Father August (Gus) Belauskas, 83, died July 17. He was a retired priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago.

Born in Chicago, Father Belauskas attended Quigley Preparatory Seminary, Niles College of Loyola University and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary before being ordained in 1968. He also received a master’s degree in philosophy from Loyola University Chicago after ordination.

He served as associate pastor of Sts. Faith, Hope, and Charity Parish, Winnetka, and St. Alphonsus Parish, Prospect Heights. He then joined the faculty of Niles College (1974), where he taught philosophy and was on the formation staff. He went to USML/Mundelein Seminary in 1986 to start the pre-theology program for candidates who were entering seminary for the first time. While on the faculty, he also served in various roles: vice-rector, formation adviser, spiritual director, adviser to seminarians in the residence halls where he lived and other duties. During his time at Mundelein Seminary, he also served as a weekend assistant priest for 40 years at St. Gilbert Parish, Grayslake. Father Belauskas retired in 2017 as the philosophy department chairman; he continued to teach and work in formation and spiritual direction part-time.

Father John Kartje, rector/president of USML/Mundelein Seminary, wrote about Father Belauskas in his Scripture column.

“Insofar as a priest is meant to be a ‘pontifex,’ a bridge to help lead others to Christ, Fr. Gus beautifully embraced that vocation,” Kartje wrote in part. “With a famously calm, steady demeanor, he could put the most anxious student or parishioner at ease with a self-effacing smile and a gentle word of encouragement.”

He is survived by his sister, Sylvia Phillips.

Deacon Faustino Santiago, 78, died July 11. He was ordained in 2012 and served at St. Bartholomew and Our Lady of the Rosary parishes.

Born in Puerto Rico, he worked in Chicago as a painter and wallpaper hanger.

He is survived by his wife, Jannett; his children Faustino Jr. and Taína; his mother, Maria; and his brothers Angelo, Damian and Manuel Jr.

Deacon Gregory Serratore, 96, died July 18. He was ordained in 1979 and served at St. Mary, Star of the Sea Parish and as a chaplain for the Chicago Police Department.

Deacon , a veteran of the U.S. Army, worked for the Santa Fe Railway and World’s Finest Chocolate and as business manager at St. Mary, Star of the Sea.

A fourth degree Knight of Columbus, he was married to his late wife, Rose Ann, for 74 years.

He is survived by his children Anthony Serratore, Gregory Serratore, Maria Coleman and Teresa Okrzesik; 12 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.

Sister of Notre Dame de Namur Lea Cozzini, 88, died July 1.

Born in Chicago, she was in the 71st year of her religious life.

She was baptized in St. Callistus Parish and confirmed in St. Viator Parish. She received a master’s degree in curriculum/supervision from DePaul University and taught at St. Peter Canisius for 10 years and St. Robert Bellarmine for 14 years.

She also ministered in Ohio.

Sister of St. Joseph Janet Bolger, 97, died July 14. Sister Janet was celebrating 76 years of religious life.

She had bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history. In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at St. Francis Xavier, La Grange; St. Isaac Jogues, Niles; St. Margaret Mary; and St. Hugh, Lyons. She was an administrator at Nazareth Academy and The Well Spirituality Center, and co-director of Allium, an eco-spirituality center and meeting place.

Father John E. Hennessey, 84, died June 14. He was a retired priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago and pastor emeritus of St. Joseph Parish, Libertyville.

Born on Long Island, New York, he attended Quigley Preparatory Seminary and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary before being ordained in 1967. He later completed a master’s degree at the University of Notre Dame.

He served as assistant pastor of St. Bernadette, Evergreen Park, and St. Christina. He was associate pastor of St. Hilary Parish.

He served as director of the Vocations Office from 1980 to 1986 and was pastor of St. Isaac Jogues, Niles, from 1986 to 2003. He then became pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Libertyville and served at that parish until 2012, when he retired and was named pastor emeritus.

Resurrection Sister Rosemary Gira, 97, died June 10.

She was baptized at St. Stanislaus Kostka Church. She entered the Sisters of the Resurrection, where her older sister was already a member, in 1950, and made her first vows in 1951.

Sister Rosemary graduated from Fordham University in 1955 and began a 50-year ministry of teaching first grade, including assignments at St. Casimir; St. Mary of the Angels; and Queen of the Rosary, Elk Grove Village, as well as in Indiana, Nebraska and Florida. She said she loved teaching little children “because their hearts are open and ready for the seeds of faith and the message of God’s love to be planted.”

She is survived by her nephew, Bishop Robert Kurtz, CR.

Sister of the Living Word Kathleen Heer, 75, died June 15 at Resurrection Life Center, where she lived for the past four years after suffering a stroke.

Sister Kathleen entered the Sisters of Christian Charity in 1969 and was called again to be a founding member of the Sisters of the Living Word in 1975. A gifted artist and educator, she taught junior high at St. Raphael in the Englewood neighborhood, and served as principal for 16 years. She participated in consolidation of the nine Englewood schools and was elected vice-president of the Archdiocesan Principals Association. She was also principal at St. Catherine Laboure, Glenview.

