Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Antonetta (Philomena) Martinka, 86, died April 13 in Hazel Green, Wisconsin.

Born in Chicago, she professed vows with the Sinsinawa Dominican sisters in 1960.

Sister Antonetta’s ministry was dedicated to teaching in Illinois and Wisconsin. In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at St. Luke School, River Forest, and taught and served as business officer at Trinity High School, River Forest. She also taught at St. Zachary School, Des Plaines, and St. Giles School, Oak Park, and she served as business officer at Divine Providence Convent, Des Plaines.

She is survived by her sister, Marie Gibbs; and her brother, Rudy Martinka.

Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Mary Catherine (Alberto) St. Martin, 92, died April 19 in Hazel Green, Wisconsin.

Born in Minneapolis, Sister Mary Catherine made her religious profession in 1953. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Rosary College (now Dominican University), River Forest, and a master’s degree in curriculum and administration from Saint Xavier University.

She taught and was principal at St. Giles, Oak Park, and taught at St. Louis de Montfort, Oak Lawn; St. Thomas the Apostle; Epiphany; and St. Martin de Porres High School, Waukegan. She also was principal of St. Thomas More School.

Sister Mary Catherine also ministered as an administrator, assistant prioress and pastoral caregiver.

She is survived by a sister, Clare Foley.

Father John P. Lucas, 82, died April 5. A retired priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago, he was the former judicial vicar with the Court of Appeals of the Province of Chicago.

Born in Chillicothe, Ohio, he attended Quigley Preparatory Seminary, Immaculata High School in Kansas, the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary and the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.

Father Lucas was ordained to the priesthood in 1968, at St. Peter Basilica in Rome. He served as assistant pastor of St. Cyprian, River Grove; associate pastor of St. Edmund, Oak Park; and as judge at the Metropolitan Tribunal and at the Court of Appeals of the Province of Chicago.

Father Michael Bradley knew Father Lucas since 1993.

“I began working at the tribunal and got to work with him,” Bradley said. “He studied in Rome for his degree in canon law. He was fair-minded in applying the law and had a real gift in combining his canon law knowledge and expertise in pastoral ministry.

“When he had to decide on a possible marriage annulment, he did it with great deal of concern for all parties. They were not just cases for him, they were people.”

After retirement, Father Lucas continued to serve on appeal cases as the adjutant judicial vicar in charge of the Court of Second Instance of the Metropolitan Tribunal until his death.

Father George J. Kane, 99, died April 7. At the time of his death, he was the longest tenured priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago and pastor emeritus of Church of the Holy Spirit in Schaumburg, now part of St. Gregory of Nyssa Parish.

Born in Chicago, Father Kane attended Quigley Preparatory Seminary and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary before being ordained in 1951.

He served as assistant pastor of Holy Rosary (113th Street), Holy Cross (65th Street), St. George (Wentworth Avenue) and St. Hubert, Hoffman Estates. He taught at St. Mary of the Lake University/Mundelein Seminary (1966-1972) and he was the founding pastor of Church of the Holy Spirit.

Between his assignments at Holy Cross and St. George parishes, Father Kane served as a U.S. Air Force chaplain from 1959 to 1963. He served in South Korea, ministering to fighter pilots preparing to go to Vietnam.

Father John Hoffman knew Father Kane since his seminary internship at Father Kane’s parish, more than 50 years ago.

“He was a great homilist, wicked smart and had a great sense of humor,” Hoffman said.

He added that Father Kane  was a supporter of women’s participation in the church and the Second Vatican Council.

“He believed in it, he believed it made such a difference for the laity, parishes and the church,” Hoffman noted. “He believed in Christ’s way of life for us and that it is Jesus Christ we seek, as Pope John Paul II said.”

During a January 2024 interview with Chicago Catholic, Father Kane looked back on his ministry in the archdiocese and impact of the Second Vatican Council. “I was hoping we would get away from this ultra-authoritarian mode the church had, and get into the way of Vatican II,” he said. “That struck me as a life-giving kind of a vision, and it correlated with the best I had in my seminary training.”

Father Patrick J. Lee, 74, died April 14. He was a retired priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago and former pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish on Belmont Avenue.

