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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:
To make an online donation, click here.
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 Saint 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:
To make an online donation, click here.
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:
To make an online donation, click here.
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:
To make an online donation, click here.
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:
To make an online donation, click here.
“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:
To make an online donation, click here.
Fr.
Donald O. Nastold, SJ, former principal of Saint 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:
To make an online donation, click here.
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 Saint 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.
To make an online donation, click here.
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