Father Conan Patrick Mulrooney, O. Praem., age 90, a member of the Norbertine Community of St. Norbert Abbey, De Pere, WI, and a Norbertine priest, passed into God’s eternal kingdom on September 26, 2021.
Fr. Mulrooney was born on June 23, 1931 in Rhinelander, WI to the late Frank and Catherine (Morrison) Mulrooney. His home parish was St. Peter the Fisherman, Eagle River, WI.
He entered St. Norbert Abbey and was vested as a novice on August 28, 1961. He professed Simple Vows on August 28, 1963 and Solemn Vows on May 14, 1967. Fr. Mulrooney was ordained to the Priesthood on September 21, 1967.
Fr. Mulrooney received a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, IN in 1953. He then went on to Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA, where in 1959 he received a Bachelor of Pharmacy. In 1976, he attended the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and received his Master’s Degree in Marketing.
While he resided at St. Norbert Abbey, he assumed the roles of Mission Procurator, Vocation Director, and for many years was the Director of the Mail Campaign. For 12 years he worked as an assistant to the Vice President in the Office of Development at St. Norbert College. He received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Duquesne University during that time.
Over the next few years, he completed a program in Clinical Pastoral Education at the Alexian Brothers Medical Center in Elk Grove Village, IL. In 1988, Fr. Mulrooney received certification by the National Association of Catholic Chaplains. Subsequently, he served as a chaplain at St. Vincent Hospital, Green Bay, WI, where he spiritually administered to the needs of many people.
Fr. Mulrooney is survived by the Norbertine Community; nephews: Brian Mulrooney and Tim Mulrooney; cousins and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers: Michael Mulrooney and Francis Mulrooney.
ARRANGEMENTS
Visitation will be held at the church of St. Norbert Abbey, beginning at 9:30am on Monday, October 4, 2021 until 10:15am. Please enter through the main Church doors only. Masks are encouraged for those attending.
The Mass of Christian Burial expressing our faith and hope in the promised glory of the Lord’s Resurrection will be at 10:30am. The Rt. Rev. Dane J. Radecki, O. Praem., Abbot of St. Norbert Abbey, will serve as the principal celebrant, and the Rt. Rev. Gary J. Neville, O. Praem., Abbot Emeritus, will serve as the homilist.
Burial will be in the St. Norbert Abbey Cemetery at a later date.
The Norbertine Community would like to thank the nurses and staff at St. Norbert Abbey and everyone at Unity Hospice who cared for Fr. Mulrooney.
Ryan Funeral Home, De Pere, is in charge of the arrangements.
Abbot Emeritus Evermode Thomas DeWane, O. Praem., age 89, a member of the Norbertine Community of St. Norbert Abbey, De Pere, WI, and a Norbertine priest, passed into God’s eternal kingdom on July 31, 2021.
Abbot DeWane was born on February 26, 1932 in Green Bay, WI to the late Thomas and Angeline (Bos) DeWane. His home parish was St. Willebrord in Green Bay.
After graduating as salutatorian from what was then Central Catholic High School in Green Bay, his desire to become a priest solidified. Abbot DeWane felt he was “born to be a priest”. He was vested as a novice, professed Simple Vows and Solemn Vows on August 28 in 1950, 1952 and 1955 respectively.
In 1955, he graduated from St. Norbert College in De Pere with a Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy while teaching at Abbot Pennings High School. On May 31, 1958, Abbot DeWane was ordained to the Priesthood. After ordination, he served as a teacher, then registrar at Premontre High School in Green Bay for five years.
He attended Marquette University in Milwaukee and obtained a Professional Doctorate Degree in Education in 1964. From there, he went on to the University of Chicago, IL for Doctoral Administration Studies while also being the House Superior at the Holy Spirit House of Studies for six years.
Upon returning to De Pere in 1970, he was appointed Dean of Students at St. Norbert College. In 1973, Abbot DeWane returned to the high school and served as principal for nine years.
During this time, he was on the St. Norbert College board of trustees, held leadership positions
on several educational committees and was active in various professional organizations. In 1983 he returned to St. Norbert College to serve as the Director of Teacher Education, a position he held for nine years.
In 1993 Abbot DeWane was appointed the Director of Formation for St. Norbert Abbey. In April 1994, he was elected as fifth Abbot of St. Norbert Abbey, and received his abbatial blessing from Bishop Robert Banks on June 6, 1994.
After his nine-year term as abbot, he moved to the Priory of St. Moses the Black in Raymond, MS and ministered in a variety of parishes and a state correctional facility. He retired to St.
