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2005
Fr. Donald J. Hayes, SJ, 12/20/2005
Fr. Paul F. Mattingly, SJ, 10/30/2005
Fr. Francis X. Grollig, SJ, 8/20/2005
Fr. Charles J. Fox, SJ, 5/13/2005
Fr. Stanley T. Wisniewski, SJ, 1/27/2005

Fr. Donald J. Hayes, SJ December 20, 2005 Colombiere Center Clarkston MI View Fr. Hayes's guestbook at Legacy.com

Donald J. Hayes, 25 year veteran of Loyola University, former president of Saint Ignatius College Prep and past director of Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House died on Tuesday, December 20, 2005, at Colombiere Center in Clarkston, MI.

Fr. Hayes, a native of Chicago, attended St. Gertrude grammar and middle school before attending Mt. Carmel High School in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. After one year at Mt. Carmel, he transferred to Loyola Academy, and graduated from there in 1943. That same year he entered the Jesuit novitiate in Milford, OH. In his studies as a Jesuit, Fr. Hayes earned an A.B. from Loyola University Chicago in 1948 and an M.A. in Philosophy in 1952. He also earned a Ph.L from West Baden College in 1950 and a Ph.D in philosophy from St. Louis University in 1955, then did special studies at Fordham University, St. Bonaventure University, Laval University, and St. Louis University. Fr. Hayes was ordained on June 13, 1956, at West Baden, IN.

After ordination, Fr. Hayes was missioned to Loyola University Chicago. Aside from three years as president of Saint Ignatius College Prep in Chicago (1967-1970), he spent 25 years at the university, where he taught philosophy and was director of sodalities (1958-1967), served as a trustee (1965-1968), and was vice president of university ministry (1971-1986). “Fr. Hayes was not only Loyola’s first vice president for university ministries, he was one of the first to have that title in the United States,” explains Fr. Raymond Baumhart, SJ, former president of Loyola University. “That made him an equal and an influential member of the president’s cabinet at the university. We used to call him ‘VP for God.’” While at Loyola, Fr. Hayes was also an active member of the community and served on various boards including the Columbus, Cuneo-Cabrini Medical Center board, where he worked on many committees and eventually became vice chairman of the board in 1980.

Through the Sodality Society at Loyola, Fr. Hayes worked closely with undergraduates to help them integrate Ignatian spirituality into their daily lives. Early in his teaching career, he dreamed of a student-operated retreat house on campus. “It was through his vision and influence that Loyola received as a gift two buildings from Jack Gleason that came to be known as Gonzaga Hall,” explains Fr. Baumhart. The Hall served as a retreat center for students, then became a residence hall/Christian community, and today is a Jesuit residence. “Don was always a priest whatever he did. He was a kind, generous, thoughtful, and outgoing person who attracted very good people to the ministry work at Loyola, including the first women in ministry at Loyola,” adds Fr. Baumhart. “He knew how to make the most out of any situation. For example, when I was president of Loyola, it was my custom when I would go away for a week or more to name someone acting president. On one occasion I named Fr. Don. While he was acting president he passed a budget amendment for university ministry that I had shot down in the past!”
Mark Hayes, one of Fr. Hayes’ nephews and a former resident of Gonzaga Hall, recalls, “Fr. Don was always there for his friends and family. If you were a friend of his, you were a part of our family. In fact, three of our family members met their spouses either working at or living in Gonzaga Hall: my cousin Joan, who helped my uncle at Gonzaga on weekends, met her future husband, Mike Hermes, when he was a resident there. My older sister Susan met her future husband James O’Leary and I met my future wife Donna when we lived at Gonzaga after the dorm became co-ed. And my older brother Vincent was a student manager of the hall.” Hayes added, “What I remember most about my uncle,” Hayes added, “is that he was a man before he was a priest. When you got to know him as a human being, you got to know his deep faith and him as a priest. He loved life and he always tried to make sure people had fun.”

