Father Martin “Marty” Zielinski, 71, died June 25. He was a retired associate professor in the Department of Church History at the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary.

Born in Denver, Father Zielinski attended Quigley Preparatory Seminary, Niles College and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary before being ordained in 1978.

His first pastoral assignment was at St. Margaret of Scotland Parish. He then attended Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., where he earned a doctoral degree in American Catholic church history in 1989.

He then was assigned to Mundelein Seminary as an associate professor of church history. He spent more than 30 years at the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary, where he took on spiritual direction, teaching and administrative responsibilities, including one term as academic dean.

Throughout his time at the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary, he assisted at St. Patrick Parish in Wadsworth (now St. Brigid Parish-Church of St. Patrick). He wrote many scholarly articles published in the U.S. Catholic Historian, the Encyclopedia of American Catholic History and Chicago Studies.

Zielinski also contributed to the collection “Black and Catholic” published by Marquette University Press. In the past three years, he accomplished a special contribution to American Church History, which was a transcription and annotation of the diary of Bishop William Quarter, who was the first bishop of Chicago. Zielinski also wrote the text for the Litany of American Saints, Blessed and Venerables, which was set to a musical composition. It premiered at the seminary on Dec. 8, 2022, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, and was recorded in February  2023, sung by the seminary choir.

Deacon Charles P. O’Donnell, 89, died June 18. He was ordained in 1983 and served at Our Lady of Ransom Parish, Niles, and as co-associate director of the archdiocese’s Diaconate Office.

The son of Irish immigrants, Deacon O’Donnell lost his father when he was 2 years old. He was married to his late wife, Lindy, for 64 years.

As a deacon, he officiated at marriages, baptisms and gravesite services, and mentored many younger deacons.

He is survived by his children Charles Patrick O’Donnell Jr., Stephen Gerard O’Donnell, Kathleen Guzman and Patricia Ann Patke; eight grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and his sister, Patricia Ann Holochwost.

Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Mary Pat Marcos, 104, died June 11 in Hazel Green, Wisconsin.

Before entering the community, as Patricia Zimbriski, she served in the U.S. Air Force from 1943 to 1946, stationed in Florida and the Pentagon, where she held a top-secret position. She also worked for United Artists Corporation, Milwaukee, for 12 years before entering religious life.

Sister Mary Pat made her first religious profession in 1962 and her perpetual profession in 1968. She was a teacher and support staff member and worked in social services in Illinois, Wyoming, Wisconsin, Texas and California.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, Sister Mary Pat served as secretary at Rosary College (now Dominican University), River Forest (1962-1965, and as secretary to the dean at DePaul University (1970-1973). She taught at Epiphany (1969-1970); St. Vincent Ferrer, River Forest, (1973-1976); and Trinity High School, River Forest, 1978-1982.

Adrian Dominican Sister Elizabeth Ann (Marie Berge) Demirgian, 91, died May 2 in Adrian, Michigan.

Born in New York, she was in the 64th year of her religious profession.

Sister Elizabeth Ann ministered in education and as a physician’s assistant in Michigan, Florida, Illinois and Tennessee.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at Regina Dominican High School.

Adrian Dominican Sister Kathryn “Kate” (Michael Ellen) Hartnett, 88, died May 11 in Adrian, Michigan.

Born in Chicago, she was in the 70th year of her religious life.

Sister Kate ministered in elementary education, as a development director and hospital volunteer in Michigan and Illinois.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at Queen of Apostles, Riverdale (1957-1960); St. Rita (1960-1965); St. Columbanus (1965-1968); and St. Mary Star of the Sea (1968-1972). She was principal (1972-2004) and director of development (2004-2006) at St. Ailbe, and a volunteer at Trinity Advocate Hospital (2007-2013).

School Sister of St. Francis Patricia (Antonildis) Bates, 92, died at Sacred Heart Convent in Milwaukee on May 18.

Born in Aurora, Sister Patricia was received into the School Sisters of St. Francis in 1948, made her first profession of vows in 1949 and made her final vows in 1956.

