Submitted by: Dan Rich

Brother Flavius Ellison CSC

March 28, 1927 - Oct. 26, 2004

South Bend Tribune 10/29/2004                                   

Brothers Flavius Ellison, CSC, 77, died after a lengthy illness in Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center, South Bend, Ind., on Tuesday, Oct. 26. Br. Flavius was born James Ellison on March 28, 1927, in Covington, Ky., the son of Alois L. and Cecilia (Wegener) Ellison. He attended Catholic elementary and high schools in Covington from 1933 to 1945, joining the Brothers of Holy Cross at Sacred Heart Juniorate in Watertown, Wis., in March 1945. He proceeded to Rolling Prairie, Ind., for the brothers' novitiate year from August 1945 till he pronounced the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience in August 1946. He made his perpetual confession in August 1949. In 1946 Br. Flavius underwent further training at Dujarie Hall, the house of studies for brothers at Notre Dame, Ind. In 1947 he was appointed to the staff at the Community House (later Columba Hall), remaining until 1949, when he passed the civil service examination and began assisting at the Notre Dame Post Office, working there until 1960. From 1957 to 1961 he was assistant to the superior of Columba Hall while serving at the post office in the brothers' publishing apostolate, Dujarie Press (1960-1962). He himself wrote short lives of three saints as part of a series of inspirational Dujarie books aimed specifically at youth. After the press closed, he became director of the Community Stores, based at Columba Hall, from 1962-1968. The stores helped provide the brothers with necessities such as clothing.

Following that, he was sent for a year to Cardinal Stritch College, Milwaukee, Wis., to study methods of caring for the seriously handicapped. Besides tackling the academic side of his studies, he put theory into practice as a faculty member at St. Coletta's School, Jefferson, Wis. In 1970 he established and directed a residential group home, Corvilla, Inc., in South Bend, Ind. He spent the next 14 years there caring for both children and adults challenged by severe limitations. He then was asked to become director of the Association of St. Joseph, a prayer-oriented, limited fund-raising branch of the brothers' educational apostolates. He held that position from 1984 to 2001 when the program was merged with another.

In 1998 his health required him to move into Schubert Villa, the province's assisted living facility, and then in 2000 into the adjacent skilled care unit, Dujarie House, where he lived until his death. Except for the year in Wisconsin and, at the end, a half dozen years in the brothers' care facilities at Notre Dame, Br. Flavius lived his entire religious life of close to 60 years at Columba Hall on the campus of the university. Open, conscientious, prayerful, compassionate, generous, habitually good-natured and quick-witted, helpful, perceptive, creatively talented, organized, sincere....Even this along listing of the elements of character best describing Br. Flavius is incomplete.

He never earned a degree as such, but he became licensed to teach Sunday C.C.D. religion classes, to be director of Corvilla House ("The House With a Heart"), to be in charge of the Association of St. Joseph, composed of persons-mostly relatives of brothers-who joined together to help the brothers basically in prayer but also in a limited way by raising funds to support the brothers' work. Br. Flavius passed the civil service exam so he could work in the post office at Notre Dame. He helped in the publishing apostolate. He was certified as a Eucharistic minister so he could take the Blessed Sacrament to hospital or homebound patients. All he knew how to do was to love God and serve his fellow religious and others most in need of the gentle encouragement he could and did provide.

Always oriented to life beyond this life, at every turn he saw with unusual clarity the path he should follow and applied his characteristic good-natured, no-nonsense approach to moving always in that direction. A diabetic, his feet and eyes caused problems over the years but his physical condition did not impair his inner vision, for him a quality of soul that overcame all such challenges. In prayer, he discerned the way he should go, and with stubborn courage faithfully pursued that direction as long as he could perceive it to be a concrete expression of his love of God and neighbor. His encouraging example and presence will definitely be missed.

Visitation will begin at 1:30 p.m. today, Oct. 29, in St. Joseph's Chapel, the brothers' Holy Cross Village, 54515 State Road 933. A Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 3:20 p.m. with interment immediately afterward at St. Joseph's Cemetery on the village grounds.