Archdiocese of Newark death notices: March 2022
We remember and pray for our dearly departed clergy and men and women religious whose Masses of Christian Burial were held in February:
Reverend Monsignor Robert H. Slipe
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Feb. 14, 2022, at St. Catherine of Siena Church, in Cedar Grove, N.J., for Reverend Monsignor Robert H. Slipe, who died on Feb. 6, 2022.
Monsignor Robert H. Slipe was a retired priest of the Archdiocese of Newark, serving most recently at St. Catherine of Siena Parish.
Reverend Robert P. Nestor
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Feb. 8, 2022, at Immaculate Conception Chapel at Seton Hall University in South Orange, N.J., for Reverend Robert P. Nestor, who died on Jan. 30, 2022.
Father Robert P. Nestor was a retired priest of the Archdiocese of Newark. He was also a retired Professor of Education at Seton Hall University.
Rev. William A. McKenna, S.J.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated in Auriesville, N.Y., for Rev. William A. McKenna, S.J., who died on Feb. 4, 2022.
Rev. William A. McKenna, S.J., was born on Dec. 19, 1933. He was the child of John and Margaret Foley McKenna of Inwood in northern Manhattan. After two years of high school at Mount St. Michael’s Academy in the Bronx, Father McKenna landed in Wisconsin, and it was there that he graduated in 1951 from Campion Jesuit High School in Prairie du Chien (which closed in 1975). After high school, Father McKenna attended the College of the Holy Cross in Worchester, Mass., graduating with his bachelor’s degree in 1955.
Following his years in college, Father McKenna decided to join the Jesuits. After two years of high school in the Jesuits’ Missouri Province and college in the New England Province, Father McKenna entered the Society of Jesus in the New York Province at Bellarmine College, Plattsburgh, N.Y., on July 30, 1955.
After finishing novitiate and one year of juniorate at Plattsburgh, Father McKenna moved to Loyola Seminary in Shrub Oak, N.Y., where he earned a Licentiate in Philosophy in 1961. After Shrub Oak, he went, as a regent, to teach Latin, English, and religion at St. Peter’s Prep in Jersey City (1961-1964). The next year he taught philosophy at Fordham University for a year before moving on to Woodstock College in Maryland for Theological studies (1965-1969). Father McKenna was ordained to the priesthood in the Fordham University Church on June 13, 1968.
In the summer of 1969, Father McKenna went to Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., where in 1975, he earned a PhD in philosophy. That year he was sent to Le Moyne College, Syracuse, N.Y., where he taught philosophy until 1980. It was while he was at Le Moyne that he professed his final vows.
By 1980 Father McKenna was ready for a new challenge after teaching philosophy to undergraduates. Nigeria was his next assignment. There he worked in the Liturgy department at the Pastoral Institute of Nigeria in Ibadan (1980-1984). Father McKenna was a man of few words, but when he spoke of his time in Nigeria, it was with much affection.
After this African sojourn, he returned to the United States, where he served for 33 years as a professor and then professor emeritus of philosophy at St. Peter’s College (now University) in Jersey City from 1984 until 2017. In 2017, Father McKenna was assigned to Murray-Weigel Hall in the Bronx, the province health care facility, to pray for the Church and the Society of Jesus. There he liked to read and maintained his lifelong love of learning. His small library was filled with philosophy texts and books in German. He could often be found in his room praying the Divine Office in German.
Until a decline in health prevented him, Father McKenna particularly enjoyed pizza on Friday nights. And until that decline in health intervened, he was a quiet and serene presence in the community, a silent witness to his faith and commitment to religious life.
May his good soul rejoice in the company of the Lord he so humbly endeavored to serve.
Sister Patricia Mahoney, O.P.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Feb. 15, 2022, at St. Aloysius Church in Caldwell, N.J., for Sister Patricia Mahoney, O.P., who died on Feb. 10, 2022.
Sister Pat (formerly Sister Mary William) died a member of the Sisters of Saint Dominic of Caldwell for 65 years, at Saint Catherine of Siena Healthcare Center in Caldwell, N.J., at the age of 82. A woman of faith and proud of her Irish ancestry, Sister Pat was welcoming to all.
