Father John S. Plotkowski, 76, died Nov. 25. He was a retired priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago and former pastor of St. Zachary Parish, Des Plaines.

Born in Chicago, Father Plotkowski attended Quigley Preparatory Seminary, Niles College of Loyola University and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary before being ordained in 1974.

Father Plotkowski was associate pastor of St. Marcelline, Schaumburg; St. Stephen Protomartyr, Des Plaines; Our Lady of Hope, Rosemont; and St. Mary, Buffalo Grove.

From 1982 to 1986, Plotkowski was on the faculty of Quigley Preparatory Seminary. He also served as pastor of St. Simeon, Bellwood, and St. Zachary. He retired in 2018.

Father Marcel J. Pasciak, retired archdiocesan priest and one of Plotkowski’s classmates, remembered Father Plotkowski as a very personable, outgoing man who “was well-liked by everybody and very lively.”

Marianist Father Timothy Dwyer, 89, died Nov. 18 in San Antonio. He had been a member of the congregation for 70 years.

Born in St. Louis, he first encountered the Marianists at DeAndreis High School there and entered the novitiate after graduating. He made his first vows in 1954.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in 1957, he taught high school in Texas and then in Switzerland, where he entered the Marianist seminary in 1964.

After being ordained in 1968, he taught and was a chaplain at St. Michael High School in Chicago, and then in a school in Texas. He then started to do retreat work, religious formation and provincial administration.

He ministered in Missouri, Texas, New Jersey and Ontario, Canada, including seven years as provincial superior of the St. Louis Province.

Benedictine Sister Margaret Ann (Mary Denis) Holtz, 92, died Nov. 30 in St. Joseph Court, the infirmary of St. Scholastica Monastery. She was a member of the Benedictine community for 74 years.

Born in Pennsylvania, Sister Margaret Ann visited her aunt Sister Gertrude Holtz, OSB, on a family trip to Chicago. She entered the Benedictine Sisters of Chicago in 1950.

For decades, Sister Margaret Ann taught primary grades at schools throughout the Archdiocese of Chicago, including Queen of All Saints, St. John Nepomucene, St. George and St. Hilary, where she also served as assistant principal. She also taught at Mother of God School, Waukegan; and in Colorado.

As was the practice in religious communities at the time, Sister Margaret Ann took college courses while teaching; in 1964, she earned a bachelor’s degree from DePaul University.

In the late 1970s, Sister Margaret Ann moved from teaching into positions of financial responsibility for both schools and community. She served in the business office of St. Scholastica Academy, Chicago, eventually becoming treasurer. Her ministry also included an appointment as treasurer of the Benedictine Sisters of Chicago. In her later years, Sister Margaret Ann coordinated monastery resources and housekeeping staff.

Father Philip C. Cleary, 71, died Nov. 3 in Mexico. He was a retired priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago and former associate pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish on Hermitage Avenue.

Born in Chicago, Father Cleary attended Quigley Preparatory Seminary, Niles College of Loyola University and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary in Mundelein before being ordained in 1979.

He then served as associate pastor at St. Boniface Parish and Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish. From 1982 to 1984, Father Cleary served as president of the Association of Chicago Priests and was elected to the National Federation of Priest Councils Executive Board in 1983.

During that time, Father Cleary learned about Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH), a nonprofit organization that cares for orphaned and abandoned children in Latin America and the Caribbean. His initial plan was to volunteer for one summer at NPH’s main orphanage in Mexico, he told people, but he ended up making a lifelong commitment to the children of NPH.

Father Cleary served as national director of NPH Mexico before becoming executive director of NPH International. He resided at NPH’s main home in Miacatlán, Morelos, Mexico. He later became chaplain for the Diocese of Cuernavaca in Mexico and retired in 2023.

Joliet Bishop Ronald Hicks, one of Cleary’s closest friends, remembers Father Cleary as a mentor, role model and friend who “lived life with great dedication.” Bishop Hicks spent a year in Mexico volunteering for one of NPH’s orphanages before entering Mundelein Seminary.

