School Sister of St. Francis Theresa Ann (Irita) Brames, 84, died March 28 in Milwaukee.

Born in Indiana, Sister Therese Ann was received into the School Sisters of St. Francis in 1949 and made her final vows in 1957.

Beginning in 1950, Sister Theresa Ann ministered in Wisconsin and Illinois as a homemaker and driver for nearly seven decades. In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she served as a homemaker at St. William Convent (1950-1959). In retirement, Sister Theresa Ann served in the ministry of prayer and presence at Sacred Heart in Milwaukee from 2015 until the time of her death.

Sister Theresa Ann is survived by her sister Louise Sekel and her brother Charles Brames.

School Sister of St. Francis Mary (Violette) Readdy, 83, died April 2 in Schaumburg. 

Sister Mary was received into the School Sisters of St. Francis in 1953 and made her final vows in 1961.

Sister Mary ministered in Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska for more than six decades. In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she served as a guidance counselor at Providence St. Mel High School (1984-1985); and taught at Alvernia High School (1985-1989), St. Benedict High School (1989-1990) and Holy Trinity High School (1990-2012). 

Sister Mary retired in 2012 and was serving in the ministry of prayer and presence in Schaumburg.

Sister Elizabeth (St. Laura of Mary) Scully of the Congregation of Notre Dame died April 21 in Wilton, Connecticut.

She entered the Congregation of Notre Dame in Montreal in 1946 and professed her perpetual vows in 1954.

Sister Elizabeth served as principal of St. Jude the Apostle School, South Holland, as well as teacher and principal in New York and Connecticut schools. 

She was mistress of novices and provincial leader in the United States province of her congregation, and she ministered in the Catholic schools office of the Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island, and the Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey.

Adrian Dominican Sister Judith Ann (James Charles) Seefeld, 78, died April 30 in Adrian, Michigan. 

Born in Michigan, she was in the 60th year of her religious profession.

She ministered in Michigan, Florida, Illinois and California. 

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught elementary school at Queen of Angels (1960-1964), St. Lawrence (1966-1971) and St. Rita (1971-1974).
Sister Judith is survived by four sisters: Janet Seefeld, Joan Yingling, Jean Jackson and Joyce Seefeld.

BVM Sister Marian (William Marie) Hurley, 90, died May 1 in Dubuque, Iowa. 
Born in Minnesota, she entered the BVM congregation in 1946, from St. Jerome Parish, Chicago. She professed final vows in 1954.
In the Archdiocese of Chicago, Sister Marian taught elementary school at St. Gilbert, Grayslake; St. Eulalia, Maywood; St. Charles; and St. Cornelius, where she also served as principal. She also ministered in New York and California.

Father Ronald C. Lewandowski, 80, died April 6. He had been associate pastor at St. Patrick Parish, Wadsworth, until retiring in 2008.

Father Lewandowski was born in Chicago and attended St. Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr School and Lane Technical High School.

He earned a bachelor’s degree at Wright City College in 1959 and a master’s degree in Divinity at Sacred Heart School of Theology in 1995 in Hales Corners, Wisconsin. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1995.

Father Lewandowski was associate pastor of Our Lady of the Wayside, Arlington Heights (1995-2000); St. Anne (2000-02); and St. Patrick, Wadsworth (2002-2008).

Father Ronald J. Gollatz, 72, died April 17. He was most recently the pastor of Transfiguration Parish, from 2007 to 2016.

Born in Chicago, Father Gollatz attended Our Lady of Help of Christians School and Quigley North. He earned a bachelor’s degree at DePaul University in 1968 and a master’s degree in at the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary before being ordained in 1972.

He served as assistant pastor at St. Celestine, Elmwood Park, and as associate pastor of St. Bride; St. Martha, Morton Grove; St. Emily, Mount Prospect; and St. Gilbert, Grayslake.

He served as pastor of St. Thaddeus, St. Francis de Sales, Lake Zurich; and Transfiguration.

Monsignor Charles E. Lang, 85, died April 5 in Orange County, California.

Born in Chicago, he attended St. Mel High School and Loyola University Chicago, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and a master’s degree in chemistry and math. He earned a doctorate in physical chemistry from Iowa State University before entering Mount St. Bernard Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa, in 1961. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Dubuque in 1965 and became an assistant professor in the chemistry department at Loras College in 1965.

In 1971, he earned a master’s degree in clinical psychology from Loyola University Chicago and added psychology to his teaching duties. He was named Loras’ dean of students in 1972, vice president for student affairs in 1977 and vice president for college advancement in 1985. 

In 1986, Monsignor Lang was appointed president of Mount St. Clare College in Clinton, Iowa, a post he held until 1991.

At the time of his death, Monsignor Lang served Loras College as a development officer and did pastoral work at many churches in the Archdiocese of Chicago, including St. Celestine, Elmwood Park; St. Constance; St. Cyprian, River Grove; St. Robert Bellarmine; and Our Lady Mother of the Church.

Claretian Father Thomas P. Joyce, 85, died April 6 in Arcadia, California.

Born in Chicago, he entered St. Jude Seminary in Momence, made his first religious profession in 1951 in California and was ordained a priest in 1959 in Chicago.

TJ, as he was known, served as a teacher and campus minister.

In 1972, he returned to Chicago as superior of the Claretian Provincial Residence in Oak Park. Over the next 30 years, TJ served at Holy Cross/IHM and Our Lady of Guadalupe parishes, as director of the pre-novitiate program and vocations and superior of Claret House, the Claretian formation house. From 1975 to 1997, TJ served as a staff member at the 8th Day Center for Justice.

In 2002, his missionary work called him to Kingston, Jamaica, where he served until 2006. He served in various local Claretian communities until he retired in 2016.

He is survived by the last of his five brothers, John Joyce.

Mercy Sister Rita Corkery, 86, died at Mercy Circle April 10.

Born in the Pullman area of Chicago, she was taught by Sisters of Mercy at Holy Rosary School and Mercy High School. After high school, she entered the community in 1949. 

She began her career in teaching at St. Mary of the Lake School in 1952 and continued in the ministry of education for almost 40 years. She held a variety of teaching and administrative positions from primary grades through college level.  

Following her retirement from education, Sister Rita changed careers, working as a part-time hospital chaplain at St. Francis Hospital, Blue Island, while she cared for her mother. After her mother’s death, Sister Rita continued her work in chaplaincy, taking on a position at Little Company of Mary Hospital, Evergreen Park, for 10 years.

In 2006, Sister Rita retired once again due to declining health. In 2011, she began living at Smith Village, a residential care facility in Chicago where she could receive more assistance, and she came to be known there as a volunteer chaplain and friend. She moved to Mercy Circle in 2017.