November 7, 2009

Father Edmond Perjak, 83

Posted: 09.18.09

FORT WALTON BEACH | Father Edmond J. Perjak, 83, died in Fort Walton Beach Sept. 3. Born in 1925 in St. Louis to Adam and Rose Perjak, he was raised on a farm in Illinois with his two brothers, Raymond and Jerome, and sister Frances. His brother Edward died before Father Perjak was born, and all except Raymond have predeceased him.

Father Perjak was drafted into the Naval Reserves at the age of 19 and served honorably until his discharge. He then worked for Wagnor Electric until entering the Benedictine Monastery, where he completed five-year vows before entering St. Mary’s College and Seminary, and Sts. Cyril and Methodius Seminary in Michigan. He was ordained a priest May 13, 1967, at St. Maur Seminary in South Union, Ky., by Bishop Albert Zuroweste of Belleville, Ill.

After ordination he was assigned to various parishes in the Belleville Diocese, where he served for 25 years as pastor and parochial vicar at various parishes. From 1974 to 1977, Father Perjak served in various ministries in the Diocese of St. Augustine and the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee. He retired in 1992 and moved permanently to Florida.

Surviving are his brother, Raymond; sister-in-law, Helen; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

The Mass of Christian Burial for Father Perjak was celebrated Sept. 9 at St. Mary Parish in Fort Walton Beach, with Bishop John H. Ricard, SSJ, presiding. Msgr. Michael Cherup delivered the homily. Interment was at Barrancas National Cemetery, Pensacola. Memorial donations may be directed to St. Mary Catholic Church Outreach, 110 St. Mary Ave., Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548.

Father Carl Bagge, 80

Posted: 09.18.09

PANAMA CITY BEACH | Father Carl John Bagge, 80, a Missionary of Our Lady of La Salette, died Aug. 20 at Bay Medical Center in Panama City. Father Bagge, the son of Axel R. Bagge and Nora T. Coyle Bagge, was born in Springfield, Mass., on Sept. 25, 1928. He attended schools in Springfield and St. Thomas Seminary in Bloomfield, Conn., from 1946 to 1949. He entered the La Salette Novitiate in Bloomfield in 1949 and was ordained to the priesthood May 5, 1956, at La Salette Shrine in Ipswich, Mass., by Bishop Paul M. Girouard.

After serving briefly as assistant shrine director at the La Salette Shrines in Altamont, N.Y., and Ipswich, he was appointed assistant pastor at Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in Hartford, Conn., in 1959. Three years later he was named vocation director for the province and served in this capacity until 1966 when he was named director of the La Salette Minor Seminary in Cheshire, Conn.

In 1968, Father Bagge became a chaplain and captain in the U.S. Air Force. His ministry took him to Vietnam, Turkey, the Philippines and Germany, in addition to various bases in the U.S. After his retirement from service, Father Bagge assisted at St. Bernadette Parish in Panama City Beach.

He is survived by his sisters-in-law, Phyllis Bagge, Mary Bagge and Stephanie Bagge; and many nieces and nephews.

The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Aug. 24 at St. Bernadette Parish with Father David Oshea officiating. Burial followed at Garden of Memories Cemetery with military honors.

Father Joseph Caffrey, 70

Posted: 08.07.09

PENSACOLA | The Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee received word that Father Joseph Patrick Caffrey died July 22 at St. Francis Hospice in Dublin, Ireland, following a short illness.

Father Caffrey was born Feb. 11, 1939, one of nine children born to James Patrick and Mary Gaynor Caffrey in Dublin. Following his education at Irish Christian Brothers Schools in Ireland, he attended Mount St. Mary Seminary (Marist Fathers) in Dublin, and Marist College in Washington, D.C. He was ordained a priest Feb. 2, 1963, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington by Bishop Thomas Wade, Society of Mary. Father Caffrey spent most of his priesthood in the Archdiocese of Atlanta, and was incardinated a priest of the Pensacola-Tallahassee Diocese in 1998.

The funeral Mass for Father Caffrey was celebrated July 25 at St. Mochta Parish in Porterstown, County Meath, Ireland. Burial was in Balgriffen Cemetery in the Marist Fathers’ plot, next to his brother, Marist Father Seamus Caffrey. Another Caffrey brother also became a priest, Holy Ghost Father Frank Caffrey.

Bishop John H. Ricard, SSJ, was the principal celebrant at a memorial Mass Aug. 1 at St. Sylvester Parish in Tiger Point, which was concelebrated by priests of the diocese.

Condolences may be sent to Father Caffrey’s brother, Brendan Caffrey, 23 Kinvara Park, Dublin 7 Ireland. Memorial donations may be sent to St. Sylvester Parish, which will forward the donations to St. Francis Hospice in memory of Father Caffrey.