After a brief sabbatical in 1986, Fr. Hayes was assigned to Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House in Barrington, IL, where he served as Director from 1987 until 1999 and Superior of the Jesuit Community from 1987 until 1992. Having served on Bellarmine’s advisory board in the 1970s and led numerous retreats there, Fr. Hayes saw his new assignment as a continuation of his previous work. “Don was a truly gifted retreat leader and created an environment in which people could most effectively experience God’s love for them,” says Fr. John Dillon, SJ, current director of Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House. “He understood human weakness in a way that allowed people to feel safe, find healing, and feel welcome in the church. And he had a way of connecting the Spiritual Exercises to people’s daily lives so they could find God in all things. He was often described as a ‘priestly priest’.”

In January 2000, Fr. Hayes was assigned as Associate Director of the Pre-Theologate Program at Franciscan University in Steubenville, OH. After 3 years at Franciscan, he returned to Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House where he served as a retreat director until he was missioned to Colombiere in winter 2005. John Madden, past Chairman of Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House, spoke to Fr. Hayes a week before he died: “What came through so clearly in our conversation was that Don was at peace. For the brief time he was at Colombiere, he was able to reflect on his life and know that he had made the world a better place. As his many friends have said, just being in Don’s presence made you feel how deeply imbued the Ignatian principles were in every one of his actions. He was a true son of Ignatius.”

“For the short time he was here, he was a wonderful member of the community and added tremendously to the spirit around the place,” says Fr. Richard Twohig, SJ, director of Colombiere Center. “His was a special ministry of presence. We will really miss him, but we take comfort in knowing that his tremendous legacy lives on.”

Beloved son of the late Roger J. and Nancy Cullen Hayes. Devoted brother of Roger J. Jr. (Marion), Vincent S. (the late Helen), the late Paul F. (the late Mary Ellen), John M., Kathleen, Walter L., and James C. Hayes (the late Nandaus). Dear uncle of many.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Jesuit Partnership or the Jesuit International Missions by writing or calling:

To make an online donation, click here.

Br. Paul F. Mattingly, SJ October 30, 2005 Colombiere Center Clarkston, MI View Br. Mattingly's guestbook at Legacy.com.

Br. Paul F. Mattingly, SJ, a Jesuit brother and 54-year veteran of Milford Novitiate and Milford Spiritual Center, died Sunday, October 30, 2005, at Colombiere Center in Clarkston, MI.

A native of Alexandria, Indiana, Br. Mattingly attended St. Mary’s Elementary School and graduated from Aurora High School in 1940. Eleven years later, he entered the Jesuits at Milford, OH, to become a brother. “It was when patrolling the New Jersey beach at night in the United States Coast Guard during World War II that I gave serious thought to the brother’s life,” he once explained. “The vastness and depth of the Atlantic Ocean helps one think of eternity.”

While in the novitiate, Br. Mattingly worked on a chicken farm, in the boiler room, and in the tailor shop. “During those years Paul established himself as a quiet but hardworking and prayerful brother,” recalls Milford classmate Br. John F. Buchman, SJ, administrative assistant to the president at Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School and community cook. “He also had a real love of the land and took great care of the grounds, especially the trees.”
Br. Mattingly’s skill with the trees at Milford was rivaled only by his expertise in building maintenance. Aside from working for one year at St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati (1955) and for six months at Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House in Barrington, IL (1968), he served as a grounds and building engineer at Milford Novitiate and then Milford Spiritual Center for 54 years. “I first met Br. Paul when I was a novice in the early sixties,” explains Mr. Daniel Roche, executive director of Milford Spiritual Center. “What always struck me was his sense that God communicates through nature. To do his best possible work, he befriended the curator of the local cemetery grounds and learned everything he could about trees and lawn care.” An avid student, early in his vocation Br. Mattingly earned a tomato canning certificate a steam boilers operator’s license and, according to former superior of Milford, Fr. Richard Anderson, SJ, “knew boilers inside and out.” “Paul was my right hand man, a real ‘Mr. Fix It’ on just about everything,” says Fr. Anderson. “He also went to cooking school in his later years and one of his gourmet treats was homemade split pea soup. I always enjoyed being around Paul, especially while celebrating morning Mass; though a man of few words, he always had an insight into the readings because he’d get up at 4 a.m., eat breakfast, then walk outside in creation and pray. He had such a gentle manner that deer would walk right up to him and he’d talk to them.”