Sister Pat earned a bachelor’s degree in English and elementary education from Caldwell College (Caldwell University) and a master’s degree from St. Bonaventure University in guidance/counseling. She taught at Ascension School, New Milford, and St. Mary School, Rahway, before becoming principal at St. Cassian School, Upper Montclair.
After a few years as a guidance counselor at Mount Saint Dominic Academy in Caldwell, Sister Pat was elected to the Caldwell Dominican leadership team as councilor for Formation and then as vicaress. At the conclusion of her two terms, Sister Pat became a teacher at St. Francis de Sales School, Marsh Harbour, Abaco, Bahamas, and then pastoral associate at St. Aeden’s Church in Jersey City and guidance counselor at St. Catharine School, Spring Lake.
She was elected to a third term on the leadership team as councilor for Personal Development. Sister returned to youth and family counseling at St. Peter the Apostle, Parsippany, before ministering at Espiritu Santo in the Dominican Republic and, again, at Mount Saint Dominic Academy. Sister Pat’s last ministry was as a pastoral care minister at her place of residence, St. Catherine Healthcare Center in Caldwell. She loved her years of ministering to her sisters!
Reverend Monsignor Francis R. Lo Bianco
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Feb. 26, 2022, at Our Lady of Visitation Church, in Paramus, N.J., for Reverend Monsignor Francis R. Lo Bianco, who died on Feb. 19, 2022.
Monsignor Francis R. Lo Bianco was a retired priest of the Archdiocese of Newark.
Sister Mary Anne Katlack, S.C.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Feb. 25, 2022, at Holy Family Chapel, Convent Station, N.J., for Sister Mary Anne Katlack, S.C., who died on Feb. 20, 2022.
Sister Mary Anne, 82, (formerly Sister Thomas Anne), a Sister of Charity of Saint Elizabeth, died at Saint Joseph’s University Medical Center in Paterson, N.J.
Sister Mary Anne was born in Jersey City, N.J., the daughter of Thomas and Anne (Brutka) Katlack. She entered the Sisters of Charity on March 6, 1957, and was a member for 65 years.
Sister Mary Anne graduated from the College of Saint Elizabeth (Saint Elizabeth University), Convent Station, N.J., with a B.A. degree in History and from Montclair State College, Montclair, with an M.A. degree in Administration/Supervision. She also received an M.A. in Theology from Saint Elizabeth’s.
Sister Mary Anne served in the ministry of education in New Jersey; she also served in Congregational Leadership. Sister Mary Anne was a teacher at Saint Peter Elementary School, New Brunswick, and Mother Seton Regional High School, Clark. Sister Mary Anne served as a teacher, assistant principal, and principal at East Orange Catholic High School, East Orange, and as Principal at Marylawn of the Oranges, South Orange.
Sister Mary Anne was a leader in formal and informal ways. She was warm and welcoming, always encouraging others to be the best they could be. Sister Mary Anne was mission-driven, sharing her love for the poor with students, enabling them to become involved in outreach to those in need, in particular people experiencing homelessness.
While serving as assistant provincial in the Southern Province of the Sisters of Charity, Sister Mary Anne was elected to Congregation Leadership, serving as general secretary and then as assistant general superior of the Sisters of Charity at Convent Station, N.J.
After her congregation service, Sister Mary Anne returned to Mother Seton Regional High School as a teacher and then as the director of Campus Ministry. She was serving in that capacity at the time of her death.
Sister Mary Anne was predeceased by her sisters Barbara Kish, Judith Nigro, and Lorraine Korecky, and her brothers Thomas, Joseph, and Stanley, and her niece, Jean Katlack. She is survived by the Sisters of Charity, many nieces and nephews, grandnieces and nephews, and great-grandnieces and nephews.
Reverend William J. Halbing
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Feb. 25, 2022, at Saint James Church, in Springfield, N.J., for Reverend William J. Halbing, who died on Feb. 21, 2022.
Father William J. Halbing was a priest of the Archdiocese of Newark.
Featured image: Calvary statue scene at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in East Hanover, N.J. (Photo courtesy of Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Newark)
