Father James E. Flynn, 82, died Jan. 5. He was pastor emeritus of Holy Name of Mary Parish.

Born in Chicago, he attended Quigley Preparatory Seminary and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary before being ordained in 1967.

Father Flynn was assistant pastor of St. Priscilla, Resurrection (now part of St. Martin de Porres) and Our Lady of the Mount Parish (now part of Our Lady, the Mystical Rose Parish) in Cicero. He served as associate pastor of St. Angela (now part of St. Simon Cyrene) and Holy Name of Mary (now part of Our Lady of Kibeho Parish), where he was named pastor emeritus after he retired in 2012.

He served in retirement at Ascension-St. Susanna in Harvey and St. Gerard Majella in Markham.

Father Thadeo Mgimba, archdiocesan priest and one of Father Flynn’s close friends, remembers Father Flynn as a remarkable person who “was very simple, humble and had a golden heart.”

“He was my spiritual father, my mentor and my friend,” Mgimba added.

Father Stephen F. Kanonik, 68, died Jan. 7. He was pastor of St. Benedict Parish on Irving Park Road.

Born in Chicago, Father Kanonik attended Quigley Preparatory Seminary, Niles College of Loyola University and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary before being ordained in 1982.

He served as associate pastor of St. Bruno and St. Louise de Marillac, La Grange Park. He then served as pastor of St. Ladislaus, St. Juliana and St. Benedict Parish. He also served as moderator of the curia and recently had been a member of the Priest Placement Board.

Father Thomas Refermat, associate pastor of St. Benedict, remembered Father Kanonik as “a man who loved the people, cared for the people and wanted to speak up for his parishioners.” “He loved them, and his parishioners loved him, especially the children,” Refermat said. “Working side by side with him, I always saw him as an older brother.”

Father James Kastigar, one of Father Kanonik’s classmates, remembers Father Kanonik as a “very kind, gentle man who really loved other people and he took time to listen to them. He’d always stop what he was doing to talk to people.”

Deacon Robert Boharic, 79, died Jan. 12. He was ordained in 1999 and served at St. Paul VI Parish, formerly at St. Mary, Riverside.

Born at Misericordia Maternity Home in Chicago and then adopted, he attended St. Sabina Parish and Leo High School.

A former U.S. Marine, Deacon Boharic was a prosecutor and a judge in Cook County. He told Chicago Catholic in 2012 that his journey to the diaconate began after his son, Bobby, died of a childhood cancer in 1982.

At that time, he and his wife, Kathleen, began to dig deeper into their faith and became more active in their parish.

Deacon Boharic is survived by his wife, his children Father Thomas Boharic, Marie Schwarzenberger, Margaret Boharic and John Boharic; and seven grandchildren.

Felician Sister Paul Marie (Mary Pulveria, Stella) Pietroczynski, 101, died Dec. 19 in Mother of Good Counsel Convent.

Born in Chicago, she attended Holy Trinity School and Good Counsel High School. She entered the Felician Sisters in 1942 and professed her final vows in 1950. She ministered in various elementary schools as a teacher and principal in Illinois, Wisconsin, Alabama and Minnesota. She also served in the Mercy Home for Boys & Girls Phone Ministry from 2004 to 2017.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she ministered at St. Bruno (1942-1943); St. Turibius (1944-1946); St. Bronislava (1946-1947); St. Mary Magdalene (1947-1948); St. Hedwig, Niles (1948-1851); Our Lady of the Gardens (1955-1970); St. Joseph (1985-1986, 1993-1997); Sacred Heart (1988-1990); St.  Wenceslaus (1990-1992); and Our Lady of Ransom, Niles (1997-2004).

Father Joseph C. Taylor, 97, died Dec. 8, 2024. He was a retired priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago.

Born in Chicago, he attended Quigley Preparatory Seminary and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary in Mundelein before being ordained in 1953.

He served as assistant pastor of St. Thomas the Apostle, St. Maurice, St. Cajetan, St. Gabriel and St. Joseph the Worker, Wheeling, before serving as pastor of St. Francis Xavier Parish (Nelson Avenue).

Later, Father Taylor served as associate pastor of St. Catherine of Siena-St. Lucy, Oak Park, and St. Edward Parish. He retired in 1997.

