Archives for October 2025

October 30, 2025 by Jennifer Schack

Reverend John Robert Jack passed away on October 28, 2025, in Norwood, Ohio. He was born on January 24, 1965, in Middletown, Ohio and was baptized at St. John the Baptist Parish, Middletown. He received a B.A. from the Pontifical College Josephinum, Columbus, a M. Div. from Mount St. Mary’s Seminary of the West, Cincinnati and an S.T.L. from the Marian Institute, University of Dayton. He was ordained on June 6, 1992, at St. Peter in Chains Cathedral, Cincinnati, by Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk.

Father Jack received his first assignment on July 1, 1992, as associate pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Cincinnati. He was appointed Catholic chaplain (part-time) at Jewish Hospital, Cincinnati, effective July 1, 1994 and parochial vicar (part-time) at Assumption Parish, Mt. Healthy, effective July 18, 1994. Father Jack was appointed resident associate of St. John the Evangelist Parish, Deer Park, while continuing as chaplain at Jewish Hospital, effective July 1, 1997. He was appointed to the faculty of the Athenaeum of Ohio/Mount St. Mary’s Seminary of the West, effective July 1, 1999. He was appointed for weekend and holyday assistance at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Mt. Repose, and St. Andrew Parish, Milford, effective July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016, while continuing as a member of the faculty at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary of the West. He was appointed Censor of Books for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, effective August 25, 2015. On July 1, 2018, he was appointed to weekday ministry at Sacred Heart Radio, Norwood, and parochial vicar of St. Ann Parish, Williamsburg, Holy Trinity Parish, Batavia, St. Louis Parish, Owensville, and St. Philomena Parish, Stonelick. On July 1, 2019, Father Jack was appointed to weekend and holyday assistance at St. Bernard Parish, Taylor Creek and to residence at St. Ignatius of Loyola Parish, Monfort Heights, while continuing in weekday ministry at Sacred Heart Radio. On February 3, 2023, he was appointed chaplain to the Legion of Mary – Cincinnati Regional Senatus.

Reception of the Body: Monday, November 3, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter in Chains, 325 W. 8^th Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45402; (513-421-5354). Celebrant and Homilist: Reverend David A. Sunberg. Visitation: Following Reception of the Body until 8:00 p.m.

Mass of Christian Burial: Tuesday, November 4, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter in Chains. Celebrant: Most Reverend Dennis M. Schnurr. Homilist: Reverend Bernard J. Weldishofer.

Committal: Tuesday, November 4, 2025, immediately following the Mass of Christian Burial at Woodside Cemetery, 1401 Woodside Blvd., Middletown, Ohio 45044. Celebrant: Reverend Bernard J. Weldishofer.

October 8, 2025 by Jennifer Schack

Reverend Thomas R. Axe passed away on October 4, 2025, in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was born on March 7, 1934, in Hamilton, Ohio and was baptized at St. Joseph Church, Hamilton. He did his preparatory studies at St. Gregory Seminary, Cincinnati, and studied theology at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary of the West, Norwood. Father Axe received a master’s degree in history from Xavier University. He was ordained on May 28, 1960, at St. Peter in Chains Cathedral, Cincinnati, by Archbishop Karl J. Alter.

Father Axe received his first assignment on June 15, 1960, as assistant at St. James Church, White Oak. He also served as an assistant at the following parishes: St. Clare Parish, Cincinnati [1964-66]; St. Patrick Parish, Northside [1966-1967]; St. Ignatius Loyola Parish, Monfort Heights [1967-1969]. During his appointments as assistant he was also appointed to staff at McAuley High School, Cincinnati [1962-1969]. From June 1969 to July 1970, he was assigned (on loan) outside the archdiocese to the staff of Theological College, Washington, D.C. On July 15, 1970, Father Axe was appointed to the faculty at St. Gregory Seminary. On August 26, 1970, he was also appointed assistant at St. Bernard Parish and Mother of Christ Mission, Winton Place, then appointed administrator of St. Bernard and Mother of Christ on October 27, 1970, while continuing on the faculty at St. Gregory Seminary. On June 20, 1975, he was appointed co-pastor of St. Clare Parish, Cincinnati. On October 14, 1977, Father Axe was appointed pastor of St. Raphael Parish, Springfield. On January 26, 1978, he was appointed Dean of the Springfield Deanery for four years, and in September he was appointed Spiritual Director of the Springfield Particular Council of St. Vincent de Paul Society. On January 8, 1980, he was appointed Director of the Permanent Diaconate Program and to the staff of the Lay Pastoral Ministry Program. On August 2, 1980, he was appointed chaplain at the Convent of St. Ursula, McMillan St., while continuing as Director of the Permanent Diaconate Program. On April 16, 1981, he was appointed associate, ad cautelam, at Assumption Parish, Walnut Hills, then appointed associate, ad cautelam, at St. Mary Parish, Hyde Park, on March 14, 1983. Both appointments were assigned while continuing as Director of the Permanent Diaconate Program as well as chaplain at St. Ursula Convent. On December 18, 1985, he was appointed temporary administrator of Our Mother of Sorrows Parish, Cincinnati, and then appointed pastor on March 15, 1986. On January 8, 1994, he was appointed temporary administrator of St. Agnes Parish, Cincinnati. Father Axe was appointed pastor of Good Shepherd Parish, Cincinnati, for a period of six years, effective July 5, 1994. He was reappointed as pastor of Good Shepherd Parish for an additional six years on July 6, 2000. Father Axe retired from active ministry on November 1, 2003.