Beginning in 1950, Sister Patricia ministered in Illinois, Wisconsin and New York. In the Archdiocese of Chicago, Sister Patricia taught at St. Mary, Buffalo Grove (1950-1958); Sts. Cyril and Methodius (1962-1963); St. Matthias (1963-1966); St. Nicholas (1966-1967) and Corpus Christi (1971-1973). She also served as director of personnel for her congregation’s Holy Name Province (1973-1975) and was a pastoral associate at Columbus Hospital in Chicago (1979-1982).

In her retirement, sister served as a volunteer at St. Joseph Convent Motherhouse in Milwaukee (2006-2015) and served in the ministry of prayer and presence at Sacred Heart in Milwaukee from 2015 until the time of her death. 

Dominican Father Benedict T. (Thomas Michael) Viviano, 83, died May 25 at Resurrection Life Center. Father Viviano was internationally renowned as a scholar of sacred Scripture, particularly of the Gospel of St. Matthew.

Born in St. Louis, he entered the Dominican novitiate in 1959 and made his first vows the following year, when he began his studies in River Forest. He made his final vows in 1963 and was ordained a priest in 1966.

After his ordination, Father Viviano studied at the Pontifical Institute of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.; and the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome; and Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, earning several advanced degrees in Scripture.

He taught at the university and post-graduate levels at the Aquinas Institute of Theology in Dubuque, Iowa, and in St. Louis and the Dominican Ecole Biblique in Jerusalem, while serving as editor of the Revue Biblique. Following his time at the Ecole, he moved to become professor of New Testament at the Dominican University of Fribourg, Switzerland.

He wrote and edited several books and commentaries on Scripture, and contributed to almost every major biblical journal.

Following his retirement from the University of Fribourg in 2011, Father Viviano divided his year between the Dominican community in Vienna and St. Dominic Priory in St. Louis. In 2019, he moved to St. Pius V Priory because of his health.

He is survived by his sister, Patricia Viviano Tecu.

Dominican Father Peter F. (Francis Leon) Witchousky, 83, died May 27.

Born in Aurora, he entered the Dominican Province of St. Albert the Great in 1962. He made his first profession of vows in 1963 and began his studies in River Forest. He made his final vows in 1966 and was ordained a priest in 1969.

He taught at Fenwick High School in Oak Park from 1969 to 1976 and directed the school’s theater program. He served as a pastor in Madison, Wisconsin, for several years before serving on the pastoral staff at St. Vincent Ferrer, River Forest (1983-1984). He then served as promoter of vocations for the province until 1991.

He served as a high school chaplain in Springfield and then as chaplain at the Dominican Sisters of Springfield motherhouse until his health made it in necessary for him to retire. He moved to the St. Pius V Priory assisted living center 12 days before he died.

Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Helen (Helen Katharine) Glynn, 87, died May 16 at MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center, Dubuque, Iowa.

Born in Chicago, Sister Helen made her first religious profession in 1969, and her perpetual profession in 1972. She was a teacher, did family care, was a pastoral associate and was a director of religious education. Sister Helen also ministered with the people of Santa Cruz and Cochabamba, Bolivia, for 17 years as support staff, licensed practical nurse and pastoral agent while providing family catechesis. She served in Illinois, Wisconsin and Bolivia.

Mercy Sister Mary Brian Costello, 98, died May 22 at Mercy Circle.

Sister Brian entered the Sisters of Mercy in 1942 and received her bachelor’s degree from Saint Xavier University and her master’s degree from the University of Notre Dame. 

She served in various educational ministries as both teacher and as a school administrator, including as principal of Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School.  

She served on the Sisters of Mercy Leadership Team from 1973 to 1979. In 1983, Sister Brian was named the first woman and non-cleric superintendent of schools for the Archdiocese of Chicago.  In 1989, Cardinal Joseph Bernardin named Sister Brian his chief of staff, a pioneering position for a woman and one she held until she retired in 1997.

Throughout her ministry, Sister Brian exhibited a passion for assuring educational opportunities for all children. She was a founding member of the Big Shoulders Fund.