She later earned a master’s degree in art therapy and ministered as an art therapist in Ohio, and she served in the leadership of her religious community for five years.

She is survived by siblings Thomas Heer, Mary Heer, Betty Freeze Heer, John Heer, Daniel Heer, Michael Heer and Joseph Heer.

Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Maria (Josefita) Candelaria, 89, died June 18 in Hazel Green, Wisconsin.

She was born in New Mexico and made her first profession as a Discalced Carmelite in 1957, receiving the name Maria Isabel. She transferred her vows to the Sinsinawa Dominicans in 1980.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in religious studies and Spanish from Rosary College (now Dominican University), River Forest; a master’s degree in pastoral studies from Loyola University Chicago; and a master’s degree in secondary education from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.

She ministered as a teacher in New Mexico and Texas.

Daughter of Charity Sister Mary (Mary Margaret) Satala, 89, died June 23 in Evansville, Indiana.

Born in Chicago, she graduated from Good Counsel High School in 1953 and earned a bachelor’s degree from St. Joseph School of Nursing before entering the Daughters of Charity in 1960.

She served at hospitals in Louisiana, Missouri, Indiana and Alabama, as well as at St. Joseph Hospital and Health Centers (1984-1991). She also served in Poland.

In addition to her nursing degree, Sister Mary earned a master’s degree in spirituality and counseling and a doctorate in pastoral counseling and clinical counseling.

She also served as postulant directress for the Daughters of Charity in Evansville, and as a mental health counselor in Indianapolis.

Poor Handmaid of Jesus Christ Sister Patricia (Brendan) Peters, 85, died June 27 in Donaldson, Indiana.

Born in Breese, Illinois, Sister Patricia entered the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ in 1959 and professed her first vows in 1962.

She taught at elementary schools in Illinois and Indiana, including St. Henry.

After 10 years of teaching, Sister Patricia was appointed director of purchasing at the PHJC Ministry Center in Donaldson. She developed an interest in computer technology and took several computer courses at DeVry University in Chicago. She became the manager for computer services at PHJC Ministry Center. In 2016, Sister Patricia began using her computer skills to help develop a digitized system of tracking pictures and artifacts in the archives.

Sister Patricia retired to Catherine’s Cottage in Donaldson in 2023.

Sister Patricia is survived by her two sisters and five brothers.

Deacon Gregory Shumpert, 70, died June 4. He was ordained in 1999 and ministered at St. Agatha, St. Martin de Porres and St. Simon of Cyrene parishes.

Born in Chicago, he attended Holy Name Cathedral High School and Loyola University Chicago, as well as studying for the diaconate at the University of St. Mary of the Lake.

For more than three decades, Deacon Shumpert worked at Northwestern Memorial Hospital as a mental health counselor and advocate for those in need. He later served in several capacities at Malcolm X College.

In his years as a deacon, he assisted at the altar and offered pastoral care and community outreach. He was active in the Men’s Club, was a lector and choir member, supported Community Renewal Society initiatives and was a board member of the Adult Education Learning Center.

He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Carolyn; his children Ericka Nicole Shumpert-Toliver and Erik Gregory Shumpert; and two grandchildren.

Father Kenneth S. Laske, 93, died March 20. He was a retired archdiocesan priest and former associate pastor of St. Leonard, Berwyn.

Born in Chicago, Father Laske attended Quigley Preparatory Seminary and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary.

He served as assistant pastor of St. Ferdinand; St. Gilbert, Grayslake; St. Joan of Arc, Evanston; and Divine Savior, Norridge. He served as associate pastor of St. Cornelius; St. William; St. Maria Goretti, Schiller Park; and St. Leonard. He retired in 2002.

The late Father William T. O’Mara, retired archdiocesan priest and classmate, had remembered Father Laske as a very quiet person and a devoted priest with a great sense of humor.

Father William T. O’Mara, 94, died May 27. He was a retired priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago and pastor emeritus of St. Elizabeth Seton, Orland Hills.

Born in Chicago, Father O’Mara attended Quigley Preparatory Seminary and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary, and later earned a postgraduate degree from Loyola University Chicago.

He was assistant pastor of Infant Jesus of Prague, Flossmoor, and St. James, Sauk Village.

He was a faculty member at Quigley Preparatory Seminary and served as chaplain at Marian Catholic High School, Chicago Heights, celebrating school Masses, attending Kairos retreats with seniors and going to sports events, concerts and plays.

Father O’Mara served as pastor at St. Elizabeth Seton Parish until 2003, when he was named pastor emeritus.

Archdiocesan priest Father Roger
Caplis remembered his classmate as very outgoing and a good athlete. “He also shared a great sense of ministry, even after retirement,” Caplis said.

Providence Sister Mary Jeanine (Mary Catherine) Schubert, 84, died May 14 in St. Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana.

Born in Chicago, she went to St. Mel School and Providence High School. She entered the Sisters of Providence in 1961 and professed final vows in 1970.

Of her 64 years as a Sister of Providence, she ministered in elementary schools in Indiana and Illinois for 16 years. In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at St. Agnes (1967-1971), St. Francis Borgia (1971-1978) and Maternity BVM (1978-1982).