Born in Evergreen Park, Father Lee attended Marist High School, Quigley Preparatory Seminary, Niles College of Loyola University and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary before being ordained in 1976.

He served as associate pastor of St. Christopher, Midlothian; St. Matthias; St. Giles, Oak Park; and Immaculate Conception Parish on North Park Avenue.

Father Lee served as pastor of both Immaculate Conception and St. Joseph parishes on North Orleans Street from 1987 to 2013, laying the groundwork for the combination of the two parishes, which merged in 2016. Before retiring, he served as pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel for nine years.

He was a faculty member at Quigley Preparatory Seminary from 1979 to 1986.

Father John Hoffman, who met Father Lee in the seminary, remembered his friend as a deeply spiritual priest who had a clear focus on ministering to the people in the parish.

“Especially when folks were ill, he would make visits to the hospitals. He was very loyal to the Church, and was not reluctant to challenges. He prayed often for the LGBTQ community.”

Father Lee was an advocate for the Archdiocesan Gay and Lesbian Outreach, or AGLO Chicago. During a Mass in 2023 that celebrated the 35th anniversary of the ministry, AGLO recognized Lee for his support since the group’s inception.

Adrian Dominican Sister Marilyn (Therese Noel) Francoeur, 88, died Feb. 22 in Adrian, Michigan.

Born in Adrian, she was in the 70th year of her religious life.

Sister Marilyn spent 30 years ministering in education in Michigan, Illinois and the Dominican Republic. She also was an administrator and ministered in her congregation’s information office and archives.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she was assistant treasurer (1977-1978) and treasurer (1978-1984) at Regina Dominican High School, Wilmette, and was administrator of the Parable Conference in River Forest.

She is survived by a sister, Herline Harm, and two brothers, Douglas and John Francoeur.

Viatorian Father Daniel T. Nolan, 76, died April 4 in Wheeling.

Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, he attended Bishop Gorman High School in Nevada, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He pronounced his first vows in 1973 and was ordained in 1983.

Father Nolan graduated from Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas. He earned a bachelor’s in secondary education from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and Catholic Theological Union, Chicago.

He moved to Illinois for the Viatorian novitiate and taught at St. Viator High School, Arlington Heights (1972-1973), and attended classes at Loyola University Chicago (1973-1974). He then taught and was a school administrator in Rock Island, Illinois.

After ordination, he ministered in schools and parishes in Nevada. From 2002 to 2007, he was director of vocations (2002-2007), director of mission appeals (2002-2007) and director formation (2004-2007) for the Chicago Province in Arlington Heights.

After his service to the province, he worked in campus ministry and hospital pastoral care, including as a chaplain at Presence St. Joseph Hospital (2014-2017).

He moved to the Province Center in Arlington Heights in 2022, and to Addolorata Villa in Wheeling earlier this year.

He is survived by his brother, William Nolan.

Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Eleanor “Ellie” (Francesco) Hoffmann, 91, died April 7, in Hazel Green, Wisconsin.

Born in Lincoln, Illinois, she professed vows with the Sinsinawa Dominicans in 1954.

Sister Ellie’s ministry was dedicated to teaching, pastoral care and preaching in Wisconsin and Illinois. She served the Sinsinawa Dominican congregation as vicaress provincial of the eastern province and in vocation ministry and ministered as spiritual director and retreat leader at the Dominican Motherhouse, Sinsinawa Mound. She was a mentor for many Dominican Associates of Sinsinawa.

She is survived by a brother, Father Robert Hoffmann.

Adrian Dominican Sister Mary Alice (Francis Alice) Naour, 91, died Jan. 9 in Adrian, Michigan.

Born in Detroit, she was in the 73rd year of her religious life.

Sister Mary Alice ministered in elementary and secondary music education in Michigan, Illinois and Henderson, Nevada. She also served at the Dominican Motherhouse, where she was activities assistant, pastoral minister and an assistant in the liturgical ministries department.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at St. Rita (1953-1954), St. Carthage (1954-1957), St. Columbanus (1957-1959) and St. Nicholas of Tolentine (1968), and was a residence moderator at Bishop Quarter (1967-1968).

Adrian Dominican Sister Kathleen (Charles Miriam) Walli, 87, died Jan. 25 in Adrian, Michigan.

