Msgr. R. George Sarauskas, 77, died June 25. He was the former pastor of St. Mary, Riverside.

Msgr. Sarauskas was born in Germany and moved to the Chicago area with his family. He attended Quigley Preparatory Seminary in Chicago and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary in Mundelein before being ordained in 1973. He also earned a master’s degree in public administration at the Illinois Institute of Technology.

He was assistant pastor of St. Athanasius, Evanston, and associate pastor of Sacred Heart, Winnetka; St. Francis Xavier, La Grange; and Holy Ghost, South Holland. In the late 1980s, Msgr. Sarauskas was appointed director of research and planning, and from 1984 to 1990 he was also director of the Lithuanian apostolate. In 2004, he became pastor of St. Mary, Riverside, serving the community for seven years.

In addition, he served as executive director of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Office to Aid the Catholic Church in Eastern, Central Europe and Soviet Union for 14 years in Washington, D.C.

Msgr. Patrick Pollard, retired archdiocesan priest, remembered his friend as a great churchman who believed in the mission of the church. “He wanted it to be alive and present to people all over the world,” Pollard said. “He helped the bishops of dioceses in Eastern Europe start up their dioceses after the fall of communism.” 

Adrian Dominican Sister Anita (Jean Vincent) Chiappetta, 79, died May 28 in Adrian, Michigan.

Born in Chicago, she graduated from Aquinas High School. She was in the 61st year of her religious life.

Sister Anita was an educator, social work assistant, administrative assistant, executive secretary and business office manager in Ohio, Illinois and Michigan.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she was an administrative assistant in the Dominican Midwest Chapter Office in La Grange Park (2009-2015) and Chicago (2015-2021).

Adrian Dominican Sister Laura (Mary Norman) Pesick, 93, died June 9 in Adrian, Michigan.

Born in Detroit, she was in the 75th year of her religious life.

Sister Laura ministered in elementary, secondary and adult education in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and California.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at St. Clare of Montefalco (1948-1952) and St. Carthage (1952-1958).

She is survived by her brother, Joseph Pesick.

Adrian Dominican Sister Grace (Mary Elizabeth) Dougherty, 84, died June 10 in Adrian, Michigan.

Born in Chicago, she graduated from Aquinas High School, and she was the 65th year of her religious life.

Sister Grace ministered over 14 years in Michigan, Alabama and Florida; was a counselor/pastoral minister in Florida; and served a six-year term in congregational leadership as co-provincial of St. Rose of Lima Province, based in West Palm Beach, Florida. She also served the congregation for six years as director of pastoral care.

Sister Grace ministered for more than 18 years (1990-2008) at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center in Chicago, where she served as hospital chaplain and director of spiritual care. She became a resident of the Dominican Life Center in Adrian in 2017.

She is survived by her brothers Patrick Dougherty and Robert Dougherty.

Redemptorist Brother Marvin Hamann, 92, died June 24 in Liguori, Missouri.

Born in Detroit, Brother Marvin enlisted in the Army after high school and served as an infantryman in the Korean War. After being honorably discharged, he began a career in banking.

A decade later, he felt called to religious life and made his first profession of vows as a Redemptorist brother in 1963. After serving in Wisconsin and as a clerk in the Liguori Publications post office in Missouri, he professed final vows in 1967 and was appointed postmaster.

In 1970, he joined the provincial administration staff in Chicago, and a year later joined the staff at Villa Redeemer in Glenview.

He worked on the financial staffs of Redemptorist institutions in Wisconsin, Colorado and Missouri until his retirement in 2007.

Divine Word Father James Henry, 90, died July 3 in Techny. He was a teacher in Los Angeles and missionary in Papua New Guinea.

Born in New York, Father Henry entered the Divine Word Seminary in Girard, Pennsylvania, in 1945, professed vows in 1951 and was ordained a priest in 1959.

He taught high school students in Southern California — first at Divine Word Seminary in Riverside and then as a member of the inaugural staff of Verbum Dei High School in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles — before being assigned to Papua New Guinea in 1972. Twelve years later, he returned to California, where he served as a Navy chaplain and taught high school English.

He retired in 2013 and moved to Techny in 2015.

He is survived by his brothers Martin and Michael Henry and 25 nieces and nephews.

Sister of St. Joseph-Third Order of St. Francis Stephanie Ostrowski, 85, of Bartlett, died July 4.

Born in Chicago, she was a member of her religious community for 67 years. Sister Stephanie was an elementary school teacher, and she was principal at Queen of the Universe. She also served as provincial director of the Sisters of St. Joseph-Third Order of St. Francis and assistant manager and program director at Senate Apartments for senior living.

She is survived by her siblings, Leonard Ostrowski, Theresa Cernak, Richard Ostrowski, Rita Roberts, Mary Frances Cleveland and Norbert Ostrowski.