“He (Father Cleary) not only provided spiritual guidance but also a real dedication to the mission of improving the children’s lives,” Hicks said. “Because of watching his priesthood and how he lived it, he inspired me to enter the priesthood myself.”

Father Daniel J. Collins, 93, died Nov. 16. He was a retired priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago and former pastor of St. John Vianney Parish, Northlake.

Born in Chicago, he attended Quigley Preparatory Seminary in Chicago and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary before being ordained in 1958.

Father Collins served as assistant pastor of St. Francis Borgia; St. Issac Jogues, Niles; Our Lady of Mount Carmel; and St. Christopher Parish, Midlothian. He then served as associate pastor of St. Leonard, Berwyn, and later as pastor of St. John Vianney.

Sister of the Living Word Marie McKenna, 72, died Oct. 15 after a long journey with cancer.

Born in Toronto, she began her vocation with the Sisters of the Living Word, having taught at St. Gregory High School and ministered as pastoral minister at St. Simeon in Bellwood. She was a clinical family therapist at Catholic Charities for more than 20 years while also maintaining a private practice.

Sister Marie’s skills in counseling, envisioning “out of the box” ideas, and her dedication to the common good through activism, concern for effective health care programs, and love for God’s creation melded into effective leadership for the Sisters of the Living Word. She shared her vision in two leadership terms, and unfortunately ending her second term early as cancer curtailed her energy and abilities.

Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Patricia (Alberta) Caraher, 90, died Nov. 13 in Hazel Green, Wisconsin.

Born in Chicago, Sister Patty professed vows in 1956. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Rosary College, River Forest, and a master’s degree in education from Marquette University, Milwaukee. 

Sister Patty’s ministry was dedicated to education and social justice. She taught in Mobile, Alabama, from 1960 to 1975. While there, she cofounded a program for prisoners called LINK. She taught English as a second language at Friendship House and at St. Thomas of Canterbury, Chicago, where she cofounded Amos Temporary Help and also ministered at Epiphany Parish and at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge.

She served the Sinsinawa Dominican Congregation as Southern Province councilor for four years and provincial for six years. She also ministered in Atlanta, in the Bronx, New York; and in Florida and Louisiana.

She retired in Muskego, Wisconsin, in 2023.

She is survived by a sister, Frances Collins.

Sister of St. Joseph-Third Order of St. Francis Dorothy (Barbara) Monikowski, 81, died Nov. 16.

Born in Chicago, Sister Dorothy made final vows with the Sisters of St. Joseph-Third Order of St. Francis in 1968. She spent many years teaching in various grade schools in Chicago, and she was elected to the provincial council on two occasions.

Sister Dorothy earned advanced degrees in administration and organization development. She became associate director of planning for the Archdiocese of Chicago. She became an organization consultant and facilitator helping many religious congregations throughout the United States. Sister Dorothy also worked for the Archdiocese of Chicago’s of Office of Catholic Schools.

Archbishop James Patrick Keleher, 93, died Nov. 9 in Olathe, Kansas. He had served as the archbishop of Kansas City, Kansas, from 1993 to 2005.

Born in Chicago, he attended St. Felicitas School and Mount Carmel High School for one year before entering the archdiocesan seminary system. He was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1958.

He was assistant pastor of St. Henry and taught at Quigley North, Niles College of Loyola University and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary before serving as rector of Quigley South and then USML/Mundelein Seminary.

He was named bishop of Belleville in 1984.

Sister of Christian Charity Campion (Mary Ann) Breske, 88, died on Sept. 28 at the Convent of the Holy Spirit in Northfield.

Born in Detroit, she entered the Sisters of Christian Charity in 1955. She pronounced first vows in 1958, and final vows two years later.

Sister Campion’s first ministry was teaching grade school. She taught at schools in Louisiana, Minnesota, Iowa and Michigan as well as Illinois, where she taught primary grades and religious education at St. Gregory School and at St. Theresa, Palatine.

In August 1987, Sister Campion began a new ministry, undergoing training in Deaf ministry while residing at Josephinum Convent. The next year, she began doing ministry to the Deaf community in St. Louis. Later ministries took her to South Dakota and elsewhere in Missouri, before moving to Holy Ghost Parish in South Holland, where she taught religious education and helped with pastoral duties.