Norbert Abbey in 2019.
He is survived by the Norbertine Community of St. Norbert Abbey; one sister, Marilyn Marsh; many nieces and nephews.
Abbot DeWane was preceded in death by his parents; siblings: Gordon (Elaine) DeWane, Lois (John) Cawley, Gladys Jentz; brother-in-law, Charles Marsh.
Arrangements
Visitation will be held at the church of St. Norbert Abbey beginning at 6:00pm on Friday, August 6, 2021 until 8:00pm. Please enter through the main Church doors only. Masks are encouraged for those attending.
The Mass of Christian Burial expressing our faith and hope in the promised glory of the Lord’s Resurrection will be on Saturday August 7, 2021 at 10:30am. The Rt. Rev. Dane J. Radecki, O. Praem., Abbot of St. Norbert Abbey, will serve as the principal celebrant.
Burial will immediately follow in the St. Norbert Abbey Cemetery, weather permitting.
The Norbertine Community would like to thank the nurses at St. Norbert Abbey, and everyone at Unity Hospice and St. Vincent Hospital who cared for Abbot DeWane.
In lieu of flowers, a scholarship fund will be established in Abbot DeWane’s name. Ryan Funeral Home, De Pere is in charge of the arrangements.
Fr. Vanasse, age 86, a member of the Norbertine Community of St. Norbert Abbey and a Norbertine priest, passed into God’s Eternal Kingdom on October 7, 2017, the Memorial of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary.
Fr. Vanasse was born on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, December 8, 1930, in Fall River, Massachusetts, to Armand and Dora (Michaud) Vanasse. His home parish was Notre Dame De Lourdes Parish, Fall River.
He received a B.A. degree in philosophy from St. Norbert College (SNC) in 1957.
Upon entering St. Norbert Abbey, he was vested as a novice on August 28, 1954. He professed Simple Vows on August 28, 1956, Solemn Vows on August 28, 1959, and was ordained to the priesthood on September 1, 1960.
After graduating from SNC, Fr. Vanasse earned his S.T.D. in Systematic Theology from the Gregorian University in Rome, Italy; studied Biblical Languages in Chicago and Jerusalem; and completed two years of study at the Biblical Institute in Rome. Subsequently, he served as Novice Master at St. Norbert Abbey and then became a tenured professor of theology and director of the M.A. program at Catholic Theological Union, Chicago. From 1984 to 1988, he was National Secretary for Education with the Society for the Propagation of the Faith in New York City. In 1988, he accepted a Vatican appointment as International Chaplain for Aid to the Church in Need at its headquarters in Germany. In 1996, he was appointed Administrator of the Canonry of Tepl-Obermedlingen-Mananthavady (Germany and India). In 1998, he was elected to the Board of Trustees of SNC. In 2002, he was appointed Administrator of the Norbertine Community at St. Joseph’s Priory in Queen’s Park, Western Australia, until 2005. He retired in 2006 and resided at St. Norbert Abbey.
Fr. Vanasse is survived by the Norbertine Community of St. Norbert Abbey; one sister, Claire Mersey; and a brother, Richard “Jim” Mayette.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Armand and Dora Vanasse, and a sister, Rita Jepsen.
Arrangements
Lauds of the Dead will be celebrated at the Church of St. Norbert Abbey at 9 a.m. on Monday, October 16, 2017.
Visitation will follow Lauds, and will continue throughout the day in the abbey Chapter Room until 3:45 p.m.
The Mass of Christian Burial, expressing our faith and hope in the promised glory of the Lord’s Resurrection, will be held in the abbey church at 4 p.m.; the Rt. Rev. Gary J. Neville, O. Praem., abbot of St. Norbert Abbey, will serve as principal celebrant; the Rt. Rev. Eugene Hayes, O. Praem., abbot of St. Michael’s Abbey in Santa Anna, California, will offer the homily at the concelebrated funeral liturgy.
Burial will follow immediately in the St. Norbert Abbey Cemetery.
Ryan Funeral Home, De Pere, is in charge of the arrangements.
Fr. Meehan, age 83, a member of the Norbertine Community of St. Norbert Abbey and a Norbertine priest, teacher, principal, and pastor, passed into God’s Eternal Kingdom on August 23, 2017.
Fr. Meehan was born on July 6, 1934, in Philadelphia to John and Elizabeth (Campbell) Meehan.
In 1952, Fr. Meehan graduated from the Norbertine Southeast Catholic High School in Philadelphia. He received a B.A. degree in philosophy from St. Norbert College (SNC) in 1957.
