This past week we held a wake and Funeral Mass for Fr. John Pawlikowski, O.S.M., who had been a member of the Servite Community at Assumption for over thirty years. His real job was Professor of Social Ethics at Catholic Theological Union in Hyde Park, but he generously assisted with Sunday morning Masses at Assumption as long as his health permitted. His homilies brought a different perspective to the Scriptures, since he was in touch with the role that faith leaders were playing in justice issues around the world.  He was particularly sensitive to the Anti-Semitic elements in the Christian tradition. Through the years, he was a presenter at our Lenten speaker series on some of his chief interests—Judaism Today, Christian-Jewish Relations and Care for Creation. He was visible at the Italian dinners and other social events, and even after he stopped presiding at Mass, he would occasionally give the homily. Hailing from a Polish-American family in Chicago, he loved his pierogis and sausages to the end. What many of us may not realize is that he was the closest thing we had to an international celebrity in our midst. His wake and funeral drew scholars and faith leaders from many different denominations.

To provide a better idea of Fr. John’s reputation and accomplishments, let me simply quote from a statement issued by Fr. Enzo Del Brocco, C.P., President of Catholic Theological Union, where Fr. John taught for nearly fifty years: “Although I had only a brief opportunity to know John personally during my first year as President, . . . it became quickly clear to me that John’s life and work have become an enduring part of CTU’s identity and one of the defining ways our institution is recognized within the global community of interreligious dialogue.

“As one of CTU’s founding faculty members, John helped shape this institution from its earliest years while contributing significantly to the development of Catholic theology in the decades following the Second Vatican Council. Over nearly five decades of teaching, he formed generations of students, scholars, and religious leaders, among them Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, who studied Catholic social teaching under him at CTU.

“John was one of the world’s foremost Catholic theologians of Christian-Jewish relations and among the principal architects of the Church’s renewed relationship with the Jewish people in the spirit of Nostra Aetate. Through his scholarship, teaching, and decades of dialogue, he demonstrated that authentic encounter with people of other faiths is neither peripheral nor optional but lies at the very heart of the Church’s mission and witness.

“His contributions to theology and interreligious dialogue earned him worldwide respect. He served for six years as President of the International Council of Christians and Jews, served several terms on the board of the Parliament of the World’s Religions, and was deeply involved in the development of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. First appointed to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council by President Carter in 1980 and reappointed by successive presidents across four terms, he helped shape the institution’s mission over many years. His landmark works, including, Jesus and the Theology of Israel and Christ in the Light of Christian-Jewish Dialogue helped reshape Catholic theological reflection on Judaism, the Holocaust, and the enduring covenant between God and the Jewish people. As Professor (later Professor Emeritus) of Social Ethics, his scholarship also addressed human rights, economic justice, environmental responsibility, and the ethical challenges facing contemporary society, reflecting his conviction that theology must always serve justice and human dignity. . . .  

“The most fitting tribute we can offer is to carry forward the work to which John devoted his life: pursuing theological scholarship with intellectual rigor and humility, deepening friendship and dialogue across religious traditions, defending the dignity of every human person, caring for our common home, and bearing witness to justice, reconciliation, and peace . . . . May he rest in the peace of Christ. May his memory continue to be a blessing and may his legacy inspire generations to come.”

                                                                      Fr Joe