Issue of September 26, 2004

Fr. William Buhrfeind

Pastor emeritus

Father William Buhrfeind, 91, pastor emeritus of the Northwest suburban parish of St. Raymond de Penafort, died Sept. 18, following a brief stay at Franciscan Village in Lemont. He had lung cancer.

Retired since 1979, Father Buhrfeind continued to serve parishioners at St. Gerald Parish in Oak Lawn, where he resided until his death. He also served for a time as chaplain at Monticello Americana Home in Oak Lawn.

Father Buhrfeind was ordained by Cardinal George Mundelein in 1938 after graduating from Quigley Preparatory Seminary and the University of St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein. He served as assistant pastor at St. Matthias for three years beginning in 1938 and then served briefly at St. Joseph Parish in Waukegan.

In 1942, he began a 12-year term as assistant pastor at Sacred Heart Parish in Chicago. The parish, now closed, served a predominantly German population at the time. In 1954, he became the assistant pastor of St. Mary Parish, in Des Plaines, where he served for seven years before being named to the same position at St. Francis Xavier Parish in Wilmette.

He was made pastor of St. James Parish in Maywood in 1965 and served there for six years before being named pastor of St. Raymond de Penafort in Mt. Prospect. He was pastor there for eight years prior to his retirement.

Father Buhrfeind loved being in a parish and doing parish work, and so after volunteering for a few years in Arkansas as a retired priest, he spent his remaining 22 years at St. Gerald Parish, assisting wherever he could. His classmate, Fr. John Mackin, remembers his fondness for working with converts to Catholicism. He had a great tenor voice and was an avid golfer.

He is survived by a sister, Genevieve Rafa, who resides at Franciscan Village in Lemont, and by many nieces and nephews.

Sr. Clementia Krolikowski

Teacher

Sister of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis Mary Clementia Krolikowski died Sept. 14 in Immaculata Congregational Home, Bartlett. She was a long-time teacher at Lourdes High School and St. Mary of Perpetual Help High School (now closed).

Sr. Rose Therese Welp

Educator

Sister of Providence Rose Therese Mathilda Welp, 81, died Sept. 12. Born in Huntingburg, Ind., she entered the Congregation of the Sisters of Providence in 1939. She professed her first vows in 1942, and her final vows in 1948.

She was an educator and taught in schools staffed by the Sisters of Providence in several states. In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at St. David, in the Bridgeport neighborhood, from 1948-57.

Sr. Othilia Wozniak

Educator/health care

Sister of the Holy Family of Nazareth Othilia Wozniak, 94, died Sept. 10. She was a member of the congregation for nearly 78 years. She ministered in the field of education for more than 30 years. She taught at St. Josaphat, Immaculate Heart of Mary, St. Frances of Rome, Holy Trinity, and St. Ladislaus schools in Chicago.

She spent 29 years at Holy Family Medical Center in cardiology and outpatient services.

She is survived by several nieces and nephews.

Sr. Estelle Kilbane

Teacher

Dominican Sister Estelle Kilbane died Sept. 4. A Dominican of St. Catharine, Ky., for 72 years, she served as a teacher, parish minister, librarian and assistant principal at St. John Berchmans, Chicago. She also taught at Our Lady of Peace; St. Michael, Orland Park; and Our Lady of the Wayside, Arlington Heights.

She is survived by her sister, Dominican Sister Patricia Kilbane of Chicago, and several nieces and nephews.

Sr. Imeldine Litoborski

Dietician/teacher

Felician Sister Mary Imeldine Litoborski, 89, died Aug. 27 at Our Lady of the Angels Convent in Chicago. She had been a member of the congregation for 71 years.

She spent most of her career as director of food services in health care facilities sponsored by the Felician Sisters in Milwaukee. Prior to that, she was a teacher in the Archdiocese of Chicago. She taught at Holy Innocents, 1933-34; St. Bruno, 1935-36; Sacred Heart, 1936-38; St. Mary Magdalen, South Chicago, 1938-43; Good Counsel High School, 1947-53 and 1954-55; and St. Joseph High School (S. Hermitage), 1955-56.

In 1948, while at Good Counsel High School, Sister Imeldine initiated the International Cord Rosary Crusade with the students as a means of adding action to a prominent devotion. Cord rosaries were made by students and sent all over the world in order to promote peace. The Cord Rosary Center continues today, and in April 2003, reached a milestone of 7 million rosaries distributed worldwide.

Sr. Victoria Lipinski

Service ministries/teacher

Felician Sister Mary Victoria Lipinski, 84, died Aug. 27 at Our Lady of the Angels Convent in Chicago. She had been a Felician Sister for 62 years.

She spent most of her career in service ministries within the congregation. In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at St. John of God, 1944-46, and supervised the boys at St. Hedwig Orphanage in Niles, 1948-49. She served as community portress at the Felician Sisters Provincialate from 1951-54, 1956-66, and 1969-75.

Sr. Crispin Curley

principal/prioress provincial

Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Crispin Curley, 75, died Aug. 7. A Chicago native, she made her first profession as a Sinsinawa Dominican in 1953, and her final profession in 1956. She was a high school chemistry teacher and principal for 13 years, and a member of the school’s professional staffs for 11 years.

She served as prioress provincial of the Northwest Province of the Sinsinawa Dominicans for four years. She served in several states.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she was a member of the professional staff and a science teacher from 1963-68 at Visitation High School, Chicago. She was principal at St. Thomas the Apostle from 1972-77; and principal at Trinity High School, River Forest, from 1982-86. She worked in development at Queen of Peace High School, Burbank, from 1988-89.

Sr. Beatrice Frampton

teacher

Daughter of Charity Sarah Beatrice Frampton, 80, died July 25. A Chicago native, she was one of six children. She graduated from St. Patrick High School in Chicago in 1942, and entered the Daughters of Charity that same year. She taught at schools in several states and then served as a parish minister.