Br. Mattingly also served as a Eucharistic minister for twenty-seven years at St. Andrew’s parish in Milford and in recent years worked with the poor and homeless at Mary Magdalene House in Cincinnati. “Br. Paul volunteered a half day each week and helped clean our guests’ laundry, which is no easy task,” explains Br. John P. Martin, SJ, who ministers at the House. “He was always kind and courteous to our guests.”
In his letter missioning Br. Mattingly to Colombiere, Fr. Provincial Edward Schmidt, SJ, recalled: “One of the most lasting memories of my Milford years is of novice work crews dragging tree limbs over to the cliffs above the Little Miami. It took dozens of us to keep up with you!” He added his thanks: “The ongoing beauty, tranquility, and sense of the sacred at Milford are enduring testimony to your unending care. The hundreds of people who come through Milford each year–many thousands over the decades–probably do not know who they should thank for what they find there. But in your quiet, steady way, you have made them welcome. You have helped them experience the sacred in our life. You have been part of their finding God.”
“Before Br. Mattingly left Milford for Colombiere in early 2005,” explains Mr. Roche, “we planted two white oak trees, which is what Paul wanted because they are among the largest and most enduring varieties.” Milford sponsored one and the Mattingly family sponsored the other with a plaque that summarizes Br. Paul Mattingly’s legacy: “His life’s work is all around us in the beauty of the trees, shrubs, and plants.”

Brother of the late Richard R. and John J., Br. Mattingly is survived by nephews, Paul R. and Robert J.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Jesuit Partnership or the Jesuit International Missions by writing or calling:

To make an online donation, click here.

Fr. Francis X. Grollig, SJ August 20, 2005 Colombiere Center Clarkston, MI View Fr. Grollig's guestbook at Legacy.com.

Jesuit priest, teacher, scholar and 36 year veteran of Loyola University Chicago, Fr. Francis X. Grollig, SJ, died Saturday August 20, 2005 at Colombiere Center in Clarkston, MI.

“He was an accomplished professional anthropologist; he was the first Jesuit priest to obtain a doctorate in any subject at Indiana University.” Fr. Earl Weis, SJ, said as he remembered his close friend Fr. Grollig.

Fr. Grollig, a native of Cincinnati, OH, attended grade school at St. Ursula Academy and graduated from St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati. Shortly after his high school graduation in 1940 Fr. Grollig entered the Jesuits at Milford, OH. During his studies to become a priest, he earned an AB in Latin in 1947 and a MA in History and Philosophy in 1950 from Loyola University Chicago. Subsequently he earned a PhD from Indiana University in Anthropology in 1959. He was granted a licentiate in philosophy from West Baden College in Indiana in 1949 and a licentiate in sacred theology. During his Jesuit training he also taught history and English at St. Xavier High School and Latin at Loyola Academy in Wilmette, IL. Fr. Grollig was ordained a priest on June 17, 1953 at West Baden, Indiana.

After ordination Fr. Grollig was first assigned to St. Xavier Church in Cincinnati and then in 1955, to Loyola University Chicago where he became a teaching fellow in the history department.

In 1959 Fr. Grollig became the first chairman of the Anthropology Department at Loyola University Chicago. As chairman of that department, he began the Annual Peru Program in 1961 and the Annual Mexican Program in 1978. In 1989 Fr. Grollig was named director of the Latin American Studies Program at Loyola University Chicago, a position he held until 1991. Throughout his many years there he edited and wrote several books on both anthropology and Latin American studies.

Fr. Raymond Baumhart, SJ, former president of Loyola University remembered Fr. Grollig as, “A quiet scholar with a dry wit. He was helpful to students and others in need.” Fr. Baumhart went on to say, “Fr. Grollig was proud of his priesthood.”

Fr. Grollig is survived by a sister, Sr. Alma Grollig, SNDdeN and a brother Fr. Anthony J. Grollig, SJ who is currently serving in Patna, India.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Jesuit Partnership or the Jesuit International Missions by writing or calling:

To make an online donation, click here.

Fr. Charles J. Fox, SJ May 13, 2005 Jesuit Community at Xavier Teachers Training Institute Patna, India View Fr. Fox’s guestbook at Legacy.com.

