Mercy Sister Mary Joan (Joseph Marie) Lang, 90, died Jan. 6.

Born in Iowa, she followed her sister, Sister Mary Avellino, into the Sisters of Mercy, entering the community in 1957 and professing perpetual vows in 1965.

For more than 30 years, Sister Joan taught in various parochial schools in Park Forest, Des Plaines, Park Ridge and Chicago, as well as in Iowa. She also was assistant principal at Mary, Seat of Wisdom School, Park Ridge, from 1970 to 1978.

Sister Joan went into pastoral care in 1994, serving at St. Benedict Home in Niles. Six years later, however, she returned to teaching, serving as a part-time substitute at St. Angela. She stayed at St. Angela for nearly 15 years, teaching part-time as well as assisting as support staff.

Jesuit Father Charles “Chuck” W. Niehaus, 75, died Jan. 10 in Clarkston, Michigan.

Born in Cincinnati, he was ordained in 1972 and spent his life in pastoral ministry to the Latino community, including at Holy Family (Roosevelt Road) (1976-1983), St. Ignatius Parish (1992-1995) and St. Procopius (1995-2003, 2012-2013).

Father Niehaus spoke and worked in Spanish without ever having lived in a Spanish-speaking country. During formation, he participated in the “Horizons for Justice” program in which North American Jesuits spent some weeks in Latin America to directly experience situations of social injustice.

He is survived by a brother, William, and sisters Clarissa and Carol.

Daughter of Charity Sister Margaret (Margaret Catherine) Polheber, 91, died Jan. 10 in Evansville, Indiana.

Born in Chicago, Sister Margaret graduated from Jones Commercial High School in 1947 and entered the Daughters of Charity in St. Louis in 1951.

Sister Margaret worked in the business offices and as an administrator at hospitals in Tennessee, Indiana, California, Texas and Wisconsin.

In 1975, she was missioned to Chicago, where she served as a parish visitor at St. Patrick Parish for two years and then did outreach to the elderly with St. Vincent de Paul Senior Services until 1981.

She then became provincial treasurer in Evansville and later served in a variety of ministries in Alabama, Tennessee and Maryland, in addition to Indiana.

Father Joseph E. Auer, 89, died Dec. 14. He was a retired priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago and former associate pastor of St. Linus Parish, Oak Lawn.

Born in Pittsburgh, he moved to the Chicago area and attended St. Edmund School, Oak Park; Quigley Preparatory Seminary; and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary before being ordained in 1957.

He was assistant pastor of St. Thomas More; St. Angela; Most Holy Redeemer, Evergreen Park; and St. Bridget. He was pastor of St. Catherine Laboure, Glenview, and associate pastor of St. Ferdinand; Queen of the Universe; St. Theresa, Palatine; and St. Linus.

Father William Finnegan, pastor emeritus of Our Lady of the Woods, said he will miss his classmate with whom he was blessed to live at the Bishop Timothy Lyne Residence for the past three years.

“Joe was always a very friendly parish priest,” Finnegan said. “He loved being with people and he dedicated his life to that end. He had a wonderful smile and was very humble and gentle.”

Father Thomas M. Dore, 85, died Dec. 17. A retired priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago, he was pastor emeritus of St. Giles Parish, Oak Park.

Born in Chicago, he attended Our Lady of Victory School, Quigley Preparatory Seminary and the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary before being ordained in 1961.

He was assistant pastor of St. Hubert, Hoffman Estates; St. Priscilla; and St. Justin the Martyr.

Father Dore also served as associate director of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine and associate pastor of St. Cyprian, River Grove. He was then pastor of Our Lady of Ransom, Niles, and St. Giles, Oak Park, where he served until he retired in 2009.

Father Daniel Coughlin, retired archdiocesan priest, met Father Dore in high school and their friendship grew through the years.

“He was a faithful and loyal friend, very compassionate to people in need and searching for more of Christ in their lives,” Coughlin said.