Born in Michigan, she was in the 64th year of her religious life.

Sister Kathleen ministered 19 years in elementary and secondary education in Illinois, Ohio, Michigan and Florida. She also served nine years as a college professor in Illinois and Michigan, two years as secretary of the congregation in Adrian and 15 years as a pastoral associate/religious education director in Wisconsin. Sister Kathleen became a resident of the Dominican Life Center in 2017.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at St. Mary, Star of the Sea.

She is survived by her sisters Suzanne Condon, Joy Brock, Maribeth Czerwonka and Sheila Glodowski; and her brothers Douglas, Michael, Lance and Henry Walli.

School Sister of St. Francis Jesse Marie Mortimer, 91, died in Milwaukee on March 16.

Born in Wisconsin, Sister Jesse Marie was received into the School Sisters of St. Francis in 1954, made her first professions of vows in 1956 and perpetual vows in 1962.

Beginning in 1957, Sister Jesse Marie ministered in the archdioceses of Chicago, Omaha and Milwaukee. In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at St. Benedict High School from 1983 to 1989.

Sister Jesse Marie is survived by her brothers, John and Eugene Mortimer.

Providence Sister Joan Mary (Mary Ann) Schaefer, 95, died March 20 in St. Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana.

Born in Cicero, she entered the Sisters of Providence in 1948 and professed final vows in 1956. In her 76 years as a Sister of Providence, she taught for 46 years in schools in Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Massachusetts, including 21 years as a principal. Retiring from full-time teaching in 1998, she continued to substitute in the Chicago area.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at Our Lady of Sorrows (1968-1969), was principal of Immaculate Conception (1975-1989), taught at St. Francis Borgia (1990-1992) and at Providence-St. Mel (1992-1998).

In 2017, she moved to the motherhouse, where she served in a variety of ways, the foremost being Providence Hall receptionist.

Felician Sister Mary Theophilia (Theresa) Tworzydlo, 92, died March 24, in Swedish/North Shore Hospital.

Born in Chicago, she attended St. John of God School and Lourdes High School.  She entered the Felician Sisters Postulancy in 1951 and professed her final vows in 1959.  She ministered as an elementary teacher in  Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin for a total of 20 years. Later, she

served in a variety of positions at St. Andrew Life Center in Niles.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she ministered at St. Mary Magdalene (1953-1957), Good Shepherd (1957-1959, 1977-1978), St. Bruno (1960-1965), Holy Innocents (1967-1971), St. Stanislaus, Posen (1973-1977) and St. Andrew Life Center, Niles (1978-2014).

Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Diane (Mary Alana) Kennedy, 91, died March 30 in Hazel Green, Wisconsin.

Born in Oak Park, she entered the Sininsawa Dominican congregation in 1957, and earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Rosary College. She later earned master’s degrees in English and theology and a doctorate in ministry.

Sister Diane’s ministry was dedicated to teaching, preaching and administration. She served her congregation as director of initial formation and as vicaress of the congregation. She was executive director of the Parable Conference for Dominican Life and Mission; director of ministry at St. Paul Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota; academic dean at Aquinas Institute of Theology, St. Louis.; and associate provost and vice president for mission and ministry at Dominican University. Sister Diane concluded her public ministry as promoter for the cause of Venerable Samuel Mazzuchelli, OP.    

She is survived by a sister, Jane Gelinas.

Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Virginia (John Martha) Helmann, 89, died April 1 in Hazel Green, Wisconsin. 

Born in Wisconsin, she professed vows with the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa in 1955.

She taught at Visitation and schools in Chicago as well as in other cities in Illinois and in Minnesota, New York and Wisconsin. She also ministered in spiritual direction in New York and as a holistic health therapist at the Dominican Motherhouse in Sinsinawa, Wisconsin.

Father Matthias E. Lorenz, 81, died March 5. He was a retired priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago and former chaplain of St. Anthony Hospital and university professor.

Born in Chicago, Father Lorenz attended Quigley Preparatory Seminary and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary before being ordained in 1969. He also earned a master’s degree in music at the Chicago Conservatory College, a master’s degree in public administration at Roosevelt University and a doctorate in theology and human sciences with concentration on issues in medical ethics and bioethics at the University of Chicago.