Residing at St. Joseph Convent in Wilmette, Sister Campion ministered as activities coordinator at Sacred Heart Convent. Seven years later, she was transferred to Josephinum Convent, where she served as local leader and visiting eucharistic minister.

She started offering prayerful presence at Sacred Heart Convent in 2017; in 2024, she moved to the Convent of the Holy Spirit.

Servite Father Michael (Lawrence) Doyle, 86, died Oct. 2.

Born in Chicago, he entered the Servite order in 1956 and professed solemn vows in 1962. He was ordained a priest in 1965.

Father Doyle held advanced degrees in theology and educational administration, and taught theology and philosophy at Monte Senario College in Ladysmith, Wisconsin.

In Chicago, he served as pastor of Annunciata Parish and Assumption Parish (2006-2009). He also served in province leadership in various capacities, and as a pastor in St. Louis.

Father Doyle volunteered for the Hillside Fire Department, as chaplain in the Chicago Fire Department, and for 25 years was an active and reserved duty chaplain with the U.S. Air Force. He retired in 1998 as a colonel.

He is survived by his sisters Anne Marie Templin and Maureen Reynolds

Deacon Ronald L. DeRose, 77, died Oct. 13. He was ordained in 1994 and ministered at Assumption Parish and as a chaplain in Kolbe House Jail Ministry.

He was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served in the Vietnam War.

He is survived by his siblings Janet Salihar, Louis DeRose, Joseph
DeRose and Richard DeRose.

Sister of the Living Word Theresa Weber, 96, died Oct. 10.

She served as a house mother in the St. Vincent Orphanage near St. Louis, served her community, and for many years used her gerontology education and skills in various nursing homes and residences in Detroit.

Her last years were spent at Ascension Resurrection Life Center.

School Sister of St. Francis Corina Stifter, 103, died Oct. 13 at Our Lady of the Angels Convent in Greenfield, Wisconsin.

Born in Minnesota, Sister Corina was received into the School Sisters of St. Francis in 1938, made her first profession of vows in 1940 and made her perpetual vows in 1946.

Beginning in 1939, Sister Corina ministered in the Archdioceses of Milwaukee and Chicago, and throughout Central and South America. In Chicago, Sister served as a homemaker at Our Lady of Victory Convent (1939-1941) and at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Convent, Glenview (1943-1944). She also taught at Holy Angels School (1947-1955).

Sister Corina retired in 2012 and ministered through prayer and presence at St. Joseph Center Motherhouse in Milwaukee until 2017 and at Our Lady of the Angels from 2017 until she died.

Deacon Richard F. Johnson, 80, died Sept. 30. He was ordained in 2006 and ministered at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish (Belmont Avenue).

Born in Chicago, Johnson worked as an attorney.

He is survived by his wife, Sheila; his children Brendon Johnson, Bridget Johnson and Laura Keim, one granddaughter; and his brother, Frank Johnson. He was predeceased by his son, Timothy Johnson.

School Sister of St. Francis Arlene Einwalter, 91, died Sept. 9 in Greenfield, Wisconsin.

Born in Iowa, Sister Arlene was received into the School Sisters of St. Francis in 1949, made first vows in 1961 and made perpetual vows in 1957.

Beginning in 1951, Sister Arlene ministered in Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa, Ohio, Nebraska, New Mexico and Wisconsin. In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at St. William School (1951-1960).

Sister Arlene retired in 2021 and ministered as a volunteer and through prayer and presence at Sacred Heart in Milwaukee and at Our Lady of the Angels.

School Sister of St. Francis Noel Le Claire, 94, died Sept. 13 in Greenfield, Wisconsin.

Born in Michigan, Sister Noel was received into the School Sisters of St. Francis in 1947, made her first vows in 1949 and made her perpetual vows in 1955.  

Beginning in 1951, Sister Noel ministered in Wisconsin, Kentucky, Illinois and Mississippi. In the Archdiocese of Chicago, Sister Noel served as a teacher at Our Lady of Charity School in Cicero from 1951 to 1957.

Sister Noel retired in 2017 and ministered through prayer and presence at Our Lady of the Angels in Greenfield.  

