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In Memoriam

Jesuit Father Carl A. Dehne died May 13, 2017, in St. Louis. He was 80 years old, a Jesuit for 58 years and a priest for 46 years.

He was born in St. Louis on Nov. 13, 1936, to Harry Albert Dehne and Clara Menke Dehne, who preceded him in death. He is survived by a cousin, Sr. Joan Lacey, CSJ, and his brothers in the Society of Jesus.

A graduate of the Jesuit-run St. Louis University High School and Saint Louis University, he entered the Society of Jesus at St. Stanislaus Seminary, Florissant, Missouri, on August 17, 1958. After professing First Vows, he studied philosophy at Saint Louis University, earning a licentiate. He studied theology at St. Mary’s in Halifax and at Toronto School of Theology, earning a M. Div. in 1972. In 1978, he received a Master’s in Liturgical Studies from the University of Notre Dame.

He was ordained on June 4, 1970 at St. Louis Cathedral in St. Louis. He pronounced his final vows on Dec. 8, 1976, at Rockhurst University in Kansas City.

Fr. Dehne spent a major part of his life as a teacher of theology, first at Rockhurst University (1964-67 and 1976-78) and then, for almost 20 years, at Loyola University in Chicago (1978-1997). He loved the liturgy. He received permission to celebrate the liturgy according to the Byzantine rite and had a talent for ensuring that those present had a genuine experience of worship.

In 1997, Fr. Dehne began a new phase of ministry, shifting from university teaching to eldercare, serving as chaplain at Mother of Good Counsel Home in St. Louis (1997-2003) before becoming a pastoral minister, located at the Jesuit Hall Community in St. Louis (2003-2015). For several years, he worked full-time in a retreat ministry with communities of women religious. He was missioned to the Fusz Pavilion in St. Louis in 2015.

Memorial gifts may be made to the USA Central and Southern Province of the Society of Jesus at 4511 West Pine Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63108 or through this website