LIVES OF THE BRETHREN 2000
Recent Deaths
THE LIVES OF THE BRETHREN
| Every, Robert Louis | April 8, 2000 |
| Thomas Damian Sheehan | July 24, 2000 |
| William Pius Conlan | August 26, 2000 |
| Joseph Gregory Going | September 26, 2000 |
| Thomas Matthias Cain | October 27, 2000 |
| Albert John-Marie Coburn | June 29, 2001 |
| Joseph John Angers | October 13, 2001 |
| Patrick Brady | December 4, 2001 |
Robert Louis Every, O.P.
Robert Louis Every was born January 24, 1927 in New York, NY, the son of James M. Every and Elizabeth E. (Schwab) Every and baptized at St. Gerard Majella Church, Hollis, Long Island on February 13, 1927.
After studying at Cathedral College High School in Brooklyn, NY (1941-1943), he served in the U.S. Navy from 1944-1946. He entered St. Joseph Province at St. Rose Priory, Springfield, KY in 1948 and made religious profession there on August 16, 1949. He studied philosophy at St. Joseph College, Somerset, OH (1949-1952) and theology at the Dominican House of Studies, Washington, DC (1952-1956), where he received his S.T.L. degree in 1956. He was ordained a priest at St. Dominic Church, Washington, DC on June 9, 1955 by Most Rev. Jerome D. Hannan.
From 1956-1958, he was campus minister at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon. In 1958, he returned to New York to serve as provincial secretary and then as provincial promoter of vocations. From 1961-1963, he was prior and pastor of St. Vincent Ferrer in New York; from 1963-1967 he was prior provincial of St. Joseph Province with his headquarters in New York. On June 2, 1964, Providence College awarded him a Doctor of Laws degree "honoris causa."
From 1967-1970, he was prior of Immaculate Conception Priory , Washington, DC. In 1971-1972, he was a fellow at the Virginia Theological Seminary (Episcopal), Alexandria, VA. From 1971-1974, he was chaplain at Providence Hospital, Columbia, SC. From 1974-1980, he served as assistant for the U.S. and Malta provinces to the Master of the Order, Fr. Vincent de Couesnongle, O.P., at Convento Santa Sabina in Rome; at this time he was also vicar for the Dominican friars at Santa Sabina. In 1979 he joined the new Southern Dominican Province of St. Martin de Porres.
From 1981-1988, he was again chaplain at Providence Hospital and superior of St. Martin de Porres Community, Columbia, SC. From 1988-1992, he was vicar provincial for St. Martin de Porres Province and lived at St. Anthony's Priory in New Orleans. He then became pastoral care coordinator at Project Lazarus, New Orleans until he went on limited service.
Louis died at Methodist Hospital in New Orleans on April 8, 2000 at age 73. His Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at St. Anthony's Church on April 12 with classmates, Bishop Bertrand Boland O.P, presiding and Terence Quinn, O.P., preaching the homily. He was then buried in the Friars' Cemetery, Rosaryville, LA. At the time of his death, he was survived by a brother, Donald A. Every, St. James, NY, and a sister, Joan Minicozzi, Levittown, NY, and six nephews.
Father Thomas Damian Sheehan, O.P.
Father Thomas Damian Sheehan died at age 84 on July 24, 2000 at St. Dominic Nursing Center in Houston, TX.
Thomas was born in Brooklyn, NY on Apr. 17, 1916 and was baptized at St. Ignatius Church in Brooklyn on May 7 of that year.
He attended Providence College in Providence, RI beginning in 1934 and entered the Dominican Novitiate at St. Rose Priory, Springfield, KY in 1938. He made first profession for St. Joseph Province on Aug. 16, 1939 and was ordained at St. Thomas Aquinas Priory, River Forest, IL on Mar. 23, 1945 for St. Albert the Great Province. He received his A.B. degree from Providence College in 1938 and the degrees of STL, MA and Ph.D from the Pontifical Faculty of Philosophy, River Forest, IL. He began his ministry at Nativity Church, Campti, LA from 1946-1948. He then became a professor at DePaul University, Chicago, IL, 1948-1952. From 1952-1956 he served as novice master for lay brothers and assistant novice master for clerical brothers at St. Peter Martyr Priory, Winona, MN.
