In Memoriam Archive - Ƶ.org /memoriam/ Welcome to the Society of Jesus in Canada and the United States Wed, 07 Jan 2026 16:06:51 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 /wp-content/uploads/2024/07/cropped-Ƶ_fav_light-32x32.png In Memoriam Archive - Ƶ.org /memoriam/ 32 32 Shinney, Robert J. (Father) /memoriam/shinney-robert-j-father/ Tue, 23 Dec 2025 00:13:52 +0000 /in-memoriam/shinney-robert-j-father/ Fr. Robert J. Shinney, SJ, former chaplain and counselor at Bellarmine College Preparatory, San Jose, California, died December 16, 2025, at Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos, California. He was 92 years of age and was a Jesuit for 71 years. Robert James Shinney and his twin sister, Roberta, were born September 23, 1933, […]

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Fr. Robert J. Shinney, SJ, former chaplain and counselor at Bellarmine College Preparatory, San Jose, California, died December 16, 2025, at Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos, California. He was 92 years of age and was a Jesuit for 71 years.

Robert James Shinney and his twin sister, Roberta, were born September 23, 1933, in Richmond, California, to John Shinney and Elizabeth Callaghan Shinney, joining two older siblings, Anne and Harold. He attended El Cerrito High School, the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of San Francisco before entering the Jesuit novitiate at Los Gatos in 1954. Philosophy studies at Gonzaga University and theological studies at the Alma College campus of Santa Clara University led to his ordination as a priest in 1968 at St. Ignatius Church in San Francisco.

He was long associated with Bellarmine College Prep in a variety of positions. Before his ordination, he taught mathematics (1962-1965). He returned as a priest as student counselor and academic vice-principal (1970-1974), and in 1995, he returned to Bellarmine again for a period that would extend to his retirement in 2021. He served as student counselor (1995-2002), and during a period of great expansion of the campus facilities, he worked in the development office that enabled construction of the new buildings. In August 2012, the new Student Life Center, named for Fr. Shinney and his friend and colleague, Br. Wally Ryan, SJ, was dedicated. Health issues resulted in his moving to Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos for a ministry of prayer, bringing to a close his 33-year association with Bellarmine. Up until the end, he was a great follower of Bellarmine athletics and was known for his enthusiastic shout, “Go, Bells!”

San Jose was not the only location of Fr. Shinney’s educational ministry. He served in two other California Jesuit high schools, Jesuit High School in Carmichael (math teacher, 1969-1970; counselor, 1989-1992) and St. Ignatius College Prep in San Francisco (counselor, assistant to the principal and minister of the Jesuit community, 1974-1983). In addition, he volunteered for teaching assignments in South America. He taught English and counseled students at the Colegio San Ignacio in Piura, Peru (1983-1989), and was campus minister at Colegio San Javier in Tacuarembó, Uruguay (1992-1995).

Fr. Shinney is survived by the children and husband of his late sister, Roberta: nieces, Nancy Cayton and Sandy Swan; nephew David Cayton; grand-nephew Michael Swan; and brother-in-law, Ray Cayton.

The Funeral Mass will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, January 10, 2026, at the Leontyne Chapel of Bellarmine College Preparatory, 960 West Hedding Street, San Jose, CA 95126.  If being dropped off, the closest drop-off spot for chapel access is the corner of Elm Street and University Avenue. Parking garage entrance with direct campus access is located on Emory Street at the end of Stockton Avenue, off W. Taylor Street. (For GPS directions to parking garage: 740 Emory St, San Jose, CA 95126). Golf cart transportation will be available from the parking structure to Leontyne Chapel should you need mobility assistance.

Donations in memory of Fr. Shinney may be made to the Ƶ West Province of the Society of Jesus, P.O. Box 68, Los Gatos, CA 95031, or to a charity of your choosing.