Father Dominic Clemente, pastor of St. Edward Parish, remembered Father Taylor as a kind-hearted, humble and faithful priest. “He would attend Holy Mass daily, even when he couldn’t celebrate the Mass,” Clemente said. “He loved hearing confessions, anointing people and offering pastoral counseling. Being with people and celebrating the sacraments are what gave him life.”

Deacon William John Krueger, 90, died Dec. 17, 2024, in his home in Tucson, Arizona.

He served at St. Mary Parish, Buffalo Grove, and retired in 2018.

Born in Chicago, Deacon Krueger grew up in the Wauconda area, and married his wife, Patricia, in 1951.

Deacon Krueger found his greatest happiness in staying connected to his family, always knowing what everyone was up to and ensuring those he loved felt supported and cherished.

He is survived by Patricia and his children Bill, Claudia, Darcy, Kelly, Dan and Ryan; 14 grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.

Deacon Walter Minor, 90, of Park Ridge, died Dec. 21, 2024. He was ordained in 1978 and served at Our Lady of Ransom Parish, Niles.

Born in Bath, Illinois, Deacon Minor attended Knox College in Galesburg, where he served in the Army Reserve Officers Training Corps. Stationed in Chicago after graduation, he met his wife of 67 years, Eleanor.

He worked in sales and coached his children’s teams in Park Ridge Park District.

He is survived by Eleanor; his children Chris Minor-Hubbell, Laurie Citta and Tracy Sernel; three grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren; as well his siblings Butch Minor and Sharon McNeil.

Felician Sister Mary Ramona (Elizabeth) Dombrowski, 83, died Nov. 14, 2024, in Milwaukee.

Born in Racine, Wisconsin, she joined the Felician Sisters aspirancy in Chicago, where she attended Good Counsel High School. She entered the Felician Sisters postulancy in 1959 and professed her final vows in 1967. 

She ministered in elementary schools as a teacher and principal in Illinois. She also served in leadership positions within the Felician community. Later she ministered in the field of health administration in Milwaukee. 

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she ministered at St. Turibius (1962), St. Hubert, Hoffman Estates (1965-1966), St. Bruno (1966-1967) and Good Counsel High School (1967-1980).

School Sister of St. Francis Antoinette Schreiber, 102, died Nov. 22, 2024, in Milwaukee.

Born in Pierron, Illinois, she was received into the School Sisters of St. Francis in 1940, made her first profession of vows in 1942 and made her final vows in 1948.

Beginning in 1944, Sister Antoinette ministered in Illinois and Wisconsin. In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught (1944-1965) and was principal (1962-1965) at St. Maurice School.

Sister Antoinette retired in 2011 and served in the ministry of prayer and presence in Wisconsin.

Felician Sister Mary Josetta (Phyllis Prondzinski), 87, died Nov. 25, 2024, in Mother of Good Counsel Convent.

Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, she joined the Felician Sisters Postulancy in Chicago in 1955 and professed her final vows in 1967. She ministered in elementary and high schools as a teacher, art instructor and librarian in Illinois, Alabama, Wisconsin and Minnesota. She also served in United Stand Counseling Center as an art therapist and later became an art instructor at the Portage Park  Senior Center in Chicago.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she ministered at St. Joseph (1958-1960), Good Shepherd (1960-1961), St. Wenceslaus (1961-1963), St. Linus, Oak Lawn (1963-1968), St. Joseph High School (1979-1991), Good Counsel High School (1996-2004) and St. Ferdinand (2004-2007).

Sister of Notre Dame de Namur Mary Bridget (Rosemary Patricia) Murphy, 84, died Dec. 7, 2024.

Born in Chicago, she attended St. Peter Canisius School and Notre Dame High School for Girls before entering the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in 1957.

She taught at St. Victor, Calumet City (1962-1966), before being assigned to schools in Ohio, where she completed a master’s degree in education.

In 1972, Sister Mary Bridget began serving as a clinical reading instructor at St. Peter Canisius and St. Robert Bellarmine schools in Chicago, supervising the teachers in the area of reading and teaching them skills to help them help their students. In 1975, she became principal of St. Robert Bellarmine, a post she held for six years.

She returned to Ohio to serve in provincial leadership and secondary education. In 1987, she became principal of Notre Dame High School in Chicago at a time of decreasing enrollment and higher costs, due to fewer sisters on the faculty. She spent the remainder of her professional life ministering to the school and its alumnae.

In 1993, she was appointed president of the school, and in 2003, she became president emeritus.

