Submitted by: Dan Rich
Rev. John H. Wilson CSC
South Bend Tribune 2/12/2002
Reverend John H. Wilson, C.S.C., 92, died about 4 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 9, in Holy Cross House, Notre Dame, Ind.
Father Wilson was born to John H. and Anna B. (Chambers) Wilson on Jan. 17, 1910, in Chicago, Ill. He attended St. Bride's Grade School and Mt. Carmel High School, both in Chicago. In 1932 he graduated from the University of Notre Dame with an A.B. degree in economics. He received an L.L.B. in 1934 from Kent College of Law in Chicago.
On Nov. 13, 1934, he entered St. Joseph Novitiate in Rolling Prairie, Ind., and made his first profession there on Feb. 2, 1936. He made his perpetual profession of religious vows on June 29, 1939. On June 15, 1941, Father Wilson was ordained to the priesthood at Scared Heart Basilica, Notre Dame, by the Most Reverend John Francis Noll, Bishop of Fort Wayne, Ind.
Father Wilson's first assignment to Holy Cross Seminary, Notre Dame, lasted 15 years, first serving as a teacher, then as director of vocations from 1943-1954. He moved over to become associate editor of The Catholic Boy magazine from 1954-56, followed by two years as assistant director for province development. He served briefly as an administrative assistant to Father Theodore Hesburgh, C.S.C., at Notre Dame, and for two years as director of the Notre Dame Foundation.
In 1961 Father Wilson returned to the vocations department as associate director for eight years, often running the home office while the director was "on the road." During these years he lived and worked at St. Joseph Hall. In 1962, Father Howard Kenna, C.S.C., then provincial, prevailed upon Father Wilson to publish a few issues of the Province Review until a permanent editor could be found to replace Father Arthur Hope, C.S.C. His tenure came to a close only in 1998 when he was given the title editor emeritus and honored and thanked for an outstanding job serving his religious community as the news editor for ordinations, anniversaries, chapters, special events and a host of other important province happenings in addition to the regular publication of the Province Review for 35 years.
From 1969 until 1998 he lived at the Holy Cross Mission House on the site of the Fatima Retreat Center. Failing health necessitated moving his residence to Holy Cross House.
Perhaps Father Wilson's greatest contribution to the Indiana Province of the Congregation of Holy Cross and the local South Bend community never was an official priestly assignment. He helped develop and implement the province's policy on chemical dependency. He often counseled people suffering from addictions and their families. He was deeply involved in the development of South Bend's Center for the Homeless and Life Treatment Center. He was sought out as a wise and compassionate advisor and support for individuals and programs of recovery throughout the area. He was recognized in numerous ways for his assistance, though any personal honors were never mentioned in the publications he edited for the province. He was a humble and unheralded servant of the poor and many who were without hope.
Father Wilson was an avid fisherman who enjoyed summer vacations at the university properties in Land O'Lakes, Wis. His prize catches were frequently pictured in the Province Review.
Father Wilson is survived by his sister, Mrs. Harriet Duffy of Indianapolis, Ind.; a nephew and a niece. He was preceded in death by his parents and brothers, Rev. Frederick Wilson, O. Carm., and Edward T. Wilson.
A wake service will be held for Father John H. Wilson, C.S.C., in the chapel of Moreau Seminary on Wednesday, Feb. 13, at 7:30 p.m.
The funeral Mass will be celebrated at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Notre Dame, on Thursday, Feb. 14, at 3:30 p.m.
Burial will follow at the Community Cemetery, Notre Dame.
The Kaniewski Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.