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Goethals, Gregory M. (Father) /memoriam/goethals-gregory-m-father/ Fri, 05 Dec 2025 17:08:33 +0000 /in-memoriam/goethals-gregory-m-father/ Fr. Gregory M. Goethals, SJ, recently retired president of Loyola High School of Los Angeles, died in New York City on November 24, 2025. While on sabbatical, on November 8 he suffered a major heart attack and remained hospitalized until his death. He was 70 years of age and had been a member of the […]

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Fr. Gregory M. Goethals, SJ, recently retired president of Loyola High School of Los Angeles, died in New York City on November 24, 2025. While on sabbatical, on November 8 he suffered a major heart attack and remained hospitalized until his death. He was 70 years of age and had been a member of the Jesuit order since 1978.

Gregory Moen Goethals was born January 19, 1955, in Glendale, California, the son of Richard B. Goethals, an attorney, and Mary E. Moen Goethals. He attended Loyola High School (1969-1973), Santa Clara University (BA, History 1977) and studied law at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles for a year before entering the Jesuit novitiate in Santa Barbara, California, in 1978.

Following his novitiate years, he studied philosophy at Fordham University in New York City (1980-1982) and taught English and civics and assisted with student retreats and theater productions at Brophy College Preparatory in Phoenix (1982-1985). He made theological studies at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, California (1985-1988), and was ordained a priest at the Loyola Marymount University chapel in Los Angeles on June 4, 1988. He spent the next year at the Weston School of Theology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, earning a Master of Theology in AIDS Ministry.

Fr. Goethals returned to Brophy Prep in 1989 as a teacher, campus minister and director of liturgy. He then resumed studies in counseling at the University of San Francisco (1991-1994). He was named assistant campus minister at St. Ignatius College Prep in San Francisco in 1991, assuming the directorship the following year. At the same time, he also held positions as a religious studies teacher and student counselor. From 1998-2004, he served as superior of the Jesuit community, while remaining active directing student retreats and moderating Christian Life Communities.

Fr. Goethals was named president of Loyola High School in 2006, a position he held until last summer. During his tenure, he oversaw a major campus expansion and renovation, as well as implemented strategic planning for the future.

Fr. Goethals is survived by six of his seven siblings: Honorable Thomas Goethals and wife, Patty; Betsy and husband, Andy Ackerman; Margy and husband, Jerry Costello; Katie and husband, Paul Shoenberger; Arthur Goethals and wife, Myra; and F. Christine Goethals; 21 nieces and nephews, and many grandnieces and grandnephews. He is also survived by Christine Goethals, wife of his brother Richard, who preceded him in death.

The Funeral Mass will be held at 1 p.m. on Sunday, December 7, 2025, in the chapel of Loyola High School, 1901 Venice Boulevard, Los Angeles 90006. The funeral will be . Inurnment will be Thursday, December 11, 2025, 1 p.m. at Santa Clara Mission Cemetery, 490 Lincoln Street, Santa Clara, CA 95050.

Donations in memory of Fr. Goethals may be made to the Ƶ West Province of the Society of Jesus, P.O. Box 68, Los Gatos, CA 95031, or to a charity of your choosing.

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Robinson, Gerald H. (Father) /memoriam/robinson-gerald-h-father/ Fri, 21 Nov 2025 16:16:49 +0000 /in-memoriam/robinson-gerald-h-father/ Fr. Gerald H. Robinson, SJ, died November 13, 2025, in San Jose, California, at the age of 78. He was a Jesuit for 60 years and had been engaged in counseling, retreat, and pastoral ministry and administration for 46 years. Most recently he was the director of campus ministry at California Polytechnic State University in […]

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Fr. Gerald H. Robinson, SJ, died November 13, 2025, in San Jose, California, at the age of 78. He was a Jesuit for 60 years and had been engaged in counseling, retreat, and pastoral ministry and administration for 46 years. Most recently he was the director of campus ministry at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo.

Gerald Henry Robinson was born in San Francisco January 30, 1947, the son of Henry Robinson and Bernadette McArdle Robinson. He attended St. Ignatius High School, where he competed on the track and cross-country teams. He graduated in 1965 and entered the Jesuit novitiate in Los Gatos, California. As a Jesuit in formation, he studied philosophy at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington (BA, 1970); taught for three years at Loyola High School in Los Angeles; and completed theological studies at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, California. He was ordained a priest May 21, 1977, in his home parish, Holy Name of Jesus in San Francisco.

