very important,” recalls Fr. Robert Bireley, SJ, who was a year ahead of Fr. Witek in their Jesuit formation. “Fr. Witek was an outstanding scholar of Chinese history and the role of Jesuits in China. He was unusually diligent, a very hard worker, but very good humored. Fr. Witek was also very generous working with other scholars. He always shared what he knew such as tips about what archives and books to look into and so on.”

Fr. Witek was ordained on June 10, 1965, at St. Joseph Church in Aurora, Illinois. He earned his Ph.D. from Georgetown University in 1973. Later that year he went on to Xavier University to teach in the department of History and Political Sciences as an Assistant Professor. In 1975 he returned to Georgetown University, where he taught in the department of history until his death.

Over the course of his career, Fr. Witek authored and edited many important books and articles about the history of East Asia. Some of his most notable titles include the following: Controversial Ideas in China and in Europe: A Biography of Jean-François Foucquet, SJ, 1665-1741, published in 1982; Ferdinand Verbiest (1623-1688): Jesuit Missionary, Scientist, Engineer and Diplomat, published in 1994; Religion and Culture: An International Symposium Commemorating the Fourth Centenary of the University College of St. Paul, published in 1999; Dicionário Português-Chinês: Portuguese-Chinese Dictionary, published in 2001; and Monumenta Sinica: Volume I (1546-1562), published in 2002.

Memorial gifts:

Memorial gifts may be made to The Jesuits, 2050 N. Clark Street, Chicago, Illinois 60614.

To make an online contribution, click here.

Fr. Ernest G. Spittler, SJ

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May 4, 1928, to January 1, 2010
Cleveland, Ohio

Fr. Ernest G. Spittler, SJ, died at the age of 81. A Jesuit for 63 year and native Clevelander, Fr. Spittler was born to Dr. Felix and Genevieve Spittler on May 4, 1928. He attended St. Therese Elementary School and St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland. After high school, Fr. Spittler entered the Jesuit Novitiate at Milford, Ohio, in June 1946. He completed philosophical studies at West Baden College in Indiana, and went on to complete graduate studies in chemistry at the Catholic University in Washington, D.C.,
Fr. Spittler then returned to West Baden College for theological studies, and was ordained a priest at Colombiere College in Clarkston, Michigan, on June 14, 1962.

His major ministry occurred from 1965 through 1993, when he taught Chemistry at John Carroll University. In his final years he became involved in Marriage Encounter which he continued through 2001. For many of these later years, he was also pastorally active in the Cleveland diocese. Some seven years ago, because of health, he retired to Jennings Center for Older Adults in Garfield Heights, where as a grade-school student, he had often served Mass. He enjoyed classical music, and during his years at Jennings Center shared this passion with other residents, and was a companion to many.

“I was honored to meet and know Fr. Ernie,” recalls Ceil Sledz-Greenwell of North Royalton, Ohio. “His quiet, humble exterior belied the wit and knowledge within the truly holy man he was when you spoke with him. I am blessed to have known him. He will be missed by more people than anyone can even imagine.”

Memorial gifts:

Memorial gifts may be made to The Jesuits, 2050 N. Clark Street, Chicago, Illinois 60614.

To make an online contribution, click here.