Upon entering St. Norbert Abbey, he was vested as a novice on August 28, 1952. He professed Simple Vows on August 28, 1954, Solemn Vows on August 28, 1957, and was ordained to the priesthood on June 18, 1960.
Fr. Meehan began his teaching and administrative ministry at Abbot Pennings High School, spending 19 years in the classroom and 11 years as principal. During this time, he also completed his M.A. degree in French at Middlebury College, Vermont. He also served several terms as house superior at St. Norbert Abbey and at St. Joseph Priory. For almost 30 years, Fr. Meehan assisted with weekend parish ministry at St. Mary Parish in De Pere. He devoted much time and care by his participation in the Cursillo Movement for 20 years, and he coordinated the St. Norbert Abbey youth retreat program for three years. He was a French and German instructor at SNC for two years, and was named pastor of St. Norbert College Parish at Old St. Joseph Church and director of campus ministry from August 1993 to February 2001. After his ministry at SNC, Fr. Meehan ministered to the Hispanic parishioners at St. Willebrord Parish in Green Bay and at a number of local nursing homes.
Fr. Meehan has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the 1985 Ft. Howard Paper Foundation Humanitarian Award, the 1990 St. Norbert College Silver Knight Award, and the 1994 Roses for the Living Rotary Award.
Fr. Meehan is survived by the Norbertine Community of St. Norbert Abbey; two brothers, James Meehan and Jack (Mary) Meehan; and beloved niece, Christine Parsley. Fr. Meehan is also survived by the hundreds of students to whom he ministered so selflessly at SNC and his cherished Abbot Pennings High School.
He was preceded in death by his parents and two sisters: Sr. Clare Amata Meehan, IHM, and Christine (Meehan) Perham.
The Norbertine Community is grateful for the extraordinary care Fr. Meehan received from the abbey medical and nursing staff, and for the many friends who visited him throughout his recent illness.
Arrangements
Visitation will be held in the Church of St. Norbert Abbey on Wednesday, August 30, 2017, beginning with Vespers of the Dead – Reception of the Body at 5 p.m. and continuing until 8 p.m.
Visitation will continue at the abbey on Thursday, August 31, 2017, from 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.
The Mass of Christian Burial, expressing our faith and hope in the promised glory of the Lord’s Resurrection, will be held in the abbey church on Thursday, August 31, 2017, at 4 p.m.; the Rt. Rev. Gary J. Neville, O. Praem., abbot of St. Norbert Abbey, will serve as principal celebrant and homilist at the concelebrated funeral liturgy.
Burial will follow immediately in the St. Norbert Abbey cemetery.
Ryan Funeral Home, De Pere, is in charge of the arrangements.
Past Pennings High School Parent, “Green Bay Press-Gazette” Writer
It has been our good fortune to have avoided going to many funerals. But a week ago Thursday there were two – an hour apart in churches a mile apart.
The first, at 4 p.m. at St. Norbert Abbey, was for Father Gery Meehan. He was the principal at Abbot Pennings where our three sons went to high school. The second, at Resurrection Parish, was for Patricia O’Neill. She and Kit were in a book group together.
Pat struck me as a vibrant and intense person who did lots of good work for many people during a life of 73 years. That included 16 years in village government, the last two as president. She fell victim to a cancer so aggressive that it was only a few weeks from diagnosis to death.
The journalist in me wants to say Rev. Gery Meehan, who was 83, as the AP Stylebook dictates. But everyone called him Father. That is the way he will be remembered by the hundreds of students he encountered at Pennings in his 30 years as teacher and principal.
Pennings was one of two Norbertine high schools in the Green bay area. The two and St. Joseph’s Academy, the all-girl school our daughter attended, were folded into one in 1990. Finances and fewer priests and nuns made the merger inevitable. But the decision embittered many people. Someone who knew him well told me it broke Father Meehan’s heart.
The APHS building was a hand-me-down from a De Pere school district. Enrollment was rarely more than a few hundred but the place always seemed crowded and noisy. Growing boys in jackets and ties clomped and thundered up and down stairs. Most of the jackets and ties were from Goodwill or someone’s closet of worn-outs. The dress-code garb was worn only during the school day, rarely laundered and often left to compost in lockers.
Looking back, three things made Pennings work. One, as son Tim noted, the place was small enough that most any student with a pulse could find an activity. Second, finances were so precarious that parents had to be involved in fundraising and that forged a sense of community.
The final reason was Father Meehan. The abbot who delivered the funeral homily said Gery “lived as a gentleman.” I did not see the text but assume there was a space between “gentle” and “man.” Father Meehan was a gentleman – well-mannered and civil – but also a gentle man who was both a mentor and a model for boys who likely are better men because of him.
The logistics of the two-funeral day led us to a mid-afternoon visitation for Pat, to Father Meehan’s funeral and then to a country-club reception for Pat.
After Father Meehan’s liturgy we followed the Norbertines – many white-haired and age-bowed – to the cemetery a few hundred yards from the Abbey. The white-robes gathered around the open grave. As late-summer sun lengthened shadows, they sang “Vivat in Eternum,” not a dirge but an exaltation for someone who “lives forever.”
At the reception, Pat’s husband held off his grief to talk of her life and his loss with eloquence and humor. You wondered how he could do that and if you could if the sad task became yours.
I wore a wore a coat and tie for the day – something I do rarely. That was proper attire for the country club. But the real reason was that Father Meehan would have approved.
For Christmas 2016, in a touching tribute to their confreres who have passed into God’s Eternal Kingdom, members of the Norbertine community placed a Christmas wreath on each headstone in the St. Norbert Abbey cemetery. Below, several Norbertines share their thoughts about the headstones they selected and the impact that these respective Norbertines had on their lives.
Fr. Basil Reuss, O. Praem. († March 20, 1959), had a special influence on my life in giving me a reason to profess temporary vows at the end of my two-year novitiate.
The story begins with my wanting to know if I was making the right decision to abandon my career as an engineer at the Western Electric Company in order to enter the Norbertine Order.
All of the fraters made a retreat every year in August, and in 1956 Fr. Reuss preached this retreat for second-year novices, who were preparing to profess their first vows on August 28. Something he said at one of the conferences encouraged me to consult him personally. His counsel gave me what I needed in order to profess the three-year vows with my classmates.
For Christmas 2016, in a touching tribute to their confreres who have passed into God’s Eternal Kingdom, members of the Norbertine community placed a Christmas wreath on each headstone in the St. Norbert Abbey cemetery. Below, several Norbertines share their thoughts about the headstones they selected and the impact that these respective Norbertines had on their lives.
I chose to remember Fr.Guy Guyon, O. Praem. († December 4, 2003), because of my delightful times with him designing sets for his musicals. Several shows hold special memories:
“South Pacific”: Guy wanted the proscenium arch flanked with palm trees. I designed trees that were stage height and each leaf took a full roll of crepe paper. I climbed to the top of the ladder to install the leafy structures and the ladder broke in the center and I came sliding down the wall. Lying on the floor, Guy ministered to my needs.
“My Fair Lady”: Eric Butikus designed the sets: 22- and 14-foot revolving platforms with multiple sets on each occupied the stage floor. The large turntable had a circular staircase that was mounted from off-stage. Unfortunately, when the large table turned, it bumped the small table! Unnerved, Guy told Eric to redesign it. Eric refused and left the stage. Guy and I went to the gym with a large roll of butcher paper and laid out the drawing for each step to assure maximum clearing. It worked like a charm. The audience cheered when they witnessed the table turn and Eliza dismount the staircase! Guy could not have been more pleased.
“Brigadoon”: Guy was delighted with my Arcadian dream scene of trees blooming with tissue-colored leaves.
We spent 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays, from dawn to dusk, on-stage creating the sets, after which we adjourned to the priory kitchen to cook dinner together.
At rehearsals Guy sat in the top row of the balcony and would yell at the cast, “I can’t hear you!” He refused to use mikes or employ stand-in actors, in case someone became sick! Being a thespian myself I asked him not to be so hard on the kids. He complied as best he could.
For Christmas 2016, in a touching tribute to their confreres who have passed into God’s Eternal Kingdom, members of the Norbertine community placed a Christmas wreath on each headstone in the St. Norbert Abbey cemetery. Below, several Norbertines share their thoughts about the headstones they selected and the impact that these respective Norbertines had on their lives.
Five days before Christmas, I joined several dozen Norbertine priests, brothers, and fraters in adorning the gravestones of our deceased Norbertine confreres. What drew me to help memorialize Fr. Aaron Walschinski, O. Praem. (“Fr. Wally,” † December 7, 1989), and Fr. Alan Scheible, O. Praem. († January 30, 2000)?
Fr. Wally and I were 26 years apart and Fr. Alan and I were 19 years apart—minor age differences in a community in which the pre-baby boom generation dominated. Age differences have never prevented me from becoming a close friend to another Norbertine. Though I was a dear friend to each man, the two were very different people.
Fr. Aaron “Wally” Walschinski, O. Praem.
Fr. Wally made me laugh. And, as a very serious person, I needed all of the amusement that I could get! We shared interests in library and archival work, and Dairy Queen Blizzard® Treats. Fr. Wally and I worked in the abbey library and archives together in 1988 and 1989. Abbot Benjamin Mackin, O. Praem., knowing my of interest in libraries and archives AND knowing of Fr. Wally’s declining health, asked me to assist Fr. Wally. Fr. Wally and I also spent time together with other Norbertines on our community property in Northern Wisconsin.
I enjoyed his memories of life in Philadelphia and as a St. Norbert College photographer. One of my fondest memories of this amiable Norbertine was at an annual “Steve Herro-Sponsored Brewers Outing.” About 20 Norbertines and Herros celebrated together. The tailgate party ended and we began to walk to our seats. My brother-in-law Andy, who is as sociable as Fr. Wally was, struck up a conversation with him, asking him his name, where he was from, etc. The two quickly realized that they shared a lot in common—including me! The party was more than 90 minutes long before the two realized that they were invited by the same person.
Fr. Alan Scheible, O. Praem. (right)
Fr. Alan and I had very similar personalities: serious, learned, introverted, and perfectionistic. We were both very disciplined in what we ate and how we exercised. Perhaps I shared my feelings with him more intimately than I did with any other Norbertine. He was a very provocative man, and he seemed to especially love to challenge the younger Norbertines to live our vows more authentically.
His years serving in low-income communities in Chicago (when he met a South Side community organizer named Barack Obama) have been a constant inspiration to me in my own ministry and discernment. He became seriously ill in 1998. I was seeking a new ministry in 1999 when I returned to De Pere to live and serve among my confreres. As my mother said when I shared Fr. Alan’s condition with her, “Maybe that is why God is calling you back to De Pere.”
For Christmas 2016, in a touching tribute to their confreres who have passed into God’s Eternal Kingdom, members of the Norbertine community placed a Christmas wreath on each headstone in the St. Norbert Abbey cemetery. Below, several Norbertines share their thoughts about the headstones they selected and the impact that these respective Norbertines had on their lives.
Fr. Rékasi, a member of Gödöllő Abbey, Budapest, Hungary, residing at St. Norbert Abbey, was born on August 28, 1921, in Jaszbereny, Hungary. His home parish was in Jaszbereny.
In 1940 Fr. Rékasi graduated from Jozsef Nador Realgimnazium, Jaszbereny. He received degrees in philosophy, theology, and French, including a doctorate degree in French in 1960.
Fr. Rékasi was vested as a novice on August 15, 1940. He professed Simple Vows on September 9, 1941, professed Solemn Vows on September 9, 1945, and was ordained to the priesthood on March 25, 1946.
He began his teaching assignments at St. Norbert College, De Pere, in 1953 as an associate professor of French and Latin. He had numerous assignments at the University of Detroit as an associate professor of French. After retirement, he continued various ministries at Old St. Joseph Church and St. Joseph Priory.
Fr. Rékasi will be remembered for his love of the language and culture of France, and without a doubt the city of Paris. He loved to converse about his travels, his remarkable early life, and escape from Hungary due to political unrest. He enjoyed showing his collection of personal pictures, carefully organized and identified.
Fr. Feller was born on December 28, 1922, in Green Bay, Wisconsin. His home parish was Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church.
After graduating from West High School in 1942, Fr. Feller received a B.A. degree in philosophy from St. Norbert College, De Pere, in 1952.
Upon entering the Norbertine Community of St. Norbert Abbey, Fr. Feller was vested as a novice on August 28, 1949. He professed Simple Vows on August 28, 1951, professed Solemn Vows on August 28, 1954, and was ordained to the priesthood on June 4, 1955.
In 1954 Fr. Feller began teaching assignments at St. Norbert High School, De Pere. His parochial and chaplaincy ministry included numerous pastorates in the Green Bay area. A military chaplain in the United States Air Force, Fr. Feller also served as director of pastoral services and chaplain at St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center in Green Bay for many years. He was chaplain at Veterans Administration Medical Center and Veterans Administration Hospital, Tuskegee, Alabama, from 1983 until 1993.
Although retiring from external ministerial duties in 2001, Fr. Feller continued internal ministry at St. Norbert Abbey, ministering to his Norbertine confreres and abbey employees with any number of charitable acts of kindness. In a spirit of gratitude and thanksgiving, Fr. Feller celebrated the 60th anniversary of his priesthood ordination on June 5, 2015.