He briefly returned to the classroom at Loyola High School before receiving a counseling degree from Santa Clara University, and afterwards he devoted his ministry to the counseling office, the retreat center and the parish church. He served as a counselor at the Jesuit Institute for Family Life in Santa Clara (1987-1990) and as director of Manresa Retreat House in Azusa, California (1990-1994). A sabbatical year included the role of administrator of a church in West Yellowstone, Montana. Moving to Sacramento, he served as the director and staff counselor at the Ignatian Institute for Family Life (1995-1998) and as parish priest and then pastor at St. Ignatius of Loyola Parish (1998-2010).

His later assignments were associate pastor at Most Holy Trinity Parish in San Jose (2011-2012); retreat and pastoral ministry with the Sisters of Mercy retreat center in Auburn, California; chaplain at Cristo Rey High School in Sacramento (2012-2016); and finally as director of the Newman Center at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. Health concerns brought him to Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos in January of this year.

Fr. Robinson is survived by his brother, Richard, and sister-in-law Peggie Robinson of San Jose, California; niece Jamie Robinson Matzen; and nephew Kerry Robinson.

The Funeral Mass will be held Tuesday, December 2, 2025, at 2 p.m. in Santa Clara Mission Church on the campus of Santa Clara University, 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara 95053. Inurnment will be at a later date at Santa Clara Mission Cemetery.

Donations in memory of Fr. Robinson may be made to the Ƶ West Province of the Society of Jesus, P.O. Box 68, Los Gatos, CA 95031, or to a charity of your choosing.

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Angilella, Joseph T. (Father) /memoriam/angilella-joseph-t-father/ Tue, 04 Nov 2025 19:47:34 +0000 /in-memoriam/angilella-joseph-t-father/ Fr. Joseph T. Angilella, SJ, former academic vice president and professor of sociology at the University of San Francisco (USF), died October 26, 2025, at Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos, California. He was 90 years old and a member of the Ƶ for 73 years. He held teaching, administrative and ministerial positions at […]

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Fr. Joseph T. Angilella, SJ, former academic vice president and professor of sociology at the University of San Francisco (USF), died October 26, 2025, at Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos, California. He was 90 years old and a member of the Ƶ for 73 years. He held teaching, administrative and ministerial positions at Le Moyne College, in Syracuse, New York; Canisius College in Buffalo, New York; and Xavier University in Cincinnati before coming to USF.

Joseph Thomas Angilella was born in Buffalo, New York, on November 28, 1934, the son of Frank Angilella and Josephine Farina Angilella. He graduated from Canisius High School and entered the Jesuit novitiate at St. Andrew-on-Hudson in Poughkeepsie, New York, in 1952. His studies took him to Loyola Seminary in Shrub Oak, New York, and Fordham University in New York, where he received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in sociology, which, after doctoral studies at the University of Michigan and Syracuse University (Ph.D., 1972) became the focus of his academic work. His theological training was done at Alma College in the Los Gatos, California, campus of Santa Clara University. He was ordained a priest at Blessed Sacrament Church in Hollywood on June 9, 1965.

Before ordination he taught Latin, mathematics and history at Loyola School in New York City, where he also directed the choral group. After ordination, he was engaged in university work, gradually moving westward. He served as college chaplain at Le Moyne College (1968-70), associate professor of sociology and religious studies at Canisius College (1972-76), and professor of sociology and dean of arts and sciences at Xavier University (1976-79), before arriving at the University of San Francisco in 1979.

At USF he held a number of positions in the university and Jesuit community. He was academic vice president (1979-83) and professor of sociology (1983-2002). From 1993 to 2002, he also served as a campus minister, giving spiritual direction and retreats to faculty, students and  others. He gained emeritus status in 2003 and took up the position of minister of the USF Jesuit community, overseeing the day-to-day operations of the house and serving as a consultor to the community rector. He devoted himself to pastoral ministry (2010-19) before moving to Sacred Heart Jesuit Center for a ministry of prayer.