Father Augustine Thanh Hue Nguyen, 80

Posted: 05.21.09

PENSACOLA | St. Thomas More Church was filled May 16 with the friends and family of Father Augustine Thanh Hue Nguyen, 80. They came to pray their goodbyes to the man who had been their spiritual father since he arrived from Vietnam in 1985.

Bishop John H. Ricard, SSJ, presided at the Mass of Christian Burial. Priests from across the diocese and beyond came to concelebrate and pay their last respects to their friend and mentor.

In his homily, Bishop Ricard recalled, “Father Augustine was ever faithful to God’s call, winter or summer, day or night, in reward or in rejection. He understood that the sole purpose of his being was to follow Christ wherever that led him, and for whatever purpose Christ intended, for he knew that it was in following him that he would find his greatest joy and happiness.” MORE...

Msgr. William Aloysius Kerr Jr.

Posted: 05.19.09

TALLAHASSEE | Msgr. William A. Kerr suffered a stroke on Sunday, May 3, shortly after he completed his homily during Mass at the Co–Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Tallahassee. He died Wednesday, May 13, 2009. Born September 22, 1940 in St. Louis, Missouri, to the late William A. Kerr and the late Dolores J. Moore Kerr, Msgr. Kerr was ordained a priest March 26, 1966 by Cardinal Joseph Ritter in St. Louis, Missouri. In addition to a bachelor’s degree from Cardinal Glennon College Seminary and a Sacred Theology Licentiate from the Catholic University of America, Msgr. Kerr earned a master’s degree in International Affairs from the School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University and a Ph.D. in American History from Florida State University. He was named a monsignor in October 1980.

Beginning his priestly ministry in St. Louis, Msgr. Kerr was associate pastor of St. Mary Magdalene Parish there. Following graduate studies at Catholic University, he returned to St. Louis where he was assigned as associate pastor at St. Pius V Parish. From 1971 to 1975 he served as associate pastor and administrator of St. Thomas More Parish in Tallahassee, Florida, while the parish was part of the Diocese of St. Augustine. In 1975, with the establishment of the Diocese of Pensacola–Tallahassee, St. Thomas More became the Co–Cathedral of the new diocese and Msgr. Kerr served as rector until 1984. He also served as Director of Vocations providing the young diocese with its first priests.

From 1984 – 1992, Msgr. Kerr served as vice–president of the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. In 1992, he assumed the presidency of LaRoche College in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a post he held until 2004. In 2004, he returned to the nation’s capital to become the executive director of the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center. In 2006 he returned to Tallahassee to become the executive director of the Claude Pepper Center for Intercultural Dialogue at the Florida State University. In April of 2009, he was appointed president of John Paul II High School in Tallahassee while continuing his service at Florida State.

Msgr. Kerr was a dynamic, committed priest and global citizen, who ministered to the weak and the powerful in equal measure. He saw the greatness in each person with whom he interacted and helped them believe in their own greatness. He was a highly regarded teacher and scholar whose original work contributed to historical understanding. While his life was short, he lived it fully and well, working tirelessly on behalf of a peaceful world. Two of the many notable initiatives that emerged through Msgr. Kerr’s remarkable vision were the “Pacem in Terris Institute” at LaRoche College in Pittsburgh and the “Dialogue Initiative” at Florida State University in Tallahassee, aimed at fostering hope for the young people of the world and promoting global understanding.

The body of Msgr. Kerr will be received on Monday, May 18th at the Co–Cathedral of St. Thomas More at 6 p.m. followed by visitation and viewing from 6:15 p.m. to 7 p.m. Evening Prayer with Bishop John H. Ricard, priests and gathered community will begin at 7:15 p.m. followed by viewing until 10 p.m. The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Tuesday, May 19th at 10 a.m.with Bishop Ricard celebrating followed by the burial at Roselawn Cemetery next to his beloved parents. A reception and lunch will follow the burial at the Alumni Center at Florida State University, Woodward and Tennessee Street.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: John Paul II Catholic High School, 5100 Terrebone Dr.. Tallahassee, FL 32311 or to the Co–Cathedral of St. Thomas More to establish and sustain the Msgr. William A. Kerr Memorial Fund; P.O. Box 2395 Tallahassee, FL 32316.

Coach Ronald “Robo” Robison, 54

Posted: 05.19.09

PENSACOLA | Ronald Robison, 54, Coach “Robo” to his students and players, died May 7 following a courageous 29-month battle with cancer. Coach Robo had taught and coached for nine years at Pensacola Catholic High School after retiring from the military. Robison served in the U.S. Navy, achieving the rank of Master Chief Petty Officer, during Operation Desert Storm and Operation Desert Shield.

