Obituaries for December 2025

Let us pray for our dearly departed clergy whose Masses of Christian Burial were held in December.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May the souls of all the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Amen.

Father Henry J. Schreitmueller

A Mass of Christian Burial was held on December 23 at Our Lady of the Magnificat Church in Kinnelon, NJ for Father Henry J. Schreitmueller. He died on December 17. Father Schreitmueller was 94.

Ordained in 1956, Father Schreitmueller served at several parishes, including St. Leo’s Church in Irvington, St. Mary’s Church in Nutley, and Our Lady of Magnificat Church in Kinnelon. He also became a respected psychologist, earning two master’s degrees and a Ph.D.

Invited to teach at Seton Hall University, Father Schreitmueller created and led a doctoral program focused on family and marriage counseling. In addition to his academic work, he maintained a private psychology practice in Morristown and other locations, where he helped countless individuals and families navigate life’s challenges.

An accomplished piano player, Father Schreitmueller delighted in learning and playing the organ in the churches where he served and performed for special occasions at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark.

He also loved travel, visiting China, Rome, Russia, many countries throughout Europe. These journeys reflected his deep appreciation for culture, history, and shared experiences. He will be remembered as a man of remarkable intellect and warmth, someone who made others feel immediately comfortable through his down-to-earth nature, insight, and genuine care.

Father Schreitmueller was predeceased by his parents Martin and Elizabeth; his brothers, Martin Jr. and Walter, and his nephew Walter Jr. He is survived by his sister Elizabeth Rutan; his sister-in-law Mary Jo Senkier, along with many nieces and nephews.

Father Peter T. Sticco, S.A.C.

A Mass of Christian Burial was held on December 5 at Our Lady of Grace in Fairview, New Jersey for Father Peter T. Sticco, S.A.C. He died on November 30. Father Sticco was 83.

Born in Brooklyn, New York to Pasquale and Lucy (Russo) Sticco, Peter Sticco entered the Pallottine Fathers and Brothers at the age of thirteen, attending the minor seminary of the Pallottines at Bishop Eustace Preparatory School in Pennsauken, New Jersey. Following his graduation, he entered the Pallottine Novitiate at Queen of Apostles Novitiate in Sag Harbor, New York. He made his First Profession as a Pallottine in 1962, moving then to Pallottine Seminary at Green Hill, West Hyattsville, Maryland for his undergraduate and graduate studies at Xaverian College, St. Joseph Seminary, and Oblate College.

Father Sticco was ordained a priest in 1969, at All Saints Church in Brooklyn, New York.

During his many years of service as a Pallottine priest, he served as a vocation director, pastor of Our Lady of Grace Church in Fairview; pastor of Our Lady of Pompei Church in Brooklyn, NY; director of The Pallottine Center for Apostolic Causes/St. Jude Shrine Promotional Center in Baltimore, MD; a mission secretary, provincial bursar, and provincial rector.

A true missionary, Father Sticco assisted the work of the international missions of the Pallottines throughout the world. In particular, he oversaw the initial development and expansion of the Pallottine mission in Peru to which he traveled often.

In 1982, Fr. Peter began twenty years of faithful service as a Chaplain in the United States Air Force, retiring in 2002 as a Lieutenant Colonel.

Recognizing the pastoral needs of married couples and families, he obtained a Master of Arts from Iona College in 1988 and a Doctor of Ministry from New York Theological Seminary in 1991, both in family and marital counseling.

Fr. Sticco is survived by his siblings, Phyllis Condon, Jeannette Bertucelli, Charles Sticco, and Lucille Joye, ten nieces and nephews, and nineteen grandnieces and grandnephews.