Fr. Angilella travelled extensively in Europe, India, China and Japan. He attended conferences and lectured in China and Japan. Parish experience in New York, Ohio and California complemented his university chaplaincy work. Among his publications is Rediscovering Justice: Awakening World Faiths to Address World Issues (1998), co-edited with Alan Ziajka from papers given at an interfaith conference held at USF. He engaged in spiritual direction and gave many retreats to women religious over the years. His artistic side was evident in his love of music and his drawings and paintings in a variety of media. He was a very good cook and enjoyed preparing meals for his family, friends and fellow Ƶ.

Fr. Angilella was predeceased by his brother, Frank, and is survived by his sister-in-law, Beth Angilella of Cincinnati; niece Jan Angilella; and nephew, Frank Angilella.

A Funeral Mass will be held Tuesday, November 18, 2025, at 11:15 a.m. at Sacred Heart Jesuit Center, 300 College Avenue, Los Gatos 95030. .

Donations in memory of Fr. Angilella may be made to the Ƶ West Province of the Society of Jesus, P.O. Box 68, Los Gatos, CA 95031, or to a charity of your choosing.

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Fitterer, L. Paul (Father) /memoriam/fitterer-l-paul-father/ Wed, 29 Oct 2025 18:41:06 +0000 /in-memoriam/fitterer-l-paul-father/ Fr. L. Paul Fitterer, SJ, died October 15, 2025, at Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos, California. He was 94 years old. During his 75 years as a Jesuit, he held a variety of teaching and leadership positions in Jesuit schools of the Pacific Northwest. Louis Paul Fitterer was born in Ellensburg, Washington, the […]

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Fr. L. Paul Fitterer, SJ, died October 15, 2025, at Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos, California. He was 94 years old. During his 75 years as a Jesuit, he held a variety of teaching and leadership positions in Jesuit schools of the Pacific Northwest.

Louis Paul Fitterer was born in Ellensburg, Washington, the son of Louis Phillip Fitterer and Mary Adelia (Yolo) Fitterer. After graduating from local schools, he attended the University of Notre Dame for a year before entering the Oregon Province’s novitiate at Sheridan, Oregon, in 1950. During his years of study for the priesthood, he taught English and Latin at Gonzaga Prep in Spokane, Washington (1957-60), before starting his theological training at Alma College in Los Gatos, a branch of Santa Clara University. He was ordained a priest in St. Aloysius Church in Spokane on June 15, 1963.

Fr. Fitterer returned to Gonzaga Prep as religion teacher in 1964. Except for a year of spiritual training (Detroit, 1966-67) and theology studies (Brussels, Belgium, 1967-68), Gonzaga Prep was his home until 1977. In addition to his teaching, he served as community superior (1971-77).

After a sabbatical year at the Jesuit School of Theology in Chicago, Fr. Fitterer served as a student counselor and theology teacher at Seattle University (1978-1987). He next served as Provincial Assistant for Formation for the Oregon Province (1987-94). From his office in Portland, Oregon, he oversaw the training of the Ƶ in formation, guiding both their spiritual and academic training. From 1989 to 1999 he also served as Assistant for Secondary Education in the province and was instrumental in the formation of the Secondary School Advisory Board.

In 1995, he returned to Seattle to serve as rector of the Seattle Preparatory Jesuit community (1995-2000) and president of Seattle Prep (2001-03). In addition to these duties, he continued his work as student retreat director because, as he put it, “The spiritual formation of these young people is at the heart of what we do.” During summers, from 1998 to 2006, he also served as associate instructor in the California Province Tertianship program, guiding Ƶ in their final stage of formation, which included a 30-day retreat.