He then became an instructor and chaplain at five different locations: Marycrest College, Davenport, IA (1955-1957), Dominican Motherhouse, Racine, WI (1957-1964), St. Theresa College, Winona, MN (1964-1965), St. Catherine College, Minneapolis, MN (1965-1966) and Rosary College, River Forest, IL (1966-1968).
For the next 20 years, Tom was director of St. Dominic Mission Society (for St. Albert's Province) in Chicago. Through this ministry, he preached and organized support for the Province's missions in Nigeria and Bolivia.
Later Tom became affiliated with the new Province of St. Martin de Porres. During 1988-1989, he served as chaplain for the Dominican nuns at the Monastery of the Infant Jesus, Lufkin, TX. From 1989 until 1992, he was director of the St. Jude Shrine and the Southern Dominican Mission Society, as well as associate pastor for St. Peter's Parish, all at Memphis, TN. His final active ministry was as chaplain for the retired sisters at St. Dominic Villa, Houston, TX (1992-1995).
In 1995 Tom began limited service and moved to St. Mark Priory in Houston, TX; on Dec. 5, 1997 he moved to St. Dominic Nursing Center in Houston where he died on July 24, 2000. His Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at Holy Rosary Church on July 27 and then was buried at the Dominican friars' plot, Earthman Resthaven Memorial Park in Houston. Father Tom Sheehan had faithfully completed 61 years of Dominican life and 54 years of active and contemplative ministry!
William J. Pius Conlan, O.P.
On Sat., Aug. 26, 2000, Fr. Bill (Pius) Conlan died at Carroll Manor Nursing Center in Washington, DC. His Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at St. Anthony of Padua Church in New Orleans on Sept. 1, with the homily preached by Fr. John I. Reardon, a classmate. He was buried at the Dominican Friars' Plot, Rosaryville in Ponchatoula. A memorial Mass was also celebrated at the Dominican House of Studies on Sept. 1, where he had lived for 23 years.
For many years Bill had been a specialist with the Leonine Commission (created in 1880 by Pope Leo XIII): 1969-1977 at Yale University in New Haven, CT and from 1977-1999 in Washington, DC. His principal critical texts involved the "Commentary of St. Thomas on Aristotles' Metaphysics" and "St. Thomas' Commentary on the Third Book of the Sentences of Peter Lombard." He had prepared for this research and textual criticism ministry by receiving a Licentiate in Mediaeval Studies from the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies in Toronto, Canada (1966-1969).
Between 1950-1964, Bill had been a professor at Sacred Heart Dominican College (Houston), Siena Heights College (Adrian), Xavier University (New Orleans) and St. Teresa College (Winona). He had also been chaplain/campus minister at Rice University (Houston), 1950-54 and 1964-66.
Bill was born in Dubuque, IA, Feb. 22, 1921. He was professed at St. Thomas Aquinas Priory, River Forest, IL on June 25, 1943. After receiving his Ph.D. and S.T.Lr. at the Pontifical Institute of Philosophy in River Forest, he did advanced studies at Le Saulchoir in France (1946-48) and San Esteban in Salamanca, Spain (1948-49). While at Le Saulchoir he was ordained deacon by Bishop Martin-Stanislaus Gillet (former master general of the Order) and a priest by Bishop Emile Blanchet on July 18, 1948.
In his memorial sermon, Fr. Fred Hinnebusch, O.P., stated: "Bill Conlan was a stellar representative of the apostolate of the desk--by his devoted labor on the Leonine Commission and with his erudition. How many of us realized the wealth of information he carried about in his head." Bill Conlan's ministry through 49 years involved faithful dedication to scholarship and teaching in the Dominican tradition.