School Sister of St. Francis Mary Alma Mayer, 97, died Dec. 18, 2024, in Milwaukee.

Born in Michigan, she was received into the School Sisters of St. Francis in 1945, made her first profession of vows in 1947 and made her final vows in 1953.

Beginning in 1947, Sister Mary Alma ministered in Illinois and Wisconsin. In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at St. Martin (1947-1952) and St. Matthias (1956-1979), where she also served as religious education coordinator (1975-1979).

Sister Mary Alma served as the sacristan at St. Joseph Chapel in her community’s Milwaukee motherhouse from 1979 until her retirement in 2015.

Sister Mary Alma is survived by her brother, Rolland Mayer, and her sisters, Janet Wieber and Katherine Coffman.

Sister of the Holy Family of Nazareth Elaine Marie (Deodata) Klugiewicz, 94, died Dec. 10, 2024, in Des Plaines.

Born in Chicago, Sister Elaine Marie joined the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth in 1947 and professed her perpetual vows in 1956. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Loyola University Chicago in 1964 and taught at St. Ann, Assumption BVM and St. Michael, as well as at schools in Texas.

After earning her master’s degree in library science from Rosary College (now Dominican University), River Forest, in 1972, Sister Elaine Marie served as a high school librarian, first at St. Ann and then at Holy Family Academy until 1984.

Sister Elaine Marie was one of the founding core members of the Nazareth House of Prayer in Schiller Park. She also served as director of religious education at St. Patricia, Hickory Hills; and for six years, Sister Elaine Marie was a local superior at Nazarethville Nursing Home. She was part of the formation Community in Grand Prairie, Texas, and later in Chicago. Before retiring to Nazarethville, Sister Elaine Marie ministered as the spiritual guide to the Associates of the Holy Family.

Divine Word Father Frank Drzaic, 90, a missionary in Paraguay and Croatia, died Dec. 17, 2024, in Techny.

Born in Omaha in 1934, he entered the high school seminary in 1949 and professed vows in 1954. He was ordained to the priesthood in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit at Techny in 1962.

For his first assignment, he was sent to Paraguay. During his time in South America, he was based in Hernandarias in Central Paraguay and in the city of Che’íro Kue (Cheiro-Cue), now known as Juan Emiliano O’Leary. He provided pastoral care, built schools and chapels, and started a medical clinic.

After 12 years as a missionary in Paraguay, Father Drzaic faced health issues and returned to the United States. He served in Texas and Mississippi for a decade.

Knowing that Father Drzaic was the son of Croatian parents and knew the language, his superiors then assigned him to the Austrian Province, where he worked in Croatia for three years. Following that appointment, he became a member of the Western Province and served St. Malachy Parish in Los Angeles.

In 1996, he was transferred back to the Chicago Province, where he served as an associate pastor for three parishes in the Archdiocese of Chicago: Holy Trinity Croatian Catholic Church, St. Bronislava and Our Lady of Charity. Coinciding with his pastoral assignments, he was a part-time chaplain at St. Margaret Mercy Health Care Center in Hammond, Indiana; at St. Catherine Hospital in East Chicago, Indiana; and Oak Park Hospital in Oak Park.

Father Drzaic moved to Techny in 2013. Even in retirement, his curious nature led him to learn the Hebrew alphabet, delve deeper into Scripture and practice sacred music on the keyboard.

In addition to his seminary training, Father Drzaic held a bachelor’s degree in linguistics from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

School Sister of St. Francis Dorothy Sinibaldi, 91, died Dec. 23, 2024, in Milwaukee.

Born in New York State, Sister Dorothy was received into the School Sisters of St. Francis in 1953, made her first profession of vows in 1955 and made her final vows in 1961.

Beginning in 1955, Sister Dorothy ministered in Illinois, New York, and Wisconsin. In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at St. Joseph School, Waukegan (1964-1967 and 1970-1974); and at St. Peter School, Skokie (1967-1970).

In retirement, Sister Dorothy ministered as a volunteer and through her prayer and presence in New York and in Wisconsin.

Father John S. Plotkowski, 76, died Nov. 25. He was a retired priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago and former pastor of St. Zachary Parish, Des Plaines.

Born in Chicago, Father Plotkowski attended Quigley Preparatory Seminary, Niles College of Loyola University and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary before being ordained in 1974.