Fr. Fitterer spent a year as assistant to the president at Gonzaga Prep (2004-05), before returning to Seattle for another year as superior of the Jesuit staffs of Seattle Prep and St. Joseph’s Church. He was then appointed assistant (“socius”) to the director of novices at the Jesuit Novitiate of St. Francis Xavier in Portland, a post he held from 2006 to 2010. He then returned to Seattle Prep, working in the development office until 2017. After a sabbatical, he moved to Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos in 2018 for a ministry of prayer.

Fr. Fitterer was a man of many gifts. Foremost he was a priest, celebrating Masses and sacraments for students, colleagues and family; he was a teacher and administrator; he was a noted retreat director and spiritual guide for students, Ƶ and women religious; and he wrote a series of short, illustrated children’s books on spiritual themes such as trust in God. He enjoyed playing his classic Martin guitar as the occasion arose.

Fr. Fitterer is survived by nieces Elli Falk, of Lakewood, Washington; Elizabeth Ristine, of Bainbridge Island, Washington; Joan Willingham, of Medina, Washington; and their families, as well as many extended family members and dear friends and colleagues.

A Funeral Mass will be held Saturday, November 22, 2025, 11 a.m.at St. Joseph’s Church, 732 – 18th Avenue E., Seattle 98112, followed by a reception at Seattle Prep, 2400 – 11th Avenue E., Seattle 98102. The Mass will be live steamed on parish channel. at Seattle Preparatory School.

Inurnment will be in Mount St. Michael’s Cemetery, Spokane, at a later date.

Donations in memory of Fr. Fitterer may be made to the Ƶ West Province of the Society of Jesus, P.O. Box 68, Los Gatos, CA 95031, or to a charity of your choosing.

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Anderson, David J. (Father) /memoriam/anderson-david-j-father/ Mon, 22 Sep 2025 19:54:32 +0000 /in-memoriam/anderson-david-j-father/ Fr. David J. Anderson, SJ, former campus minister and alumni chaplain at Seattle University, died unexpectedly in Spokane, Washington, on September 5, 2025. He was 61 years old. He was born in Rapid City, South Dakota, on March 20, 1964, one of five boys born to Edmund Anderson, a banker, and Marilyn Rae Gorman Anderson, […]

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Fr. David J. Anderson, SJ, former campus minister and alumni chaplain at Seattle University, died unexpectedly in Spokane, Washington, on September 5, 2025. He was 61 years old.

He was born in Rapid City, South Dakota, on March 20, 1964, one of five boys born to Edmund Anderson, a banker, and Marilyn Rae Gorman Anderson, a homemaker. After graduating from Gonzaga University in 1986 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and religious studies, he entered the Jesuit novitiate in Portland, Oregon, to begin studies for the priesthood. He earned a master’s degree in philosophy from Gonzaga and taught religion and coached cross country at Gonzaga Prep from 1990 to 1993, before beginning theology studies at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, California. He was ordained a priest in St. Aloysius Church, Spokane on June 7, 1997.

He spent a year as parochial vicar at St. Joseph’s Church in Seattle, before taking up pastoral work on Nelson Island in southwestern Alaska, where he served the Yup’ik villages of Toksook Bay, Tununak and Nightmute (1998-2006). From 2000 to 2006, he also assisted in the diocesan ministry training program, preparing Native men for ordination to the permanent diaconate. He had a love for the outdoors from his youth, and he regularly accompanied the villagers on hunting trips to supply food for their families.

He returned to Washington in 2006 and served a year as pastoral minister at St. Leo’s Church in Tacoma before moving to Seatle University, where he worked as campus minister, director of Ignatian retreats and, from 2009 to 2024, as alumni chaplain. He was an avid supporter of the university sports programs and could be seen courtside with the teams. His most recent assignment was as retreat director at Immaculate Heart Retreat Center, Spokane.

Fr. Anderson is survived by bis brothers, Tim, Tom, Todd and Shawn.

Funeral Mass
Saturday, September 20, 2025, at 10 a.m.
St. Aloysius Gonzaga Catholic Church
330 E. Boone Ave
Spokane, WA. 99202

Memorial Mass in Seattle
Thursday, September 18, 2025, at 7 p.m.
St. Ignatius Chapel (Seattle University)
901 12th Ave.
Seattle, WA 98122

Donations in memory of Fr. Anderson may be made to the Ƶ West Province of the Society of Jesus, P.O. Box 68, Los Gatos, CA 95031, or to a charity of your choosing.