Joseph Gregory Going, O.P.,
Joseph Gregory Going died at age 79 on Sept. 26, 2000 at Our Lady of Wisdom Health Care Center in New Orleans (a home co-sponsored by our St. Martin de Porres Province). The Office of the Dead and the Mass of Christian Burial were celebrated at St. Dominic Church, New Orleans, where his classmates, Fr. John I. Reardon, O.P. and Fr. Dominic Tamburello, O.P., preached the sermons. He was buried on Sept. 29 at our Dominican Cemetery in Rosaryville, Ponchatoula, LA.
Greg was born on Nov. 20, 1920 in Cradock, VA, the son of Joseph A. and Martha Thompson Hutchison Going. He was baptized at St. Paul's Church in Portsmouth, VA on Jan. 9, 1921.
During 1942-1943, he made his novitiate at St. Thomas Aquinas Priory, River Forest, IL, where he professed simple vows on June 25, 1943 for St. Albert the Great Province. He made his solemn profession there on June 25, 1946 and was ordained to the priesthood on June 7, 1949 by Bishop Edward Celestin Daly, O.P. at St. Pius V Church in Chicago. Before his ordination, he had studied at Sacred Heart Seminary, Detroit, MI (1939-1942), at the Pontifical Institute of Philosophy in River Forest where he received a Ph.L. (1943-1946) and at St. Thomas Aquinas Priory in River Forest for theology (1946-1950).
Greg had a variety of pastoral experiences, beginning at St. Dominic's Church in New Orleans from 1950-1953. From 1953 to 1982, he served in the Campti Mission Fields in the Alexandria, LA Diocese. In 1979 he joined the new St. Martin de Porres Province. He then moved to Florida, where he worked in the rural vicariate for Pensacola (1982-1984), at Blessed Trinity Parish in Bonifay and at St. Joseph the Worker Parish in Chipley (1984), as a U.S. Navy chaplain in Chipley (1984-1986), at St. John the Evangelist Parish in Warrington (1986-1988) and then again as a Navy chaplain (1988). He then returned to parish ministry at St. Sylvester's in Pensacola (1993) and finally at St. John the Evangelist in Pensacola (1994-1999).
At his golden jubilee celebration on May 7, 1999, Bishop John H. Ricard, S.S.J., said: "Fifty years of ordination to the priesthood is a very significant milestone in Fr. Joseph Going's life and the life of the Church, for this diocese, this Church, and for the Order of the Dominicans. He presents an example of total dedication to the Church and of surrender to God." As his health declined, Greg moved into limited service at St. Dominic Priory in New Orleans, where he had begun his priestly ministry in 1950. After some time, he moved to Our Lady of Wisdom Health Care Center, where he resided until his death. Greg Going is remembered for his many years of dedicated pastoral ministry in Louisiana and Florida.
Thomas Matthias Cain, O.P.,
Thomas Cain died on Oct. 27 at Our Lady of Wisdom Health Care Center, New Orleans; he had previously lived at Heartland Health Care Center in Bedford, TX after being on limited service at St. Albert the Great Priory in Irving, TX. His funeral Mass was celebrated at St. Dominic Church, New Orleans on Oct. 31 and he was buried at our Rosaryville Cemetery.
Tom was born in Philo, IL on Jan. 1, 1911, the son of Henry Cain and Anna Coady. After studies at Providence College, he made his novitiate at St. Rose Priory in Kentucky and made profession in Somerset, OH on Aug. 16, 1931. As a serious academic, he did studies at the Dominican studia in River Forest, IL, Somerset, OH, Washington, DC, Switzerland (University of Fribourg) and Manila (University of Santo Tomáás) where he received his STL and PhD in 1942. He was ordained a priest on June 11, 1937 at St. Dominic Church in Washington, DC.