Sister Noel is survived by her sisters, Therese Remski and School Sister of St. Francis Margaret Le Claire.

Marianist Father Christian Aloysius Janson, 83, died Sept. 14 in San Antonio.

Born in St. Louis, he had been in religious life for 64 years.

Then-Brother Cris taught high school Latin and English in Texas and Wisconsin for several years before entering the seminary.

After being ordained in 1973, he taught and was a chaplain for seven years at St. Michael High School in Chicago and in Texas, before accepting a parish assignment in Mexico.

He served in four cities in Mexico for 16 years, before returning to Texas, where he worked in parish ministry and at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio.

Sister of Notre Dame de Namur Agnes Francis Jung, 89, died Sept. 27.

Born in Chicago, she was in the 72 year of her religious life.

Sister Agnes Francis’ ministry was as a primary grade teacher in Illinois and Ohio. After retirement, she served the community at Mount Notre Dame in Cincinnati.

She is survived by her sister, Julie Marselek.

Bishop Edward J. Slattery, 84, died Sept. 13. He was bishop emeritus of the Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma.

Born in Chicago, Bishop Slattery attended Quigley Preparatory Seminary in Chicago, and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary before being ordained in 1966.

“I’m saddened by the news of Bishop Slattery’s death, but I am thankful to our Almighty God for his service to the church and his unwavering support to Catholic Extension Society,” said Cardinal Cupich. “Join me in praying for this son of Chicago.”

After being ordained, Slattery served as assistant pastor at St. Jude the Apostle, South Holland. In 1971, he became vice president of the Chicago-based Catholic Extension Society, a funding agency for the American home missions. He then served as the society’s president from 1976 to 1994.

During that time, he also served as pastor of St. Rose of Lima.

He was installed as third bishop of the Diocese of Tulsa at Holy Family Cathedral on Jan. 12, 1994. He retired in 2016 and served the Diocese of Tulsa as bishop emeritus.

He is survived by his siblings Winnie C. Dollear, Anne T. Stevenson, Catherine J. Freihage, Margaret I. Sheehan and James E. Slattery.

School Sister of Notre Dame Mary Margaret Murphy, 92, died Sept. 16 at Ascension Resurrection Life Center.

Born in Chicago, Sister Margaret Mary was a member of the School Sisters of Notre Dame for 72 years.

She taught elementary school in Wisconsin, Indiana and Illinois. In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at St. Michael, St. Alphonsus, Santa Maria Incoronata-Santa Lucia, St. Columba and St. Florian; was a part-time parish receptionist at St. Columba and administrative assistant at. St. Florian; and did a ministry of prayer and presence at Marian Village. She also was a leader and companion for SSND Associates for many years.

Resurrection Sister M. Paulette Pieta, 84, died July 24.

Born in Chicago and baptized at St. Roman Church, she lost her parents at an early age and was raised by her grandmother and aunts.

Sr. Paulette entered the Sisters of the Resurrection in 1963 and professed her first vows in 1965 and her final vows in 1971. She taught kindergarten at St. Casimir for 10 years and then served as administrator of Resurrection Day Care for 30 years. When the day care was closed, she ministered at Resurrection College Prep High School, where she supervised study periods and helped in the office for about 14 years. In the community, she served as local superior for a number of years.

Deacon Derald James “DJ” Shinkle, 92, died Aug. 20. He was ordained in 1978 and ministered at Sacred Heart Parish, Winnetka.

He was predeceased by his wife, Kathleen, and his children Lisa Patt and Monique Blair. He is survived by his children Ray Shinkle, James Shinkle and Honor Shearer; 10 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

Divine Word Father Raymond Hober, 92, a missionary in the Philippines for more than three decades, died Aug. 3 in Techny.

Born in Pennsylvania, Father Hober entered the Society of the Divine Word in 1946 and professed vows in 1952 in New York. In 1960, he was ordained to the priesthood in Techny.

Following ordination, he was assigned to the Philippines, where he undertook additional theology courses in Manila before going to Mindoro, where he taught secondary school and college classes and served as a college administrator.

