LIVES OF THE BRETHREN 2000
Recent Deaths
THE LIVES OF THE BRETHREN
Recent Deaths
| Every, Robert Louis | April 8, 2000 | Albert John-Marie Coburn | June 29, 2001 |
Rev. Robert Louis Every, O.P., S.T.L., LL.D. (Honoris Causa), age 73, died at Methodist Hospital, New Orleans, on Saturday, April 8, 2000 after a short illness. Father Every was a member of St. Anthony of Padua Priory, 4640 Canal St., New Orleans, in the Southern Dominican Province of St. Martin de Porres.
Fr. Every was born January 24, 1927 in New York, NY, the son of James M. Every and Elizabeth E. (Schwab) Every, both deceased.
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 of the Dominican Order 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). 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. From 1967-1970, he was prior of the Dominican House of Studies, Washington, DC. In 1971-1972, he was a fellow at the Virginia Theological Seminary, Alexandria, VA. From 1971-1974, he was chaplain at Providence Hospital, Columbia, SC. From 1974-1980, he served as assistant to the Master of the Order at Convento Santa Sabina in Rome. 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 the Southern Dominican Province of St. Martin de Porres in New Orleans. He became pastoral care coordinator at Project Lazarus, New Orleans until the time of his retirement.
He is survived by a brother, Donald A. Every, St. James, NY, and a sister, Joan Minicozzi, Levittown, NY, and six nephews.
Visitation will be at St. Anthony of Padua Church, 4640 Canal St., New Orleans on Tuesday, April 11, 5:00B7:00 p.m., with a wake service at 7:00 p.m. The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Wednesday, April 12, 10:00 at St. Anthony's, with burial following the Mass at Rosaryville Cemetery, Ponchatoula, LA.
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 Rodrfguez, 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.