Most of his ministry was as a professor of philosophy-Washington, DC, Santo Tomáás, River Forest (House of Studies and Rosary College), Milwaukee (St. Francis Seminary), Irving and from 1969 to 1972 Rome (University of Dallas). He was also prior and pastor at Blessed Sacrament in Madison, WI (1953-1959). After teaching at the University of Dallas for 21 years, he retired from active ministry and became professor emeritus at the University, with residence at St. Albert's Priory in Irving, TX. In respecting his professorship, the University of Dallas initiated the Thomas Cain--Aquinas Award given periodically to a senior philosophy major and on Sept. 20, 1992 the University named a courtyard in his honor.
In 1937 he had gone to the University of Fribourg for advanced studies; however, in 1940 he left Switzerland to avoid the threat of Nazi invasion and on July 7 he arrived in Manila for studies and teaching at the University of Santo Tomáás in Manila. Unfortunately, the Japanese invaded the Philippines and they interned him, also (from the Central Province) Anthony A. Norton, and from the Eastern Province four other friars (H.R. Ahern, J.D. McMahon, Leo Bond, J.I. McGuinness) plus 26 other faculty members in the Los Baños prison from1941-1945, when they were finally liberated by the US first cavalry.
While a professor at the University of Dallas, he founded and built our Dominican priory-St. Albert the Great -- there and became its first prior in 1969. During that time, he performed a significant act of mercy by anointing President John F. Kennedy, just after he was shot in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963. And as a Dominican of many years, he belonged to three provinces -- St. Joseph, St. Albert and finally in 1979 St. Martin de Porres.
Joseph John Angers , O.P.,
Joseph Angers died of cancer on Oct. 13 in Nashville, TN where he had been chaplain for the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia Convent since 1989. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated for him on Oct. 15 at the Convent chapel with Bishops Edward Kmiec and James D. Niedergeses presiding. A second funeral Mass was held on Oct. 18 at St. Anthony of Padua Church in New Orleans with Carl B. Trutter, O.P., presiding and preaching. Joe was then buried at our Dominican Friars' Cemetery at Rosaryville, LA-near the grave of his uncle, Fr. Joseph Sebastian Angers, O.P., who had died in 1978.
Joe was born in Springfield, MA on Sept. 19, 1919, the son of Rodolphe Angers and Agnes Gagnier. He was baptized as "Jean Joseph" at St. Joseph Church in Springfield on Sept. 23 of that year. He joined the St. Albert the Great Province in 1941 and spent a number of years at the Dominican House of Studies in River Forest, IL-novitiate (1941-1942), simple profession (1942), philosophy and theology studies (M.A., Ph.B., STLr.), diaconate (1947) and priesthood (1948).
Joe's first ministry was teaching at St. Catherine's College, St. Paul, MN (1949-1963). He was chaplain and professor at Marymount College, Salina, KS (1963-1966) and at the Motherhouse of the Great Bend, KS Dominican Sisters (1966-1977). During 1977-1978, he was associate pastor of Holy Ghost Parish in Hammond, LA. He joined our new St. Martin de Porres Province after it was formed in 1979.
From 1978-1989, he served as chaplain for the Dominican Sisters' Villa in Houston and in 1989 he became the chaplain for St. Cecilia's Motherhouse in Nashville, TN.
In his homily on Oct. 15, Bishop Kmiec of Nashville said: "I am sure that the Sisters here, and those before them, could each tell a story of his ministry to them individually and as a community. It is a story of belovedness, of one who was more than a chaplain offering sacramental service, but of one who was a father and a brother, a friend offering spiritual guidance, affirmation, counsel, and encouragement within this, his extended family. Joe Angers loved-besides his hobby of golf-our Dominican Family, and especially our Dominican Sisters!
Albert John-Marie Coburn , O.P.,
John Coburn died on June 29,2001 at Our Lady of Wisdom Health Care Center in New Orleans-a facility co-sponsored by our St. Martin de Porres Province.