Father Lorenz was assistant pastor of St. Gregory the Great and St. Agnes of Bohemia Parish. He later served at De La Salle Institute and was director of pastoral care and chaplain at St. Anthony Hospital. He also served as: a teacher and dorm counselor at Benedictine University in Lisle; adjunct professor at DePaul University; and visiting professor and Newman Center associate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He retired in 2014.

Father Leon Rezula, former pastor of St. Julian Eymard Parish in Elk Grove Village, remembered the child-like simplicity and profound faith of his classmate.

“He had a variety of experience in his priesthood,” Rezula said. “He was very outgoing, loved people and loved to meet new people.”

Deacon Leonard Richardson, 88, died Feb. 26. He was ordained in 1988 and served at St. Sabina Parish.

He was born in Louisiana and moved to Chicago with his family when he was 4 years old. He attended Holy Trinity and St. James schools and De La Salle Institute, becoming one of that school’s first African American students. He went to DePaul University to study accounting.

He married his childhood sweetheart, the late Beverly Ann Goodman, in 1957, and the couple had eight children. Deacon Richardson worked for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, with extra jobs to support his family at Sears and at H&R Block.

After viewing the body of Emmett Till in 1955, Deacon Richardson became active in the Civil Rights Movement, and in 1966 marched with Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in Marquette Park.

He and his family were among the first African American families to join St. Sabina Parish in 1965. Deacon Richardson sang in the choir and was a fourth degree Knight of St. Peter Claver before entering diaconate formation.

He is survived by daughters Yolanda, Linda, Latanya, Donna, Deidra, Angela and Coretta and son Leonard Malcolm; his sister Katherine Richardson; 33 grandchildren; 30 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild.

School Sister of St. Francis Sister Irene Daniels, 95, died Feb. 4 at Our Lady of the Angels Convent in Greenfield, Wisconsin.

Born in Wisconsin, Sister Irene was received into the community in 1946, made her first vows in 1949 and made her final vows in 1954.

Beginning in 1948, Sister Irene ministered in Illinois and Wisconsin. In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at St. Matthias School from 1948 to 1955.

In retirement, Sister Irene volunteered and ministered through her prayer and presence at St. Joseph Convent in Milwaukee (2003-2015) and at Our Lady of the Angels from 2015 until her death.

School Sister of St. Francis Maureen Durkin, 79, died Feb. 15 in Greenfield, Wisconsin.

Born in Wisconsin, Sister Maureen was received into the School Sisters of St. Francis in 1965; made her first profession of vows in 1967; and made her final vows in 1976.

Beginning in 1968, Sister Maureen ministered in Chicago and Milwaukee. In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she ministered in Chicago in home care for another sister’s parent in 1994, then served as a registered nurse at St. Joseph Home (1995-2006), St. Joseph Village (2006-2007), Hospice of Illinois (2007-2009) and Maxim Health Care Services (2009-2011).

Most recently, Sister Maureen ministered as a health advocate for her community’s U.S. province from 2011 until the time of her death.

Sister Maureen is survived by her sister, Mary Eileen Wudtke, and her brother, Edward Durkin.

Divine Word  Father Gerald Theis, 92, who served in remote areas of Papua New Guinea, died March 10 in Techny.

Born in Aurora, Father Theis entered the Divine Word Seminary in East Troy, Wisconsin, in 1946 and professed vows in 1952. In addition to his theology degrees, he earned a master’s degree in education from the Catholic University of America.

Father Theis was ordained to the priesthood in 1960 and left for the Archdiocese of Mount Hagen in Papua New Guinea in 1961. For the first eight years of his priesthood, he worked in a remote mountain area with people who had never seen a European or a trader. To visit the 53 mission stations and 20,000 people in his care, he walked thousands of miles.

In 1969, Father Theis was appointed education secretary and archdiocesan supervisor of schools. He also served as chairman of the Governing Council of Holy Trinity Teachers College in Mount Hagen, and later became vicar general of the archdiocese.

He moved to Techny in 2013, and assisted at weekend Masses at St. Nicholas Parish, Evanston, and other area parishes.

“He was a model missionary and model priest — hardworking, dedicated to people, prayerful and faithful in all that he did,” said Divine Word Father Joseph Bisson, a seminary classmate and fellow missionary in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea.