Obituaries

Father Gary A. Rickles

HOUSTON — Father Gary A. Rickles, who served in numerous parishes in the Archdiocese, died on Oct. 3. He was 77.
Father Rickles served as parochial vicar at St. Helen in Pearland and St. John Vianney parishes. As pastor, he served at St. John of the Cross, St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in La Porte, St. Mary of the Miraculous Medal in Texas City and Sacred Heart in Crosby parishes.
A funeral Mass was held Oct. 11 at St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in La Porte. Interment is in Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery.

Sister Benignus Galiano, O.P.

HOUSTON — Sister Benignus Galiano, O.P., cousin of the late Archbishop Joseph A. Fiorenza, died Sept. 4. She was 102 years old.
Sister Galiano served in education ministry in Sacred Heart School in Galveston and Assumption School in Houston. Her congregational service included her ministry as a receptionist at St. Dominic Villa and the Dominican Sisters’ Offices.
A funeral Mass was held at St. Dominic Villa Chapel on Wednesday, Sept. 10. Interment is in Forest Park Lawndale. ​

Sister Mary Edwin Berry, CCVI

Co. Clare, IRELAND — Sister Mary Edwin Berry, CCVI, died July 15. She was 91 years old.
With a business administration degree, she served at St. Joseph Hospital and the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word corporate offices in Houston. In 1981, Sister Berry was missioned as a founding sister to St. John Hospital in Nassau Bay, where she served for 25 years as the business office manager, treasurer and patient representative. In 2007, Sister Berry retired from active ministry to dedicate her time to prayer at the Marian Convent in Villa de Matel. 
A funeral Mass was held at Villa de Matel Chapel on Friday, July 25. Interment is in St. Michael Convent Cemetery located at Newmarket-on-Fergus, Co. Clare, Ireland. ​

Father Brian Fox, S.S.J.

HOUSTON — Father Brian Fox, S.S.J., died July 28. He was 79 years old. 
Father Fox served as pastor in the Archdiocese at Our Mother of Mercy, Our Lady Star of the Sea and St. Francis Xavier parishes. A funeral Mass was held at St. Francis Xavier Church on Aug. 6. Interment is in Paradise North Cemetery. 

Sister Margaret Ann Toomey, CCVI

HOUSTON — Sister Margaret Ann Toomey, CCVI, died July 8. She was 91 years old.
She was a teacher at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School in Texas City and served as principal at St. Francis of Assisi School. A funeral Mass was held in the Immaculate Conception Chapel at Villa de Matel on July 15. Interment is in Villa de Matel Cemetery. ​

Father Vincent Chacko

KERALA, India — Father Vincent Chacko, former parochial vicar of Epiphany of the Lord Catholic Church in Katy, died May 27 in Kerala, India. He was 73 years old.
He served at Epiphany of the Lord from 2020 to 2025.
A funeral Mass was celebrated in Kerala, India, on June 2 at St. Xavier’s Knanaya Catholic Church. A memorial Mass was celebrated May 31 at Epiphany of the Lord in Katy.

Sister Cecile Roeger, O.P.

HOUSTON — Sister Cecile Roeger, O.P., died April 24. She was 83 years old.
She entered the Dominican Sisters in 1990. She served as the administrator for the Dominican Sisters’ retirement home, St. Dominic Villa. In 2005, she was appointed the community’s promoter of Justice, Peace, and Care of Creation. In this role, she collaborated with countless individuals and organizations to address issues of human trafficking, systemic racism, environmental justice, the abolition of the death penalty and immigration reform on local and national levels. Her congregational service also included her ministry as the internal communications director and a member of several committees, including the Laudato Si Action Platform and Mission Giving committees. A funeral Mass was held at St. Dominic Villa Chapel on April 30. Interment is in Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery. 

Father Nixon Mullah, S.S.J.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Father Nixon Mullah, S.S.J., who was pastor of Holy Family in McNair, died Feb. 18 after a long battle with cancer. He was 51 years old.
Father Mullah was pastor of Holy Family in McNair in 2016 before being appointed rector of St. Joseph Seminary in Washington in 2019. A memorial Mass was celebrated on Friday, Feb. 28, at St. Luke Catholic Church in Washington.

Father John N. Folzenlogen, SJ

FLORISSANT, Missouri — Father John N. Folzenlogen, SJ, who was a beloved priest at Strake Jesuit College Preparatory in Houston for 31 years, died March 31. He was 89 years old.
At Strake Jesuit from 1982 to 2013, he first taught science, then focused on service to students as a counselor in the last decade. During this time, he also provided sacramental ministry at the school and in many churches in the Archdiocese.
A funeral Mass was celebrated at St. Ignatius Hall at Garden Villas North in Florissant on April 12. Interment is in the Jesuit cemetery at St. Charles College in Grand Coteau, Louisiana. †

Father James Joseph Gaunt, CSB

HOUSTON — Father James Joseph Gaunt, CSB, died on Feb. 8 at St. Dominic Village. He was 90.
He was a member of the Congregation of St. Basil (Basilian Fathers) for 70 years and a priest for 60 years. He was a high school teacher at St. Thomas High School, then served as its principal from 1976 to 1981. He taught science at the University of St. Thomas from 1985 to 1990, after which he served the Basilian Fathers as novice master until 1993. He then became pastor at Sacred Heart parish in Manvel until 2007.
A funeral Mass was held on Thursday, Feb. 13, at St. Anne Church in Houston. Interment is at the Basilian plot in Forest Park Cemetery Lawndale. 

