Jesuit Father Robert L. Bireley, 84, died March 14 in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin.

Father Bireley was best known for his prolific writing in the field of European history. He was a professor at Loyola University Chicago, where he taught and mentored students for more than 45 years. 

Born in Evanston, Father Bireley attended Loyola Academy, Wilmette, before entering the Society of Jesus as a novice in 1951. His Jesuit formation took him across the country and around the world.

Upon earning his doctorate in history in 1972, Father Bireley began working at Loyola University Chicago.

In 2017, Father Bireley moved to the St. Camillus senior Jesuit health care community in Wauwatosa, where he remained until his death. 

BVM Sister Patricia (Liberata) Potok, 83, died March 18 in Dubuque, Iowa.

Born in Chicago, she entered the BVM congregation in 1953 from St. Cornelius Parish. She professed first vows in 1956 and final vows in 1961.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, Sister Pat taught elementary school at Holy Cross and Blessed Sacrament in Chicago. She also taught in Iowa and Mississippi and ministered as a nurse for the BVM congregation in Dubuque.

She is survived by a sister, Phyllis Reale.

Sister of Charity of Cincinnati Edith Louise Merhar, 88, died March 19 in Ohio.

Born in Cleveland, she entered the congregation in 1949.

Sister Edith Louise’s ministries brought her to five states and 44 years of teaching. In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at St. Elizabeth Seton High School, South Holland (1963-1964 and 1968-1969).

Claretian Father Richard A. Bartlett, 93, died April 1 at Presence Resurrection Life Center.

Born in Chicago, he made his religious profession as a Claretian missionary in 1943 and was ordained a priest in 1950.

He served as a pastor, associate pastor and campus minister in the United States and in the Claretian missions in Africa. In the Archdiocese of Chicago, he was associate pastor at Immaculate Heart of Mary (1966-1969), St. Francis of Assisi (1990-1992), St. Pancratius (1995-1997) and St. Paul (1999-2002). He was a resident of the Claretian community in Oak Park (2002-2004) before moving to Resurrection Life Center.

He is survived by his sister, Ann Bartlett

Adrian Dominican Sister Dorothy (Margaret Michaella) Folliard, 93, died April 1 in Adrian, Michigan. 

Born in Chicago, she was in the 74th year of her religious life.

Sister Dorothy spent 43 years ministering in education, from elementary school to college, in Michigan, Illinois and Texas. She also served in her congregation’s leadership.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at St. Joseph, Homewood (1946-1951); taught and was principal at St. Edmund, Oak Park (1951-1957); and was a theology professor at St. Mary of the Lake University/Mundelein Seminary, Mundelein (1991-1999). 

Adrian Dominican Sister Kathleen (Charles Mary) Donnelly, 96, died April 2 in Adrian, Michigan. 

Born in West Palm Beach, Florida, she was in the 79th year of her religious life.

She ministered in Michigan, Florida and Illinois.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at St. Matthew (1939-1943).

Sister Kathleen was preceded in death by her parents and a sister, Betty Jane Spencer. She is survived by a sister, Patricia Lechifflard.

Father John F. Krebs, 86, died on Feb. 28, his birthday. He was pastor emeritus of St. Bede Parish, Ingleside.

Born in Chicago, he attended St. Mary of the Lake School, Quigley Preparatory Seminary and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary before being ordained in 1957.

He was assistant pastor at St. Benedict (Irving Park Road) (1957-1964); St. Albert the Great, Burbank (1964-1968); Transfiguration, Wauconda (1968-1974); and Santa Maria del Popolo, Mundelein (1974-1979). 

He was pastor of St. Benedict Parish (1979-1992) and the associate pastor of Santa Maria del Popolo for a year before being named pastor of St. Bede (1993-2002). He was given the title of pastor emeritus when he retired.

Deacon George A. Lambert of Plainfield, 91, died March 13. He was ordained in 1975 and had served at St. Eulalia, Maywood, before retiring.

Deacon Lambert was a veteran of the U.S. Navy and worked for Argonne National Laboratory for 34 years.

He is survived by his wife, Teresa, and his children: Father Curtis Lambert, pastor of St. Alphonsus Liguori Parish, Prospect Heights; Paul Lambert; Judi Lambert; and Dan Lambert; five grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. 

Sister of St. Francis of Dubuque Doris Marie Recker, 80, died Jan. 11.

She was born in Iowa and had recently celebrated 60 years in religious life.

She ministered as a teacher and as a hospital chaplain, and had assignments in Iowa and Minnesota as well as Illinois. 