Val A. McInnes, prior of St. Dominic's, New Orleans, presided at John's wake service and Msgr. Charles E. Duke, formerly at St. Ann's Parish in Metairie with John, gave the eulogy. For the Mass of Christian Burial on July 3, the prior provincial, Alberto Rodríguez, presided and Val McInnes delivered the sermon. Later that day, John was buried at the Dominican Cemetery in Rosaryville, LA.
John was born in New Orleans on Nov. 22, 1918 to Ruth Durel and Albert Coburn, who had been married at St. Anthony of Padua Church in New Orleans by Fr. Casimir Municha, O.P. He had one sister, Ruth, who later became Sr. Thomas Aquinas as a Houston Dominican. He grew up in Beaumont, TX and he began his preparation for ordained ministry at St. Mary's Seminary in LaPorte, TX and later at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans. His Dominican formation-in St. Albert's Province, was primarily at St. Thomas Aquinas Priory in River Forest: novitiate 1941-1942, nrst profession on Aug. 5, 1942, and ordained to the priesthood on June 4, 1948.
He began parish ministry at Holy Rosary Parish, Minneapolis, MNan extremely cold location for a young Dominican from the hot and humid Gulf Coast. From 1964-1969, he was pastor of Holy Rosary Parish in Houston, TX. Much later, he was associate pastor at St. Ann Parish, Metairie, LA (1981-1982 and 19861994), Mater Dolorosa Parish, Independence, LA (1984-1986) and St. Joseph Parish, Ponchatoula, LA (1994-1995).
Perhaps John's greatest love in ministry was preaching, usually on Dominican mission bands: Minneapolis (1955-1957), New Orleans (1957-1963), Irving (1963-1964), River Forest (1976-1978) and Dallas (1978-1980). In 1979 hejoined the new Province of St. Martin de Porres.
Besides his dedication to preaching, he had a great concern for the sick and the suffering. As a result, in 1968 he founded the Catholic Chaplain Corps of St. Martin de Porres, O.P. at the Texas Medical Center in Houston and Galveston-as a ministry of the Galveston-Houston Diocese. He continued as director of this Chaplain Corps until 1976.
While at St. Joseph Parish in Ponchatoula, John's health declined and he suffered a number of strokes. In 1995 he went to Wynhoven Health Care Center in Marrero, LA and in January 2000 he moved to Our Lady of Wisdom Health Care Center where he died peacefully at age 82.
Patrick Brady , O.P.,
Patrick Brady died at Our Lady of Wisdom Health Care Center in New Orleans on Dec. 4, 2001. His Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at St. Dominic Church, New Orleans on Dec. 6.
Pat was born in Lynn, MA on Mar. 5, 1921 and baptized in St. Mary's Church there. After attending Maryknoll Apostolic College in Clark Summit, PA, he entered the Dominican novitiate at St. Thomas Aquinas Priory, River Forest, IL in August 1941-three years after his brother, Philip Dennis Brady, had entered the Dominicans in Springfield, KY. He professed his simple vows for St. Albert the Great Province on Aug. 5, 1942. Bishop William O'Brien ordained him to the diaconate (Oct. 28, 1947) and to the priesthood (June 4, 1948) at the Priory in River Forest.
From 1950-1954, Pat was a teacher at Fenwick High School in Oak Park, IL. After that, he spent many years in parochial ministry-1954-1956 at Holy Rosary Parish, Houston, 1956-1964 at Holy Ghost Parish in Hammond, LA (where his brother, Philip Brady, had been in parochial and campus ministry during the years 1950-1964), 1964-1978 at St. Anthony of Padua in New Orleans, 1979-1980 at St. Pius V Parish in Chicago, 1980-1986 at St. Dominic Parish in Miami, and 1986-1989 at St. Peter's Parish in Memphis (where he was also director of the St. Jude Shrine). He then began parish supply ministry out of St. Albert the Great Priory in Irving, TX from 1989 until 1997.
Pat Brady was buried on Dec. 6, 2001 at our Dominican Friars' Plot in the Rosaryville Cemetery near the grave of his brother, Philip, who was buried there on July 2,1973