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Chu, Peter-Minh Quang (Father) /memoriam/chu-peter-minh-quang-father/ Wed, 17 Sep 2025 20:52:35 +0000 /in-memoriam/chu-peter-minh-quang-father/ Fr. Peter-Minh Quang Chu, SJ, author and minister to the Vietnamese community, died in a San Jose, California, hospital on September 14, 2025. He was 85 years old and a Jesuit for 44 years. Fr. Chu was born in Tho Ninh, in northern Vietnam (then French Indochina), on March 30, 1940. Intending to be a […]

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Fr. Peter-Minh Quang Chu, SJ, author and minister to the Vietnamese community, died in a San Jose, California, hospital on September 14, 2025. He was 85 years old and a Jesuit for 44 years.

Fr. Chu was born in Tho Ninh, in northern Vietnam (then French Indochina), on March 30, 1940. Intending to be a priest, he relocated to South Vietnam after the partitioning of the country in 1954 and attended minor seminaries during his high school years. His seminary training was interrupted by service in the South Vietnamese Army (1962-1964), where he served as an officer in the psychological warfare branch. Afterward, he resumed studies and was ordained a priest in Saigon on May 14, 1968. Following ordination, he received a law degree from Can Tho University in 1971.

Fr. Chu immigrated to the United States in 1975, ministering to the Vietnamese community. He attended the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, earning a master’s in psychology (1978) and an Ed.D. in counseling (1980).

He entered the Jesuit novitiate in Santa Barbara, California, in 1981. Following his novitiate training, he resumed his writing and ministry to the Vietnamese community. Based in Jesuit communities in Santa Clara, Los Angeles and San Jose, he traveled throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and Australia.

He founded the Marriage-Family Enrichment Program in 1987. The program, aimed at the overseas Catholic Vietnamese community who left Vietnam during the war years (1954-1975), was designed to help them maintain their Catholic and traditional family values in their new environment. The program was very successful and was introduced to Vietnam in 2003. He authored more than 30 books in Vietnamese and English on topics related to strengthening family dynamics.

In 2021, he moved to Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos, California, for a ministry of prayer. During his last years he kept active with his extended family and wide circle of friends, who would visit him often.

His funeral will be held Wednesday, October 1, 2025, at Most Holy Trinity Church, San Jose, CA 95122, with visitation from 9 – 11 a.m., followed by the Funeral Mass at 11:30 a.m. Committal at Santa Clara Mission Cemetery will be at a later date.

Donations in memory of Fr. Chu may be made to the Ƶ West Province of the Society of Jesus, P.O. Box 68, Los Gatos, CA 95031, or to a charity of your choosing.

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Grosskopf, Albert A. (Father) /memoriam/grosskopf-albert-a-father/ Thu, 28 Aug 2025 16:24:17 +0000 /in-memoriam/grosskopf-albert-a-father/ Fr. Albert A. Grosskopf, SJ, former associate pastor of St. Ignatius Church in San Francisco and campus minister at the University of San Francisco, died August 25, 2025, in the infirmary at Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos, California. He was 94 years old and had been a Jesuit for 75 years. He was […]

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Fr. Albert A. Grosskopf, SJ, former associate pastor of St. Ignatius Church in San Francisco and campus minister at the University of San Francisco, died August 25, 2025, in the infirmary at Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos, California. He was 94 years old and had been a Jesuit for 75 years.

He was born in San Francisco on December 20, 1930, the son of Albert W. Grosskopf and Marie Abeling Grosskopf. He graduated from St. Ignatius College Prep in 1949 and felt called to religious life and applied to the Ƶ. At the time of his entrance to the novitiate, he did not feel called to public sacramental ministry as a priest and entered the Jesuit novitiate in Los Gatos as a postulant for the Jesuit Brotherhood, becoming a novice in 1950. His early years as a Jesuit Brother saw him engaged at Los Gatos as a carpenter, diesel mechanic and traveling wine salesman for the Ƶ’ Novitiate Wines. In the early 1960s, he also served as the California Province’s promoter of Brothers’ vocations, composing brochures, visiting parishes and schools, and interviewing prospective candidates.