He simultaneously served the SVD Mindoro Province as treasurer. After a successful career in higher education, Father Hober was assigned to the Social Action committee of the Vicariate of Calapan. During this time, he found and dug water wells for communities desperately in need of fresh water.

In 2001, Father Hober was assigned to the Pittsburgh Community of the Chicago Province to travel and deliver mission appeals. He moved to Techny in semi-retirement in 2016.

Sister of the Living Word Rita Ramos, 90, died Aug. 6.

Born in Chicago, she spent her entire religious life and ministry in various missions in the Chicago area. She served as an elementary teacher for 17 years, and in parish ministry, teaching English as a Second Language, and fostering leadership in the Latino community from 1974 to 1989.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she served at Maternity BVM; St. Raphael; St. Teresa; St. Aloysius; Annunciation; St. Gregory; Our Lady of the Angels; St. Pius V; St. Joan of Arc, Skokie; Morton Community College, Cicero; Household International, Mount Prospect; High School District 214, Arlington Heights; Harper Community College, Palatine; St. Nicholas, Evanston; and St. Hedwig. She also served in Westmont, Aurora and Elgin; and in Wisconsin.

Deacon William Kalivoda, 84, died Aug. 4. He was ordained in 1979 and served at St. Julian Eymard, Elk Grove Village.

He retired in 2013 to care for his wife, Ginny, who predeceased him.

He is survived by his children Bob Kalivoda and Carol Bochat, five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Divine Word Father Gerard O’Doherty, 85, died in Techny on July 16. He had served on three continents.

“He will be remembered by those who live and follow his example,” said Father Thomas Krosnicki SVD, who delivered the homily at Father O’Doherty’s funeral Mass. “He took pride in being a missionary servant.”

Born in Dublin, he completed his novitiate and seminary education in Ireland before being ordained in 1974.

Father O’Doherty’s superiors sent him to the Philippines for his first assignment to serve as a teacher and administrator. He worked in education and pastoral ministry in the Philippines for 17 years before returning home to Ireland to serve as procurator of the Ireland Community.

Five years later in 1996, he was needed in California, where he was appointed treasurer for the Western Province, while serving in several parishes.

Father O’Doherty moved to Techny in retirement in 2017.

He is survived by his brothers James, Peter and Brian O’Doherty.

Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Patricia (Adrianne) Brennan, 98, died July 27 in Sinsinawa, Wisconsin.

Born in Iowa, she professed vows in 1951.

Sister Patricia taught elementary school in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Oklahoma, Montana, New Jersey and Wyoming, where she was also a principal. She also served as executive housekeeper at the Dominican Motherhouse in Sinsinawa.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at St. Jarlath and taught and was librarian at Epiphany School where she also served as librarian.

She is survived by a sister, Rita Seidl.

Esther Mikuta (nee Abramowicz), 92, died Aug. 8. She was the sister of the late Bishop Alfred Abramowicz.

She was born, raised and lived in the Brighton Park community of Chicago until 1996, where she was a devoted volunteer to many parish ministries, causes and social activities at St. Pancratius Parish, as well as Five Holy Martyrs, where her brother was pastor from 1968 to 1990. She was active in the Council of Catholic Women and hospitality ministries at her parish, St. Bernard in Homer Glen.

Mrs. Mikuta was proud of her Polish ancestry and worked as a travel agent for decades, allowing her to travel to Japan, Russia, Yugoslavia, New Zealand and to Rome for a private audience with St. John Paul II.

Mrs. Mikuta was predeceased by her husband, Richard. She is survived by her children Kimberly Mikuta, Kevin Mikuta, Keith Mikuta and Kurt Mikuta; nine grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.

Deacon Eric B. Sorenson, 70, died July 16.

He was ordained in 2006 for the Archdiocese of Detroit and moved to the Archdiocese of Chicago in 2014 and was incardinated in 2017.

He served at St. Andrew and Queen of Apostles parishes.

Deacon Sorensen began his journey in ministry after a successful career in the auto industry, where he grew and managed an industrial controls company.

He is survived by his wife, Rita; his children Steven Sorenson, Karen Helm and Nicole Drury, and four grandchildren.