Deacon Aloysius Memmel, 93, died Sept. 18. He was ordained in 1977 and served at St. Paul of the Cross, Park Ridge.

Deacon Memmel was a Korean War veteran and past Commander of Mel Tierney VFW Post 247. He was a fourth-degree member of the Maria Council Knights of Columbus and a longtime Scout leader of Troop 24 in Park Ridge and recipient of the Silver Beaver, St. George and the Bronze Pelican awards. He was also a proud member of the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Catholic Committee of Scouting.

He is survived by his wife, Bette; his children Terence and Kevin Memmel and Kathleen  Azzi; seven grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

Deacon Paul D. Schmidt, 79, died Sept. 21. He was ordained in 2001 and served at St. James, Arlington Heights while working as business manager at Holy Cross Parish, Deerfield.

Deacon Schmidt was born in Detroit and grew up in Michigan. He came to Arlington Heights in 1980 after a job transfer.

He served five years in the U.S. Marine Corps, including active duty in the Vietnam War. He died after years of intermittent illness, originating with his contact with Agent Orange.

He became a deacon after retiring from his corporate career and started a second career as a parish business manager at Holy Cross, where he served until June.

He is survived by his wife, Paulette, his children Jennifer and David Schmidt, and three grandchildren.

Sister of St. Joseph Sister Sharon Jakicic, 91, died Sept. 1.

Sister Sharon had been a member of the Congregation of St. Joseph for 67 years.

She taught at St. Hugh, Lyons; Our Lady of Bethlehem, La Grange Park; Divine Infant, Westchester; St. Anthony; and St. John Fisher. She was principal of St. Mary, Riverside; and St. Anthony; and she served as the gift shop manager for the Sisters of St. Joseph before retiring.

She is survived by siblings Therese Virbickis and William Jakicic.

Adrian Dominican Sister Shirley (Joyce Edward) Thielk, 93, died Sept. 11 in Adrian, Michigan.

Born in Michigan, she was in the 74th year of her religious life.

Sister Shirley ministered in education and administrative work in Illinois, Ohio, Michigan and California and Malawi.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at St. Clare of Montefalco (1949-1958).

She is survived by seven siblings: Kathryn Warras, John Thielk, Adrian Dominican Sister Dorothy Thielk, Edward Thielk, Margaret Zukowski, Rose Marie Popowitz and Donald Thielk.

Deacon Phillip A. DuBrownik, 76, died Aug. 23. He was ordained in 1998 and served at St. Emeric Parish, Country Club Hills.

Born in Chicago, he attended Bowen High School and Southern Illinois University.

Family members said he found his true calling as a deacon, and he considered the parish his extended family. Parishioners recalled him working with the SPRED group, making sausage and cooking at pig roasts and teaching others how to braid palms.

He had two sisters, Judith Baker and Ruth Koteles.

Adrian Dominican Sister Julie (Ann Warren) Hyer, 74, died July 27 in Capitola, California.

Born in New York, she was in the 54th year of her religious life.

Sister Julie spent one year ministering in education before ministering in health care administration in Michigan and California. She also was general councilor/administrator on the General Council of the Adrian Dominican Sisters.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she was on the board investment committee (2019-2021) and a Cistercian Monastery volunteer (2021-2022) at Common Spirit Health.

She is survived by two brothers, Warren Hyer Jr. and Gregory Hyer, and a sister, Marianne Hyer.

Sister of St. Casimir Wanda Marie Kamza, 86, died Aug. 1.

Born in Gary, Indiana, Sister Wanda Marie entered the Sisters of St. Casimir in 1952, professed first vows in 1955 and professed final vows in 1960. She spent most of her 66 years in education.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at St. George (32nd Place, 1955-1960), Immaculate Conception (44th Street, 1963-1964), St. Joseph (South Chicago, 1965-1967), St. Norbert, Northbrook (1964-1965, 1985-2000), and St. Bartholomew (Waukegan, 1970-1971). Additionally, she served in schools in Rockford and in Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan.  She also served in the ministry of prayer and presence at Franciscan Village, Lemont (2015-2022).