He was active on the province level on various committees and was appointed as one of four American delegates to the World Congress of Jesuit Brothers held in Rome in 1970, a consultative body aimed at updating the formation and ministry of Jesuit Brothers in the post Vatican Council II years.

In 1967, at the age of 36, Br. Grosskopf enrolled at the University San Francisco, earning a degree in theology in 1971, followed by a master’s degree in applied theology from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, in 1973. His first assignment in 1972 was on the pastoral team at Holy Family Church in San Jose, California, working with youth retreats and doing pastoral counseling. He started a ministry with divorced and separated Catholics that became a lifelong occupation. In 1975 he was appointed president of the School of Applied Theology in Berkeley, a Graduate Theological Union affiliated institution offering sabbatical and continuing education programs for clergy and religious.

After experiencing parish and academic administration work, he discerned a vocation to the Jesuit priesthood and in 1980 began studies leading to ordination. He studied philosophy at Gonzaga University and theology at the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley. He was ordained a priest by Archbishop John Quinn in St. Ignatius Church in San Francisco on June 11, 1983. He then studied for a year at the California Graduate School of Marital / Family Therapy in San Rafael.

Fr. Grosskopf’s priestly ministry was centered around the University of San Francisco and adjoining St. Ignatius Church. He was associate director of campus ministry (1985-1997), continuing as a member of the campus ministry team until 2003. He then served as associate pastor of St. Ignatius Church until 2008. He continued his pastoral ministry and work with the divorced and separated until 2017, when he returned to Sacred Heart Jesuit Center for a ministry of prayer.

Over many years of ministry both as a Jesuit Brother and as a priest, Fr. Grosskopf touched the lives of many in his assignments: families in the parishes, university students, priests and religious seeking renewal in their own ministries, divorced and separated Catholics struggling with their relationship to the Church, and many others he encountered.

Fr. Grosskopf’s hobby was collecting antique fountain pens, pipes and lighters. He would display and trade them at shows and was well-known in the pen collecting world for his skill in repairing classic pens.

Fr. Grosskopf is survived by his brother, Philip, and sister-in-law, Patricia, of Brentwood, California.

The funeral Mass will be held Tuesday, September 23, 2025, 11 a.m. at St. Ignatius Church, 650 Parker Street, San Francisco, 94118. The Mass will be livestreamed on the parish’s YouTube channel: . Inurnment will be at a later date will be in Santa Clara Mission Cemetery, Santa Clara.

Donations in memory of Fr. Grosskopf may be made to the Ƶ West Province of the Society of Jesus, P.O. Box 68, Los Gatos, CA 95031, or to a charity of your choosing.

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Reese, Edward A. (Father) /memoriam/reese-edward-a-father/ Wed, 06 Aug 2025 23:24:06 +0000 /in-memoriam/reese-edward-a-father/ Fr. Edward A. Reese, SJ, president of St. Ignatius College Preparatory in San Francisco and longtime Jesuit high school administrator, died peacefully in the early morning hours of August 2, 2025, at Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos, California. He was 82 years old and a member of the Ƶ for 63 years. Fr. […]

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Fr. Edward A. Reese, SJ, president of St. Ignatius College Preparatory in San Francisco and longtime Jesuit high school administrator, died peacefully in the early morning hours of August 2, 2025, at Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos, California. He was 82 years old and a member of the Ƶ for 63 years.