She served at Mater Christi, North Riverside; St. Christopher, Midlothian; St. Elizabeth Hospital; Loyola Medical Center, Maywood; and Palos Community Hospital, Palos Heights; and she volunteered at St. Christopher School and the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry at St. Christopher Parish in Midlothian, where she resided for 40 years.

She is survived by her siblings Phyllis Burget, Ellen Desbiens and Donald Ricken.

Divine Word Father Michael Bonner, 80, died Feb. 23 in Techny. He was a champion of the pro-life cause and served as a pastor in the Archdiocese of Chicago for a quarter of a century.

Born in Chicago, he attended St. Francis de Sales School and Mendel Catholic High School before transferring to the Divine Word Brothers Candidate School in Techny.

After his ordination in 1966, he was sent to the Philippines where he served in parish and school ministries for 25 years. In 1991, Father Bonner returned to the United States to become pastor of St. Benedict the African Parish. Three years later, he was assigned to St. Bronislava, and in 2004, he was installed as pastor of St. Joseph the Worker Parish in Wheeling, where he served until he retired in 2016.

As a seminarian in Techny, Father Bonner taught seventh-grade religion at St. Joseph the Worker.

He is survived by two brothers, James and John Bonner.

Sister Mary Ernest Rothe, BVM, 90, died March 5 in Dubuque, Iowa. 

Born in California, she entered the BVM congregation in 1946 and professed final vows in 1954.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, Sister Mary Ernest taught elementary school at Our Lady of Angels and Our Lady Help of Christians. She also ministered in Arizona, Missouri and California.

She is survived by siblings Ernest Rothe, Frank A. Rothe and Lorraine Schneider.

Providence Sister Martha Steidl, 92, died March 12 in St. Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana.

Born in Paris, Illinois, she entered the Sisters of Providence in 1945 and professed final vows in 1953. 

She ministered for 25 years in schools in Indiana, Illinois, and Washington, D.C.  In 1973, she joined the music faculty at Saint Mary of the Woods College.  

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at St. Francis Xavier, Wilmette (1948-1950), and Mother Theodore Guerin High School, River Grove (1966-1973).

She is survived by two brothers, Frank Steidl and Walter Steidl.

BVM Sister Joan (Joan Michael) Newhart, 89, died March 13 in Dubuque, Iowa.

Born in Oak Park, she entered the BVM congregation in 1949 from St. Catherine of Siena Parish, Oak Park. She professed final vows in 1957.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, Sister Joan taught at the Immaculata and Carmel Catholic High School, Mundelein. She served as Mundelein College’s director of academic computing and as coordinator for Loyola University Chicago’s computer center. She volunteered for many years as a congregational and high school computer consultant in the Chicago area as well as in Dubuque. She also taught secondary school in South Dakota, Iowa, Missouri and Colombia. 

She is survived by a brother, George Robert (Bob) Newhart, and sisters Pauline Qua and Virginia Brittain.

Father Robert J. Kash, 92, died Feb. 27. He was pastor emeritus of St. Fabian Parish in Bridgeview.

Born in Chicago, Father Kash attended St. Bruno School, Quigley Preparatory Seminary and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary before being ordained to the priesthood in 1952.

He served as assistant pastor at St. Joseph, Chicago Heights (1952-1962); St. Florian (1962-1963); St. Wenceslaus, (1963-1967); and St. Michael (South Shore Drive) (1967-1971). He was pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul (1971-1977).

Fr. Kash then was associate pastor of St. Pascal (1982-84) before being named pastor of St. Fabian (1984-1995). After retiring in 1995, Father Kash served as administrator of St. Denis and Our Lady of the Snows.

Deacon William Mages, 75, died Jan. 26. He was ordained in 1978 and served at St. Mary of the Woods Parish.

He is survived by his wife, Patti; and his children, Heidi and Gretchen Mages; three grandchildren; and his sisters, Dolores Bach, Kathleen Miller, Mary Pat Mages and Jeaniane Benton. 

Divine Word Brother Stephen Kerekes, 90, died Jan. 24 in Techny.
Born in South Bend, Indiana, he entered the Divine Word Seminary in New York in 1945. He entered the novitiate in Techny in 1950. After 10 years of seminary studies, he joined the Trappist order and was admitted to the cloistered life at Our Lady of Gethsemane Monastery in Kentucky. 

In 1964, he returned to the Society of the Divine Word as a brother candidate, worked in the Divine Word vineyards in New York and professed first vows for a third time.

He professed perpetual vows in 1968 and prepared for his first assignment in Papua New Guinea. After brief stops in the Philippines, Japan and Taiwan, he arrived in Papua New Guinea in November of that year.

