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Obituaries

Pray For Them

Fr. William Murphy

PASTOR, TEACHER

Father William P. Murphy, 93, pastor emeritus of Queen of Martyrs Parish in Evergreen Park, died May 22 at Little Company of Mary Hospital, Evergreen Park. He was in residence at Queen of Martyrs rectory at the time of his death.

A Chicago native of Irish decent, Father Murphy graduated from Visitation Grade School and St. Rita High School. He graduated from the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary in 1943 and was ordained that year.

Father Murphy served as assistant pastor at St. Gertrude Parish in Rogers Park (1943-53). From 1946 to 1953, he was chairman of the religion department at Mundelein College for women on North Sheridan Road.

In 1953, he began a 10-year assignment as assistant pastor of the now-closed St. Leo Parish, and served as chaplain at Leo High School from 1958 to 1964.

For 10 years beginning in 1963, Father Murphy served two Northwest Side parishes, St. Monica and St. Robert Bellarmine, as assistant pastor, serving each for five years.

Father Murphy was named pastor of Queen of Martyrs Parish in 1973. Under his leadership the parish retired an inherited debt of $600,000 and added $200,000 in paid improvements.

Sr. Carmelle Darr

TEACHER

School Sister of St. Francis Carmelle Darr, 82, died May 6 at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights.

She was received into the School Sisters of St. Francis in 1951 and lived her religious ministry in Illinois and Wisconsin. In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at St. James, Arlington Heights (1956-67 and 1968-97) and Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Glenview (1967-68). Sister Carmelle also served as a tutor at St. James (1997-2009).

Sister Carmelle is survived by her sisters Ruth Siegler and Helen Weiler, and her brothers Robert and Edward Darr.

Fr. Norman St. John

URBAN PRIEST

Divine Word Missionary Father Norman St. John, 76, died May 10, in Bordentown, N.J.

Father St. John, who served in parishes in Illinois and New Jersey, sought creative ways to help urban parishioners.

Born in Utica, N.Y., he entered the congregation in 1952.

He was ordained to the priesthood in 1962 at Techny, and the same year earned a licentiate in canon law from the Gregorian University in Rome. He taught canon law and moral theology Divine Word College in Techny until 1968. Then Father St. John was assigned to St. Anselm on Chicago’s South Side. In 1971, he moved to St. Sabina and later St. Elizabeth, the city’s oldest African-American parish. In 1973, he was elected to the Association of Chicago Priests and headed the committee to develop guidelines for supply priests, traveling clergy who can fill in for pastors.

In 1975, Father St. John was transferred to New Jersey, where he was assigned to Our Lady of the Divine Shepherd in Trenton. Three times — in 1985, 1993 and 1996 — he was elected rector of the Society of the Divine Word’s Bordentown Community.

Father St. John is survived by three brothers: Walter, Eugene and Howard.

Sr. Mildred Thompson

TEACHER, AUTHOR

Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Mildred (Robard) Thompson, 79, died May 10 in Mobile, Ala.

Sister Mildred made her first religious profession as a Sinsinawa Dominican in 1950.

She worked in elementary and junior high and high schools for 25 years, and served in higher education for 14 years. Sister Mildred is the author of “Ida B. Wells-Barnett: An Exploratory Study of an American Black Woman, 1893- 1930.”

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, Sister Mildred taught at Rosary College (now Dominican University), River Forest (1974- 77 and 1978- 81).

Sr. Marie Sean Sheehy

TEACHER, TUTOR

Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Marie Sean Sheehy, 84, died May 13, in Sinsinawa, Wis.

Sister Marie Sean made her first religious profession as a Sinsinawa Dominican in 1945. She taught elementary and junior high school for 41 years and served as a tutor for seven years. She ministered as a director of religious education for two years. Her ministries took her to Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Colorado and Iowa.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, Sister Marie Sean taught at Immaculate Conception, (1951-53); St. Luke, River Forest (1953-55); St. Mary, Evanston (1967-68); and St. Thomas the Apostle (1972-73). She served as a tutor at St. Thomas More (1988- 89); St. Martin de Porres High School, Waukegan (2004-05); and St. Edmund, Oak Park (2005-09).

She is survived by a sister, Joan Kathryn Barlow.