Fr. Reese’s ministry was devoted to Jesuit secondary education. For 54 years, he served faculty, staff and students at six Jesuit schools. Before his priestly ordination, he taught history and English at his alma mater, Loyola High School of Los Angeles (1968-1970). Later, he filled a variety of administration positions: director of resident students, director of campus ministry, theology department chair and assistant principal for student activities at Loyola (1973-1977); assistant principal for academics (1978-1980) and principal (1980-1994) at Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose, California; director of personnel development at St. Ignatius College Riverview in Sydney, Australia (1994-1995); assistant to the president at Jesuit High School in Sacramento (1995-1996); president of Brophy College Preparatory in Phoenix (1996-2016); and president of St. Ignatius in San Francisco (2016-2025).

Fr. Reese, an outstanding administrator with a perceptive eye for hiring faculty and staff, loved being present to students at campus sporting events and activities. While serving as president of St. Ignatius College Preparatory, he also served as a part-time chaplain for the San Francisco police and fire departments.

Edward Arthur Reese was born in Alhambra, California, on October 2, 1942, the son of James B. Reese, a superior court judge for Los Angeles County, and Gwendolen McNeal Reese, a schoolteacher. He attended Loyola High School in Los Angeles, and upon graduation, he entered the Jesuit novitiate at Los Gatos in 1961. His Jesuit studies took him to Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, for degrees in philosophy; the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, California, for theological studies; and to Fordham University in New York for a diploma in educational administration.

Earlier this summer he was diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer and moved to hospice care in the infirmary at Sacred Heart Jesuit Center, the place where he started his Jesuit vocation 63 years earlier.

He was predeceased by his brother, James, and sister, Gwendolen Makowski. He is survived by his brother, Father Thomas J. Reese, SJ, of Washington, D.C.

Fr. Reese’s funeral Mass will be held on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, at 10 a.m. at St. Ignatius Church on the campus of the University of San Francisco, 650 Parker Avenue, San Francisco, 94118. It will be . Inurnment will be at Santa Clara Mission Cemetery, 490 Lincoln Street, Santa Clara, California 95050.

A Celebration of Life Mass will be held on Friday, August 22, 2025, at 1:30 p.m. at Brophy Chapel at Brophy College Prep in Phoenix. .

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Lee, Arthur W. (Brother) /memoriam/lee-arthur-w-brother/ Thu, 17 Jul 2025 23:26:20 +0000 /in-memoriam/lee-arthur-w-brother/ Br. Arthur (Artie) W. Lee, SJ, died July 16, 2025, at Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos, California, at age 99. He was a Jesuit brother for almost 59 years, doing a variety of assignments at the Jesuit novitiate in Santa Barbara and for 45 years at St. Ignatius College Preparatory in San Francisco. […]

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Br. Arthur (Artie) W. Lee, SJ, died July 16, 2025, at Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos, California, at age 99. He was a Jesuit brother for almost 59 years, doing a variety of assignments at the Jesuit novitiate in Santa Barbara and for 45 years at St. Ignatius College Preparatory in San Francisco.

Arthur Lee was born in Singapore, on May 21, 1926, the son of Lee Goh Hok and Tan Suay Let. He received his early education in Singapore and worked as a crew member on merchant ships. He arrived in San Francisco in the 1950s and worked as a cook for the Jesuit Community of St. Ignatius High School. He was received into the Catholic Church in 1961 and later discerned a vocation as a Jesuit brother and entered the novitiate in Los Gatos on July 30, 1966, taking his vows two years later.

His first assignment was to the staff of the newly opened Jesuit novitiate in Santa Barbara in 1968, where he served as cook, purchasing agent and gardener. In 1976 he came back to San Francisco and played many roles in the St. Ignatius College Prep school and Jesuit community. At various times, he was director of the school’s busy printing office, managed the bookstore, delivered AV services to the classrooms, was an assistant tennis coach and school bus driver, and also handled the mailroom service. In 2021 he moved to Sacred Heart Jesuit Center for a ministry of prayer for the Church and the Society of Jesus.

The Funeral Mass will be held Wednesday, August 6, 2025, 11:15 a.m. at Sacred Heart Jesuit Center, with inurnment to follow at Santa Clara Mission Cemetery.

Funeral Mass
Wednesday, August 6, 2025
11:15am
Chapel of Sacred Heart Jesuit Center
Los Gatos, CA
.

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