In 1983, she took a position at the American Medical Association in Chicago as a survey operations assistant and later as an employee contractor.

Retiring from this position in 2007, she gave much time to sewing and quilting for charities.

Sister Mary Jeanine is survived by a brother, Andrew J. Schubert Jr.

Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Mary Ann Mueninghoff, 79, died May 16 in Hazel Green, Wisconsin.

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, she professed vows with the Sinsinawa Dominican sisters in 1968. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English education from Rosary College (now Dominican University), River Forest; a certificate of theology from St. Norbert College, De Pere, Wisconsin; and a master’s degree in pastoral studies from Loyola University Chicago.

Sister Mary Ann’s ministry was dedicated to teaching, religious education and higher education. She taught in Minnesota and was a religious education director in Montana as well as at Epiphany Parish and St. Luke Parish, River Forest.

She then worked for the Sinsinawa Dominican congregation as director of the Apostolic Volunteers program; was director of residence halls and a counselor and rector at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana; and was promoter of mission integration at Dominican University.

She is survived by a sister, Janet Collins, and brothers David, Eric and Robert Mueninghoff.

Father Gerald E. Rogala, 85, died May 7. He was a retired archdiocesan priest and pastor emeritus of the former St. Thecla Parish, now part of St. Elizabeth of the Trinity Parish.

Born in Waukegan, Father Rogala attended Quigley Preparatory Seminary and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary before being ordained in 1966.

He also earned a master’s degree in New Testament studies from the University of Chicago.

Father Rogala was assistant pastor of St. John Brebeuf, Niles, and St. John Berchmans, now part of Blessed Carlo Acutis Parish. He also taught at Niles College of Loyola University.

He was associate pastor of St. Mary, Buffalo Grove, and pastor of St. Josaphat; Our Lady of the Brook, now part of St. Norbert and Our Lady of the Brook Parish, Northbrook; St. Stephen Protomartyr, now part of Mary, Mother of Martyrs, Des Plaines; and the former St. Thecla. He retired in 2010.

“He enjoyed teaching,” said Father Thomas J. Vitro, a classmate of Father Rogala. “He was a contemporary Catholic priest, very proud of the parishes he served in. He identified with those communities and met all expectations of a priest ordained 60 years ago.”

Vitro added that Father Rogala liked skiing and playing the guitar.

Father Richard J. Kozak, 84, died April 15. He was a retired archdiocesan priest and former pastor at St. Joseph Parish in Homewood, now St. John Neumann Parish.

Born in Chicago, Father Kozak attended Quigley Preparatory Seminary and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary in Mundelein.

He was assistant pastor of St. Felicitas Parish and associate pastor of St. Simeon, Bellwood; St. Maria Goretti, Schiller Park; and Sacred Heart, Melrose Park. He was pastor of the former St. Joseph, Homewood, for nearly 17 years before retiring in 2015.

In a 2012 interview with the archdiocesan newspaper, Kozak mentioned that he lost sight in one eye a month before being ordained. He said, “I’m convinced it deepened my spiritual vision of the Lord even though I lost physical vision. It happened on St. Joseph’s Day, March 19, 1967. I look back on my life and say, ‘Well Lord, I guess you had a plan for me.’”

Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Joan (Ternan) McCann, 85, died April 9 in Racine, Wisconsin.

Born in Chicago, she professed vows with the Sinsinawa Dominicans in 1961. She earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, a master’s in the teaching of mathematics and a master’s in education management and supervision.

Sister Joan’s ministry was dedicated to education, administration and consultancy. She taught at schools in Washington, D.C.; Freeport, Illinois; Madison, Wisconsin; and Baltimore Maryland; as well as at St. Mary School, Evanston, and Sts. Faith, Hope and Charity School, Winnetka.

She was an assistant superintendent in the Office of Education of the Archdiocese of Atlanta before joining with Adrian Dominican Sister Mary-beth Beres to found Leadership Systems, a nonprofit consulting ministry serving religious congregations, social service organizations and schools.

Following that ministry, Sr. Joan served the Sinsinawa Dominican congregation as vicaress provincial of the Southern Province before becoming vicar for consecrated life for the Archdiocese of Atlanta.

Sister Joan retired in 2010 and volunteered in the Oak Lawn area until 2024, when she moved to Stair Crest, a senior living community in Muskego, Wisconsin.

She is survived by three sisters: Marjorie Kayser, Alice McCann, and Nancy Tegtmeyer.  

School Sister of Notre Dame Catherine (David Maureen) Sarther, 83, died April 10 at Ascension Resurrection Life Center.

A member of the School Sisters of Notre Dame for 63 years, she taught high school at Academy of Our Lady and taught in elementary schools in Chicago and Milwaukee. She also assisted international students at Catholic Theological Union in Hyde Park, was a researcher for Chicago Public Schools, and served her community as a provincial councilor in Chicago and a general councilor in Rome.

She is survived by her siblings: David Sarther, James Sarther, Margaret Fox and William Sarther.