During his time there, he managed and taught at St. Joseph Vocational School before becoming harbor master and manager of the Mission Supply Store in Alexishafen. He also served as postmaster and supervised the local radio station. He maintained communication with missionaries in the outer regions, coordinated weekly shipments and handled emergency requests.

In his spare time, he became a master clockmaker.

In 2002, Brother Stephen returned to the United States and was assigned to Divine Word Residence in Riverside, California. He moved to Techny in 2014.

Daughter of Charity Barbara (Richardine) Kauss, 76, died Feb. 3 in the Daughters of Charity Province of Congo, Africa, from injuries sustained in an automobile accident while being driven to the airport.

Born in Waukegan, Sister Barbara graduated from Holy Child High School in 1959 and joined the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul in 1960 from Mother of God Church in Waukegan.  

Sister Barbara taught in Texas and Puerto Rico before being sent to what was then Zaire, which became the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1997.

Sister Barbara served in many roles while on mission in the Congo including the oversight of three secondary schools in Bikoro, Kinshasa, and Mbandaka.  Sister Barbara’s final mission was in Tarime Mara, Tanzania.

Sister Barbara is survived by her brother, David Kauss.

Divine Word Father John “George” Bergin, 79, died Feb. 8 in Techny. He was an educator, counselor and missionary priest for 50 years.

Born in Wisconsin, he entered the Society of the Divine Word Seminary at East Troy in 1952 and professed first vows in 1958. After being ordained in 1967, Father Bergin was assigned to Divine Word’s seminary in East Troy, where he served as a teacher and dean of students for six years.

He also taught and served as a counselor, vocation director and youth minister in Massachusetts and worked for the Mission Office in Techny.

After decades of teaching and counseling, he returned to Techny in 2013 and remained active, saying Mass and hearing confessions at nearby parishes and convents. He also was the vice rector at the Divine Word Residence, a home to more than 60 priests, brothers and novices.
Father Bergin is survived by his brother, Divine Word Father James Bergin.

BVM Sister Isabel (Acarda) Miller, 96, died Feb. 17 in Dubuque, Iowa.

Born in Iowa, she entered the BVM congregation in 1939 and professed final vows in 1947.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, Sister Isabel taught at St. Pius, St. Callistus, St. Gertrude and St. Eulalia, Maywood. In retirement, she volunteered at St. Joseph Hospital and Cudahy Library at Loyola University, Chicago. She also taught in Rock Island, Illinois and in New York, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska and Mississippi.

She is survived by a brother, John Miller.

Father Lawrence M. Duris, 74, died unexpectedly on Feb. 19. He had served as pastor of St. Ailbe Parish since 2009.

Born in Chicago, Father Duris attended St. Anthony School, Cicero; St. Peter School, Skokie; Quigley Preparatory Seminary; and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary before being ordained in 1969.

He served as assistant pastor at St. Ethelreda (1969-1971) and Holy Cross Parish (65th Street) (1971-76). He was administrator (1976-1980) and pastor (1980-1991) of St. Laurence Parish (Dorchester Avenue) and pastor of St. Philip Neri (1991-2009) before being named pastor of St. Ailbe. In addition, Father Duris served as dean of Vicariate VI (Mid-Southside City) from 1987 through 1995

For the past year and a half, Alyssa Mostyn, principal of St. Ailbe Catholic School, had the opportunity to know Father Duris.

“Father Larry was a gentle soul but so fiercely dedicated to helping those in his community,” said Mostyn. “He loved being in the black community and worked tirelessly to serve all.”

Mostyn added that Father Duris “affectionately called the local Jewel his ‘ministry center.’ In true Father Larry form, his grocery trips took much longer than the average person’s because of how many people he stopped to listen to, talk to, and minister to.”

“His dedication to the neighborhood was palpable. He never stopped inviting all, Catholic and non-Catholic, to everything St. Ailbe had to offer,” said Mostyn. “He was dedicated to Catholic education and saw the school as the primary way to spread the Word of God to young people.”

Father Duris took great joy in cooking for others, appreciated art and loved his dog, Max.

Visitation hours will be 9-11 a.m. on Feb. 28, followed by the funeral Mass at 11 a.m. at St. Ailbe Church.

Bishop Francis Kane will be the main celebrant of the funeral Mass, while Father Edward Upton will be the homilist. The final commendation will be delivered by Bishop Joseph Perry.

Interment will take place at Holy Sepulchre in Alsip, Ill. 

Father Duris is survived by a sister, Christine Cooper, and two brothers, James and David.