Father Plotkowski was associate pastor of St. Marcelline, Schaumburg; St. Stephen Protomartyr, Des Plaines; Our Lady of Hope, Rosemont; and St. Mary, Buffalo Grove.

From 1982 to 1986, Plotkowski was on the faculty of Quigley Preparatory Seminary. He also served as pastor of St. Simeon, Bellwood, and St. Zachary. He retired in 2018.

Father Marcel J. Pasciak, retired archdiocesan priest and one of Plotkowski’s classmates, remembered Father Plotkowski as a very personable, outgoing man who “was well-liked by everybody and very lively.”

Marianist Father Timothy Dwyer, 89, died Nov. 18 in San Antonio. He had been a member of the congregation for 70 years.

Born in St. Louis, he first encountered the Marianists at DeAndreis High School there and entered the novitiate after graduating. He made his first vows in 1954.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in 1957, he taught high school in Texas and then in Switzerland, where he entered the Marianist seminary in 1964.

After being ordained in 1968, he taught and was a chaplain at St. Michael High School in Chicago, and then in a school in Texas. He then started to do retreat work, religious formation and provincial administration.

He ministered in Missouri, Texas, New Jersey and Ontario, Canada, including seven years as provincial superior of the St. Louis Province.

Benedictine Sister Margaret Ann (Mary Denis) Holtz, 92, died Nov. 30 in St. Joseph Court, the infirmary of St. Scholastica Monastery. She was a member of the Benedictine community for 74 years.

Born in Pennsylvania, Sister Margaret Ann visited her aunt Sister Gertrude Holtz, OSB, on a family trip to Chicago. She entered the Benedictine Sisters of Chicago in 1950.

For decades, Sister Margaret Ann taught primary grades at schools throughout the Archdiocese of Chicago, including Queen of All Saints, St. John Nepomucene, St. George and St. Hilary, where she also served as assistant principal. She also taught at Mother of God School, Waukegan; and in Colorado.

As was the practice in religious communities at the time, Sister Margaret Ann took college courses while teaching; in 1964, she earned a bachelor’s degree from DePaul University.

In the late 1970s, Sister Margaret Ann moved from teaching into positions of financial responsibility for both schools and community. She served in the business office of St. Scholastica Academy, Chicago, eventually becoming treasurer. Her ministry also included an appointment as treasurer of the Benedictine Sisters of Chicago. In her later years, Sister Margaret Ann coordinated monastery resources and housekeeping staff.

Father Philip C. Cleary, 71, died Nov. 3 in Mexico. He was a retired priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago and former associate pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish on Hermitage Avenue.

Born in Chicago, Father Cleary attended Quigley Preparatory Seminary, Niles College of Loyola University and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary in Mundelein before being ordained in 1979.

He then served as associate pastor at St. Boniface Parish and Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish. From 1982 to 1984, Father Cleary served as president of the Association of Chicago Priests and was elected to the National Federation of Priest Councils Executive Board in 1983.

During that time, Father Cleary learned about Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH), a nonprofit organization that cares for orphaned and abandoned children in Latin America and the Caribbean. His initial plan was to volunteer for one summer at NPH’s main orphanage in Mexico, he told people, but he ended up making a lifelong commitment to the children of NPH.

Father Cleary served as national director of NPH Mexico before becoming executive director of NPH International. He resided at NPH’s main home in Miacatlán, Morelos, Mexico. He later became chaplain for the Diocese of Cuernavaca in Mexico and retired in 2023.

Joliet Bishop Ronald Hicks, one of Cleary’s closest friends, remembers Father Cleary as a mentor, role model and friend who “lived life with great dedication.” Bishop Hicks spent a year in Mexico volunteering for one of NPH’s orphanages before entering Mundelein Seminary.

“He (Father Cleary) not only provided spiritual guidance but also a real dedication to the mission of improving the children’s lives,” Hicks said. “Because of watching his priesthood and how he lived it, he inspired me to enter the priesthood myself.”

Father Daniel J. Collins, 93, died Nov. 16. He was a retired priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago and former pastor of St. John Vianney Parish, Northlake.

Born in Chicago, he attended Quigley Preparatory Seminary in Chicago and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary before being ordained in 1958.

Father Collins served as assistant pastor of St. Francis Borgia; St. Issac Jogues, Niles; Our Lady of Mount Carmel; and St. Christopher Parish, Midlothian. He then served as associate pastor of St. Leonard, Berwyn, and later as pastor of St. John Vianney.