Fr. Charles J. Fox, SJ, Dayton, OH, native, Jesuit missionary, and devoted preacher dies peacefully in India

Fr. Charles J. Fox, SJ, who spent his life ministering and preaching to the people of Patna, India, died peacefully at 2:30 AM on May 13, 2005 in Patna. At the time of his death, he was the oldest Jesuit in the Patna Province.

Fr. Fox was born in Dayton, OH, in 1913. As a child, he moved often with his family and attended Catholic grade schools in Dayton, Adrian, MI, and Mt. Vernon, NY. He studied at Fordham Prep, a Jesuit high school in New York City, for one year before his family moved to Chicago, IL, where he enrolled at St. Ignatius High School. After graduating in 1931, he entered the Jesuit novitiate in Milford, OH.

While completing his AB in Latin at Loyola University Chicago, Charlie volunteered for the Jesuit missions. Years later, after completing studies in philosophy in 1938, he was assigned to the Patna Jesuit Mission. He completed special Hindi language studies before beginning studies in theology. In 1944, he was ordained for priestly ministry in Kurseong, India.

Fr. Fox is known and remembered in India primarily as a preacher. After his ordination, he was assigned to the Patna Mission Band and traveled the country for four years preaching and offering parish missions. The members of the Mission Band usually traveled in a group of 4 or 5 and spent a day or two at various rural parishes offering talks in the morning and evenings—when the working class could attend—about the value of faith and fundamental Christian values. Aside from two stints in Jesuit schools—he taught at St. Xavier’s Patna prior to his ordination and was principal at St. Xavier’s Jaipur from 1947 to 1948—Fr. Fox spent his life as a Jesuit preaching and serving the people of Patna in various rural parishes.

Fr. Gerald P. Drinane, SJ, secretary of the Patna Province, said Fr. Fox brought to life the words of St. Paul, “Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!” He was, by all accounts, a simple man and dedicated priest known to bicycle great distances to say Mass at rural mission outposts. “Perhaps it was this regular exercise that made him strong and robust enough to live to be the oldest Patna Jesuit at the time of his death,” says Fr. Drinane. “It certainly wasn't the food he ate, which was simple to the point of austerity—as those who visited him found out. He generously shared whatever he had, which wasn't much.”

Over the course of his career, Fr. Fox served at mission churches in Bihar Sharif (1952-55), Muzaffarpur (1955-68), Latonah (1968-72 and 1978-79), Samastipur (1972-78), Jamalpur (1980-83), Jehanabad (1983-84), Nawada (1984-86), and Gonpura (1986-87). He was, Fr. Drinane says, a model of Jesuit availability, willing to go wherever and whenever the need was greatest.

In 1988, at the age of 75, Fr. Fox returned to St. Xavier’s in Patna. Some might have looked at his return to Patna as “retirement,” but he never did. He said Mass on a daily basis and volunteered to substitute for parish priests who were ill or on leave. He traveled hundreds of miles for many of these assignments. In 2000, with his health beginning to fail, Fr. Fox moved to the Xavier Teachers’ Training Institute, the Jesuit novitiate in Patna. Despite numerous health problems, he continued to attend Mass on a daily basis. The Mass was a staple of his spirituality, which Fr. Drinane says, “was simple and fundamental.” At many points, Fr. Fox could have returned to a more comfortable retirement in the United States, but chose to remain in India.

Fr. Fox's brother, Mr. Daniel Fox, of Bronxville, NY, remembers when he and Charles were students at St. Ignatius High School in Chicago and were visited by a young Jesuit who was on his way to India. “I think Charles found his vocation as a missionary to India that day.” Mr. Fox can remember, too, watching Charles disappear into the distance as his boat steamed out of the harbor in New York bound for Europe and then India. Through it all, Mr. Fox says, “Charles was a holy man who was devoted to the Eucharist.” He adds that he, his parents, and his siblings “were incredibly proud to have two Jesuits, in the family, two Jesuit missionaries.”