Remembered as a friend who would “laugh at his own jokes,” Robison coached the varsity girls’ basketball team. He will be remembered also for wearing green each Friday to bolster school spirit.

Robison is survived by his wife, Linda, and their children Ronica, Reagan, Ronald III, Riley and Ramsey.

The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated by Father Joe Callipare May 11 at St. John the Evangelist Parish, Warrington, where the Robisons are members. Internment was at Barrancas National Cemetery.

Memorial donations may be directed to the Pensacola Catholic High School Scholarship Foundation, P.O. Drawer 13284, Pensacola, FL 32591-3284.

Sister Rose Germaine Guettler, 96

Posted: 01.30.09

Dominican Sister Rose Germaine Guettler, founding principal in 1952 of Trinity Catholic School (formerly Blessed Sacrament School) died last fall at the age of 96. The obituary from the Dominican Sisters is excerpted here.

ADRIAN, Mich. | At the celebration of Sister Rose Germaine Guettler’s golden jubilee, one of her nieces described Sister Guettler’s life as “lived to build, to bring healing to others, to create beauty and love, and to make things a little better.” She described her aunt as “a warm, loving woman filled with kindness, sympathy, humility, understanding and unbounded love of children.”

The woman given such high praise was a daughter of Edward Adam and Marie Elizabeth (Ritten) Guettler, the eighth of their 10 surviving children. Born on Feb. 2, 1912, in Cologne, Minn., she was baptized Germaine Mary. When she was 12, the family moved to Fort Pierce, where her father became manager of an ice cream factory.

For her last year in elementary school, she attended a public school and worked after school at the factory. Her parents enrolled her at Rosarian Academy in West Palm Beach for her high school years.

For several years she had cherished a desire to become a religious sister, but not a sister in black – the only sisters she had known. She wanted to wear white. When the Guettlers arrived at Rosarian Academy on Sept. 19, 1926, and an Adrian Dominican Sister – a sister wearing a white habit – answered the door, the girl was delighted. She immediately decided to enter the Adrian Congregation, and she did so that very day. As a postulant she taught part-time at St. Ann, also in West Palm Beach, and lived and studied at Rosarian until May, then went to Adrian, Mich., to finish the postulate. On Aug. 4, 1927, she received the habit and her religious name, and entered the novitiate.

At 15, Sister Guettler was sent to St. Gabriel School in Detroit where she taught first grade. She spent the next year in Adrian as a novice and professed her first vows Aug. 6, 1929. Her first assignment as a professed sister was again in Florida, where her entire ministerial life was spent.

During the summers she studied at Barry College (now University) in Miami and in June 1942 received a bachelor’s degree in English. In 1952, she received a master’s degree in education from the University of Florida and became superior and principal at Blessed Sacrament in Tallahassee, teaching third and fourth grades.

By the opening of school in 1953, the enrollment had doubled. Sister Guettler was invited to sit in on all the board meetings of the public schools. The public school system had given a thousand books to the Blessed Sacrament School Library, and Blessed Sacrament was known as the “reading school.” After six years at Blessed Sacrament, Sister Guettler was assigned to St. Joseph in Miami Beach, working with middle school and junior high students. She taught classes at Barry College.

In 1961 she was assigned as supervisor of the Adrian Dominican Schools in Florida, with her residence at Rosarian Academy. Beginning with 1968, Sister Guettler served the Archdiocese of Miami as a supervisor and assistant superintendent of schools. Then for two years she served as reading consultant at St. Anastasia in Fort Pierce. In 1973 she again took on the responsibility of administration at St. Helen in Vero Beach. She served seven years as principal, then five years as a special reading teacher there.

Sister Guettler returned to Trinity Catholic School (originally Blessed Sacrament) in Tallahassee in 1988 and spent 15 years there as a part-time special reading teacher. She retired in 2003 at the age of 91, and continued living for a year in Tallahassee. In failing health in 2004, she returned to Adrian. Sister Guettler died Oct. 24, 2008.

Sister Dorothy Guettler, Sister Guettler’s niece, said in part at the Oct. 27 wake-remembrance service in Adrian, “The nieces and nephews always called Sister ‘Aunt Germaine.’ She had 77 nieces and nephews, and 71 are still living. We all waited for the times that Aunt Germaine would come for her home visit. After I entered, Aunt Germaine would be my companion. We both loved to go fishing and crabbing. One time when we went fishing, there was a ditch filled with water that we had to cross. We looked at it and Aunt Germaine said, “Take off your shoes, pull up your skirts and let’s cross over.” We did that and we had a successful time of fishing. She was one in a million. We all loved her very much and were so proud that she was our aunt. We will all miss her terribly.”

Sister Guettler’s funeral liturgy was celebrated Oct. 28.

 

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