Visitation before Mass: Wednesday, October 15, 2025, from 10:45 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. at Community of the Good Shepherd Church, 8815 E. Kemper Road, Cincinnati, OH 45249; (513-489-8815). The closest doors are #2 and #3.

Memorial Mass: Wednesday, October 15, 2025, at 12:00 noon at Community of the Good Shepherd Church. Celebrant: Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer. Homilist: Reverend Michael J. Graham, SJ.

October 2, 2025 by Jennifer Schack

Deacon Willard “Bill” Brunsman, a deacon of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, died on September 28, 2025 at the age of 89.

Deacon Brunsman was ordained September 26, 1976 by Archbishop Joseph Bernardin. He served the Archdiocese as a permanent deacon for forty-nine years. Upon ordination, he was assigned to St. Mary Parish in Oxford. He was reassigned to Queen of Peace Parish in Millville in 1991. In 2008, he was reassigned to St. Aloysius Parish in Shandon where he has served until now.

Deacon Brunsman was awarded the Elder High School Christian Leadership Award in 2024. The award is given to a member of the Elder community who best exemplifies the Christian values upon which Elder High School is based.

Deacon Brunsman is survived by his wife, Betty, to whom he was married for 68 years. He is also survived by their children Gregory, Timothy, Joseph, Maria and Patrick, their spouses, nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. He is also survived by four brothers. He was preceded in death by his sister.

Since Deacon Brunsman donated his body to medical science, a Memorial Mass will be held in lieu of a Mass of Christian Burial on Monday, October 6, 2025 at 11:00 am at St. Aloysius Catholic Church, Shandon. Visitation will be held from 9 am to 11 am before Mass at the church.

Please keep the repose of the soul of Deacon Bill Brunsman in your prayers, as well as peace and consolation for his entire family.

October 1, 2025 by Jennifer Schack

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See the Beauty of Creation

As a child, I shared a room with my younger brother. I have fond memories of waking up in the morning to the sound of our mother coming into our bedroom and pulling back the curtains on the window. She would sing to us, “Good morning! Time to rise and shine!” The bright morning light would pour through the window, summoning us to begin a new day.

This memory of my mother might serve as a fitting metaphor for life. We all need, at times, to pull back the curtains and allow the light of a new day to find welcome in our life and awaken us to new purpose. With the Light of Christ shining upon us and our world, stirred from sleep and freed from the darkness that envelops us, we might gain new perspective.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times in 1996, singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell spoke about how she came to write one of her hit songs. “I wrote ‘Big Yellow Taxi’ on my first trip to Hawaii,” Mitchell said, “I took a taxi to the hotel and when I woke up the next morning, I threw back the curtains and saw these beautiful green mountains in the distance. Then, I looked down and there was a parking lot as far as the eye could see, and it broke my heart.”

The memorable lyric to that Joni Mitchell song—They paved paradise, put up a parking lot—awakens us to see more clearly how easily we can close our eyes and surrender to the darkness. We find ourselves going through life asleep and unaware of the pavement covering over the beauty of our creation and preventing us from appreciating the gift of creation and developing a respect for life.

The month of October each year offers us the opportunity to be re-awakened and renewed in our care for all creation, including the sacred gift of life. We are invited to throw back the curtains and let in the light of a new day so that we might acknowledge the sanctity of life before us. God summons us to “rise and shine”, find our way out of the slumber that engulfs us and recognize the sacred gift we have been given. And, whether the life we see before us is in a mother’s womb, a lonely jail cell, a crowded city street, or a quiet tree-filled forest, we cannot simply close the curtains and go back to sleep. We are summoned to embrace each new day with purpose, knowing that all we say and do must serve to awaken others to appreciate the sacredness of life.

Too many in our human family find themselves asleep in the darkness, closed off and blind to the truth of life’s value from conception to natural death. The late Dr. Bernard Nathanson, an abortion rights advocate turned anti-abortion activist, was quoted as saying, “Fewer women would have abortions if wombs had windows.” If we had windows into each other’s minds, hearts, and souls, perhaps we might be more respectful and more loving toward one another and toward the world around us.

When our windows are covered over and our hearts paved over, like the paradise of Joni Mitchell’s song, we urgently need God’s amazing grace to enter in, like my mother coming into my brother’s and my childhood bedroom. We need to be awakened to the beauty of creation and the possibilities of a new day. Rubbing the sleep from our eyes, we can allow God to assist us as we embrace wholeheartedly the call to care for creation and the responsibility to proclaim respect for all life.