Fr. Fox’s funeral was held on Saturday May 14, 2005, at 10:00 AM in Patna, India. He is survived by his brother Daniel of Bronxville, NY, his sister Dolores Frazier of McLean, VA, and sisters-in-law Mary Fox and Ellen Fox, and many nieces and nephews. Fr. Fox was preceded in death by his brothers John Fox, Robert Fox, James Fox, and Fr. Henry F. Fox, SJ, who served as a missionary in the Philippines and was a prisoner of war for three years during World War II.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Jesuit Partnership or the Jesuit International Missions by writing or calling:

To make an online donation, click here.

Fr. Stanley T. Wisniewski, SJ 71 January 27, 2005 Colombiere Center, Clarkston, MI View Fr. Wisniewski’s guestbook at Legacy.com.

Fr. Stanley T. Wisniewski, SJ, Chicago native, Jesuit priest, dedicated St. Ignatius teacher, and pastor, died on January 27, 2005 at Colombiere Jesuit Community in Clarkston, MI. He was 71 years old.

Born in Chicago, IL, in 1933, Stanley Wisniewski attended grammar school at St. Viator’s before graduating from Loyola Academy in 1951. He entered the Jesuit Novitiate at Milford, OH, following his graduation. During his studies to become a priest, Fr. Wisniewski earned his AB in Latin in 1956 and an MA in English and philosophy in 1962 both from Loyola University Chicago. "He was a man with a great sense of humor," says Fr. Allan F. Kirk, SJ, a close friend of Fr. Wisniewski who lived with him from 1951 to 1957 and then again from 1970 to 1988. "He was a great entertainer, who made life enjoyable, and really kept us all happy during our early years in the Society." He taught English at St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati from 1958-1961, then went on to complete the theology and philosophy studies required of all Jesuit priests at West Baden College, in Indiana, where he was ordained a priest on June 14, 1964.

After his ordination, Fr. Wisniewski was assigned to Saint Ignatius College Prep in 1966 and taught English there for twenty-two years. "He was a magnificent and solid English teacher," says Fr. Kirk. "The students learned easily and very well from him. He had a great ear for listening and was always extremely patient." In addition to his teaching duties, he was moderator of the Student Council and began the highly visible and successful "Walk for Ignatius," a fundraiser that consisted of a 20-mile student walk along the city’s lakefront.

In 1988 Fr. Wisniewski was assigned to Reno, NV, where he served as associate pastor of Our Lady of the Snows Parish until 1991, leaving to become an associate pastor at Holy Family in Las Vegas for one year. During his years in Reno and Las Vegas, he served as auditor and advocate of the marriage tribunal for the diocese of Reno. In 1992, Fr. Wisniewski was appointed pastor at St. Patrick’s parish in Fallon, NV. He returned to Chicago in 1999 and was assigned to St. Stephen’s Shrine, a small parish on the southwest side of Chicago, where he served as rector. "He was an extrovert and quick on the draw verbally," says Fr. Joseph T. Brennan, SJ. "He was short in stature but not in conversation."

Fr. Brian Paulson, SJ, who currently serves as president of Saint Ignatius College Prep in Chicago lived and taught with Fr. Wisniewski for three years at Saint Ignatius College Prep. "He had a deep love for his students, and was especially passionate about helping them grow in self-confidence, self-acceptance, and in their relationship with God," Fr. Paulson says. "In his last four years as a teacher, he dedicated himself in a special way to the beginning of the Kairos retreats for seniors. His unique sense of humor and ability to see the irony in life brightened up the days of his colleagues and students. He is deeply beloved by many generations of alumni and friends of the school."

He also served as an editor to the revision of Correct Writing, a textbook used nationally in Jesuit schools.

Fr. Wisniewski is survived by his sister, Susan Wisniewski Zurek and his brother Thomas Wisniewski. Visitation for Fr. Wisniewski was held on Sunday, January 30, 2005 from 3:00 PM to 7:30 PM with a wake service at 7:00 PM at Colombiere Center Chapel in Clarkston, MI. A second visitation will be held on Wednesday, February 2, 2005 from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Holy Family Church in Chicago, ending with the Mass of Christian Burial. The Burial will take place on Thursday, February 3, 2005 at All Saints Cemetery in Des Plaines, IL.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Jesuit Partnership or the Jesuit International Missions by writing or calling:

To make an online donation, click here.