Some Writings of Fr. John Joe Lakers
Fr. JJ at work at his (ancient) computer
Fr. JJ died at 3:45 pm on Friday, November
4, 2011, in his room here at Holy Cross Friary. His wake was in the Quincy
University Chapel on Monday, November 7. The funeral Mass was there on Tuesday,
November 8. He was buried in Calvary Cemetery here in Quincy.
Here is the obituary published in the
Sacred Heart Province newsletter.
“Praised
be You, my Lord,
through our Sister Bodily Death,
from whom no one living can escape” (CtC 12).
Our
fellow friar and faithful priest of Sacred Heart Province,
John Joseph Lakers OFM
died
peacefully at the age of 81 on Friday afternoon, November 4, 2011, at 3:45pm in
his room at Holy Cross Friary, Quincy, Illinois, after a long battle with
Chronic Obstructive
Pulmonary
Disease (COPD) and congestive heart failure. His family and friends were with
him when he died. After he celebrated his eighty-first birthday on November 2,
he began
a
rapid physical decline on Thursday morning. Hospice made sure that he was kept
comfortable so that he could die with dignity and peace.
“Thing
are what they are and act in accordance with what they are, whether or not we
know them and whether or not we describe them correctly.”
With
this philosophical principle as his foundation, John Joseph taught philosophy
to generations of
students for almost 40
years, beginning at Our Lady of Angels Seminary in Cleveland in 1960, moving to
Our Lady of Angels in Quincy in 1965,
and completing his teaching career at Quincy University (College) from 1968 to 1998 when he received the status of professor emeritus.
In
his later years of teaching, he was best known for a course in Christian
marriage, in which he prepared hundreds of students for married life, combining
his linguistic philosophy with his experience giving spiritual direction to hundreds of married couples, especially
those in troubled marriages. His book, Christian Ethics: An Ethics of
Intimacy, is an effort to systematize his thinking, using especially the work
of the Jesuit Walter J. Ong from St. Louis
University on the transition from oral cultures to literate cultures.
From
1960 to 1965 John Joe was a student at Oxford University in England from where
he earned his degree in philosophy; he also took
a sabbatical year in Washington DC from 1973 to 1974.
In
2010, on the occasion of his 80th birthday, friends and former students of John Joe established an endowed scholarship at Quincy University in honor of the
longtime professor and friar. Also, John Joe was given an honorary
doctorate of human letters at the Quincy University commencement on May 22,
2011, to recognize him for “a lengthy and
illustrious career of scholarship, teaching, and administrative service at QU and a continuing mission of providing spiritual guidance to the
community.”
John
Joseph (originally named Donald) was born of Peter W. and Frances A. (nee Miller)
Lakers in Columbus, Nebraska, on November 2,
1930. He was baptized three days later at St. Bonaventure Parish in Columbus. On the fourth of July, 1951, he entered the Friars Minor
as a novice after his minor seminary formation, and made his
simple profession a year and a day later. At Our Lady of Angels in Cleveland he professed his solemn vows on July 5, 1955. The Franciscan Bishop
Henry A. Pinger OFM ordained him a priest on June 24, 1958, at St.
Francis Church in Teutopolis, Illinois.
Not
only was “JJ” a top-notch philosophy professor, he was also a man of great
wisdom, caring, and
kindness. He had a heart
of gold and was very attentive to the needs of those who came to him for
counseling and spiritual direction. He is
remembered fondly by many students for his course on marriage.
For
forty-six years John Joseph would help out at local parishes in the area.
Wherever he celebrated
the Mass and preached, he
endeared himself to the parishioners. He especially left his mark on the parishioners of St. Joseph Parish (Quincy), Holy Family Parish
(Hannibal), Queen of Peace Parish (Ewing) and Holy Rosary Parish and St.
Stephen’s Parish (Monroe City). He also presided over countless weddings at Quincy University Chapel. Moreover, he would often substitute for
priests who would be going to Worldwide Marriage Encounter
weekends, Cursillo Movement experiences, or TEC retreats. For a number of years
he was also involved in the Catholic
Family Camp Movement at Pere Marquette State Park in Illinois.
Father
“JJ” was a brother, friend, confident, mentor, teacher, and friar priest for
countless people. He
was preceded in death by
his parents Peter and Frances Lakers, his brothers Robert and Paul Lakers. He
is survived by his sister Eleanor
Alexander (Freehold, NJ), his brother Tom Lakers (Oak Ridge, TN), eleven nieces and nephews, 14 great nieces and nephews, and their
families.
May Father John Joseph
rest in peace!
Fr. JJ’s book, Christian Ethics, An Ethics of Intimacy, was published by the
Franciscan Press here at Quincy University in 1996. When the Press was
disbanded early in the 2000s, some of its titles were transferred to the
Franciscan Institute at St. Bonaventure University in New York, and others to
the St. Anthony Messenger Press in Cincinnati. Unfortunately, Fr. JJ’s book was
transferred to neither place. He preserved a dozen or two copies himself. I now
have possession of those copies.
JZ
– December 23, 2011
August 12, 2011
A few
weeks ago Fr. JJ learned that he had only a few weeks to live. “Reflection Seven”
will be the last things he will put in writing.
Reflection
Seven, February to August 2011
1. Pope Benedict’s “Jesus of Nazareth” (3 pages)
2. The Thomistic Meta-Narrative (1 page)
3. Revisions in the Liturgy (9 pages)
4. Mercy (1 page)
5. Morality (4 pages)
6. Pentecost (1 page)
Reflection
Six, March 2011
John
Joe began writing this section on July 13, 2010.
1. My “95 Theses” (12 pages)
2. The Liberating Power of God's Love (2 pages)
3. How Have I Treated Jesus Today? (1 page)
4. The Eucharist: The Renewal of the Covenant (3 pages)
5, Grace (2 pages)
6. A Digression on the Language of Rights (18
pages)
7. God's Will, God's Word (1 page)
8. The Narrative Voice (3 pages)
9. Postmodernism and the Issue of Word and Will
(31 pages)
10. The So-Called Natural Law Revisited (12
pages)
Fifth Installment, September 2009
(I began to install this section on July 14,
2010 and completed it on August 21, 2010. In order to make the paragraphs more
accessible, I provided separate hyperlinks to each section. -- JZ)
Fourth Installment, March 1, 2009
Third Installment, November 9, 2007
Four Older Documents
2. Reflections: Personal, Theological,
Philosophical
3. Third Entry: [More] Reflections: Personal,
Philosophical, Theological
The Book
Moral Discourse: The
Anxiety of Authorship and the Issue of Authority