In Memoriam
We give thanks for the following Jesuits who have gone home to God.
Fr. Benjamin J. Urmston, SJ
September 20, 1925 – June 10, 2024
“Not a day would be complete in the Xavier University office of the Dorothy Day Center for Faith and Justice, and at the prayers of the faithful at daily Mass, and on Zoom calls, without Ben articulating and promoting world peace. The day he moved to Colombiere, the activity director came by to welcome him. She asked him in what activities he wanted to engage. She was expecting to hear activities such as card games, exercise, singing, reading, et cetera. She was a bit stunned when he told her ‘world peace’ and that was that.”
English and Latin teacher at the University of Detroit Jesuit High School; English and theology teacher at St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati; associate pastor of St. Robert Bellarmine Chapel, member of campus ministry staff, adjunct professor of theology (focusing his teachings on international issues, human rights and non-violent solutions to the problems of the world) at Creighton University; founded and served as coordinator of Peace and Justice Programs, began weekly radio talk show “Faith and Justice Forum,” helped establish the interdisciplinary peace studies minor, director of newly formed Dorothy Day Center for Faith and Justice, which would oversee the Peace and Justice programs, active in the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility and the Justice Across Campus Committee at Xavier University; consultant to the National Jesuit Committee on Corporate Responsibility; missioned to Colombiere Center.
Fr. Thomas N. Schloemer, SJ
July 30, 1935 – June 18, 2024
“Tom’s life was centered on the Eucharist. He loved being a priest. He carefully prepared his homilies and applied the Word of God to the realities people were facing in their lives. He preached numerous retreats at Demontreville and Oshkosh and was a spiritual director to priests, women religious and lay people. He enjoyed living in residence halls at Creighton and Marquette, where he was a popular academic advisor. His quiet bearing and keen listening were much appreciated.”
Latin teacher at Campion Jesuit High School in Prairie du Chien, Wis.; principal of Marquette University High School in Milwaukee; minister of the Creighton Preparatory School Jesuit Community in Omaha, and later president of the school; socius to the Wisconsin Provincial; associate/acting pastor at St. John’s Parish in Omaha, St. Patrick’s Church in Elkhorn, Neb., and Church of the Gesu in Milwaukee; minister to priests of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee; associate pastor and pastor at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Mankato, Minn.; assistant to the vice president for university relations, director of alumni relations, campus minister and academic advisor at Marquette University; assistant to the president and academic advisor at Creighton University; missioned to St. Camillus.
Fr. L. Harold Sanford, SJ
March 16, 1940 – June 24, 2024
“Harry was a quiet and gentle man who took very seriously Jesus’ words as stated in chapter twenty-five of Matthew’s Gospel: ‘For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’ These words focused Harry’s ministry, whether as a teacher, sacramental and pastoral minister, or nurse. He was able to recognize Jesus Christ in everyone he encountered, and he wanted to care for them to the best of his abilities.”
Chemistry and biology teacher at Rockhurst High School in Kansas City, Mo.; science and relgion teacher at St. John’s College in Belize City, Belize; science teacher at Saint Louis University High School in St. Louis; completed nursing school and worked as a registered nurse at the Fusz Pavilion Jesuit Community in St. Louis, and the Westwind Campus of Care in Pueblo, Colo., where he also served in pastoral ministry at Mount Carmel/Saint Anne Parish; nurse and staff member at Colombiere Center, where he provided excellent care to the Jesuits for more than 20 years; transcribed from the Missouri Province into the Chicago-Detroit Province; missioned to Colombiere Center.
Fr. Terrence A. Baum, SJ
August 28, 1951 – July 29, 2024
“Terry, a devoted priest and Jesuit, was a great proponent of secondary education and the effect caring high school teachers, coaches and administrators can have on the minds and hearts of teenagers. In his various roles in secondary education, he was able to help high school students envision a positive future filled with God’s graces.”
Chemistry teacher at Saint Ignatius College Prep in Chicago; formation staff member at Loyola House Novitiate in Berkley, Mich.; academic assistant principal at St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati; JSSAP Program participant at Fordham University; acting socius to Chicago Provincial; headmaster at Xavier High School in New York, NY, and Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Ill.; president of Rockhurst High School in Kansas City, Mo., where he oversaw fundraising efforts that generated $41.3 million in contributions, which allowed capital improvements including the Loyola Center athletic complex, a dining commons, and interactive classrooms; also started the Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Program at Rockhurst High School, the first STEM school in Kansas or Missouri, and wrote the school’s Alma Mater, which is still in use today; chaplain, member of the advancement department, director of Ignatian programs, and member of the campus ministry department at St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati; missioned to St. Camillus to care for his health.
To read the full obituaries of Jesuits who have gone home to God, visit us at www.jesuitsmidwest.org/In-Memoriam
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Photo: Marrisa Linden