Sister Jill Jaeb, OSU

KIRKWOOD, MISSOURI — Sister Jill Jaeb, OSU, also known as Sister Lauren, who served many years in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, died on Jan. 16 in Eureka, Missouri. She was 82.
She taught at O’Connell High School in Galveston from 1973 to 1977, and taught music to elementary grades at Our Lady of Guadalupe School in Galveston from 1978 to 1980.
A memorial Mass was celebrated March 22, at Ursuline Academy Chapel in Kirkwood, Missouri. A private burial was held on Jan. 22 at St. Peter Cemetery in Kirkwood. 

Father Jones Jayaraj

HOUSTON — Father Jones Jayaraj, who was a hospital chaplain in The Woodlands area and in the Texas Medical Center, died on Thursday, Dec. 26. He was 69 years old.
He was ordained a Catholic priest for the Archdiocese of Pondicherry and Cuddalore in India on July 7, 1983. He was granted incardination into the presbyterate of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston on March 27, 2017. Most recently, Father Jayaraj was living as a priest in residence at Annunciation Catholic Church.
Celebrated by Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, a funeral Mass was held on Wednesday, Jan. 15, at Annunciation Catholic Church. Interment is in Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery. 

Sister Raphael Bordages, O.P.

HOUSTON — Sister Raphael Bordages, O.P., died on Friday, May 17, at the age of 102.
She was in the education ministry for 50 years, serving at many schools in Texas, including St. Mary School and Sacred Heart School in Houston and Holy Family School in Wharton. Her congregational service included her ministry as a tutor and receptionist at the Villa de Matel and receptionist and sacristan at the Dominican Sisters Motherhouse.
A funeral Mass was held May 24 at St. Dominic Villa Chapel. Interment is in Forest Park Lawndale.

Father Ivan Cormac Marsh, O. Carm.

GALVESTON — Father Ivan Cormac Marsh, O. Carm., of Holy Rosary Catholic Church on Galveston Island died April 25. He was 87 years old.
He attended Holy Rosary Grade School and Central High School in Galveston. He served with the Carmelites and Christian Brothers around the country.
Father Cormac moved to Houston in 2000, where he served as spiritual director at St. Mary's Seminary. He retired in 2007.
A funeral Mass was held May 11 at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Galveston. Interment is in Mount Olivet Cemetery.

Sister Helen Spanos, C.V.I.

HOUSTON — Sister Helen Spanos, C.V.I., died on Wednesday, April 23, at the age of 93.
She began her ministry as an elementary school teacher and then moved on to serve in youth and adult religious education and Hispanic Ministry serving at Holy Name Parish, Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral and St. Andrew Church in Channelview. Sister Spanos also served as a home missionary and as an adult educator in the East Texas Project (Huntsville area) sponsored by the Archdiocese. She ministered in her community as vocation director and director for the sisters in formation. She was one of the pioneer sisters in her community to serve in Huehuetenango, Guatemala.
A funeral Mass was held April 30 at the Villa de Matel Chapel. Interment is in Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery.

Father James Michael Van Cleve

HOUSTON — Father James Michael Van Cleve, who served as parochial vicar at St. Jerome Catholic Church for 21 years before he retired in 2022, died April 21.
A funeral Mass was held April 29 at St. Jerome Catholic Church. Interment is in Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery.

Father Gan Minh Nguyen, C.Ss.R.

KANSAS CITY, Missouri — Father Gan Minh Nguyen, C.Ss.R., a Redemptorist who served at Holy Ghost Parish in Houston, died on April 14. He was 59 years old.
In 1999, he was appointed at Holy Ghost Parish, where he held additional responsibilities as community bursar. Father Nguyen returned to Houston in 2016 as parochial vicar of the church.
A funeral Mass will be held at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Redemptorist Church in Kansas City, Missouri, on Saturday, April 27. Interment is in the Redemptorist Cemetery in Liguori, Missouri.

Father Robert Crossmyer, CP

DETROIT — Father Robert Crossmyer, CP, who served on the retreat preaching team at Holy Name Passionist Retreat Center from 1988 to 1994, died March 16. He led the various 12-Step Recovery Programs at Holy Name.
A funeral Mass was held at St. Paul of the Cross Passionist Retreat and Conference Center in Detroit, Michigan, on March 26. Interment is in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Detroit.

Father Francis A. Frankovich, CC

HOUSTON — Father Francis A. Frankovich, former director of the Catholic Charismatic Center, died Feb. 13. He was 81 years old.
After six years as director, he ministered to the Spanish-speaking community at the Catholic Charismatic Center and worked with a team of people to organize a greater development of the Companions of the Cross throughout the Archdiocese. Father Frankovich also did missionary-type work in places including Mexico, Colombia, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, Peru and in the Dominican Republic.
A funeral Mass was held Monday, Feb. 19, at the Catholic Charismatic Center. Burial was private.

Father Kenneth O’Malley, C.P.

DETROIT — Father Kenneth O’Malley, C.P., former spiritual director at St. Mary’s Seminary, died Jan. 23. He was 87 years old.
For many years he lived with and served in Houston’s Passionist community as local superior of the community at Holy Name Passionist Retreat Center, as “help” in Archdiocesan parishes and as a spiritual director at St. Mary’s Seminary.
A funeral Mass was held Thursday, Feb. 2, at St. Paul of the Cross Retreat Center Chapel in Detroit, Michigan. Interment is in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Southfield, Michigan. 

Father Richard E. Paulissen, M.M.

MARYKNOLL, New York — Father Richard E. Paulissen, M.M., died Jan. 19. He was 92 years old.
A Maryknoll priest for 60 years, Father Paulissen founded the Catholic Charismatic Center in 1972 in Houston and served as its director until his retirement in 1999.
A memorial Mass was held Thursday, Jan. 25, at Queen of Apostles Chapel in Maryknoll, New York.