Adrian Dominican Sister Jane (Jean Ellen) Quirk, 95, died Aug. 8 in Adrian, Michigan.

Born in Harvey, she was in the 76th year of her religious life.

Sister Jane ministered for more than 53 years in elementary and special education in Michigan, Ohio, Florida, Tennessee and Illinois. She became a resident of the Dominican Life Center in Adrian in 2006.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught elementary school students with learning disabilities at the Bartlett Learning Center (1977-2000).

Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Vivian (Priscilla) Gorman, 98, died Aug. 15 in Hazel Green, Wisconsin.

Born in Minnesota, Sister Vivian made her first religious profession in 1947 and her perpetual profession in 1950.

She was a teacher, principal, assistant principal, adult education director, teacher’s aide and religious education coordinator, as well as a pastoral and development staff member. She served in Wyoming, Illinois, Wisconsin, the District of Columbia, Alabama and California.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, Sister Vivian taught at St. Richard (1947-1949) and served as principal of St. Patrick, Lemont (1956-1962), and St. Philip the Apostle, Northfield (1965-1969). She also ministered as religious education coordinator at Sts. Faith, Hope and Charity, Winnetka (1980-1986).

She is survived by a sister, Cecilia Becker.

Father James McCarthy, 92, died Aug, 5. He founded and was a long-time director of Special Religious Development (SPRED), an agency of the Archdiocese of Chicago that provides ministry to adults and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Born in Chicago, Father McCarthy attended Quigley Preparatory Seminary, the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary and Loyola University Chicago. He was ordained in 1955.

He was assistant pastor of Santa Maria del Popolo, Mundelein; St. Gregory the Great Parish; St. Cecilia Parish (Wells Street); and Our Lady of Mercy Parish; and as pastor of St. John Nepomucene. He retired in 2007, but continued working with SPRED. 

In 1960, Father McCarthy became associate director of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) in Chicago and discovered that parents had been inquiring about providing ministry to children with disabilities. They wanted their children to receive the sacraments, but no faith formation program existed for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Father McCarthy began working with parents, special educators and catechists in several parishes to make Catholic liturgies and catechesis more accessible to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Society of Helpers Sister Mary Therese Harrington soon began assisting in this work, and they were later joined by Providence Sister Susanne Gallagher.

In 1966, SPRED was established as an agency of the archdiocese. Today, 114 parishes with SPRED groups provide ministry to about 800 people with disabilities. The SPRED network has expanded beyond Chicago, administering faith formation and sacramental preparation programs for people with special needs in 28 Catholic dioceses and 200 parishes nationwide, and in numerous parishes in England, Ireland, Scotland, Australia, South Africa, Malta, Chile and Mexico.

He was still serving as the SPRED’s chaplain and director emeritus up until the day he died, SPRED director Joseph Quane said.

“His younger brother had intellectual disabilities, so he knew about the need and took the mission very personally,” Quane said. “He made it his mission to bring the Gospel message to some of the most poor and marginalized members of our society. He wanted people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to feel a sense of belonging in their local parish communities and wanted them to actively participate in the liturgical life of their parish. One of the greatest gifts he leaves to the SPRED community is the adult catechist formation component of SPRED. Father Jim was a strong proponent of life-long catechesis and insisted that a strong community of adult catechists, who participated in ongoing spiritual formation, was required if we are to effectively minister to our friends with intellectual and developmental disabilities.”

In 2013, Father McCarthy, Harrington and Gallagher received the Laetare Medal from the University of Notre Dame for their outstanding service to the Roman Catholic Church — the highest honor bestowed by the university.

“He was a very humble person, and he didn’t like all the honors they received,” Quane added. “He faced a lot of challenges when he started SPRED in the 1960s, because back then a lot of people didn’t think people with intellectual and developmental disabilities needed faith formation or spiritual nourishment.”