Father Kenneth J. Caufield, S.J., 77, a Jesuit priest for 59 years, died on March 24 at Murray-Weigel Hall, the Bronx.

After graduating from Brooklyn Prep, he entered the Jesuits in 1954.

From 1961 to 1964, he taught Latin, English and religion at Brooklyn Prep.

He was ordained to the priesthood on June 15, 1967 at the Fordham University Church.

He taught at Xavier H.S., Manhattan, 1969-77; and Regis H.S., Manhattan, 1981-84.

He then served the order as assistant to the director of Novices, director of formation for the New York Province, as a student counselor at Fordham Prep and rector of the Jesuit House of Studies, Ciszek Hall in the Bronx.

In 2000, he returned to Regis as chaplain for the faculty. From 2007 to 2011, he continued his ministry of counseling, directing and sharing the Spiritual Exercises with numerous Jesuits, women religious and laity.

 

Sister Barbara Monaghan, C.S.J., a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph, Brentwood, L.I., for 74 years, died March 1. She entered the congregation in 1940 from St. Nicholas of Tolentine parish, Jamaica.

Known formerly as Sister Barbara Francis, she taught at Queen of All Saints, Fort Greene, 1942-43; Holy Cross, Flatbush, 1943-46; St. Cecilia, Greenpoint, 1946; Our Lady of Good Counsel, Inwood, L.I., 1946-47; Visitation B.V.M., Red Hook, 1947-50; St. Patrick’s, Long Island City, 1950-58; Fontbonne Hall Academy, Bay Ridge, 1958-63; Our Lady of Perpetual Help H.S., Sunset Park, 1963-68; St. Agnes Seminary H.S., Marine Park, 1968-72; Stella Maris H.S., Rockaway Beach, 1972-81; and The Mary Louis Academy, Jamaica Estates, 1984-86.

She also served at the Spiritual Life Center, New Hyde Park, L.I., 1981-84; was spiritual director of Bethel House of Prayer, Brentwood, 1986-87; and was assistant superior at Maria Regina Residence, 1987-99. She was in residence at St. Joseph Renewal Center, Brentwood, 1999-2005.

Burial was in Calvary Cemetery, Brentwood.

 

Sister Grace Catherine Smith, C.S.J., a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph, Brentwood, L.I., for 79 years, died March 12.

She entered the congregation in 1935 from St. Vincent Ferrer parish, E. Flatbush.

An accomplished artist on various levels, she earned a bachelor’s degree in English from St. John’s University, Jamaica, and a master’s degree in art and English from Catholic University, Washington, D.C.

She taught at Our Lady of Sorrows, Corona, 1937-41; Academy of St. Joseph H.S., Brentwood, 1941-67; Bishop McDonnell H.S., Crown Heights, 1967-71; St. Brendan H.S., Midwood, 1971-74; and Stella Maris H.S., Rockaway Beach, 1987-90.

A Mass of Christian Burial with her own music was held in Maria Regina Chapel March 17. Burial followed in Calvary Cemetery, Brentwood.

 

Sister Gertrude Hayward, C.S.J., a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph, Brentwood, L.I., for 58 years, died March 7. She entered the congregation in 1956 from St. Rose of Lima parish, Massapequa, L.I.

Known formerly as Sister Maria Petrae, she taught at Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Astoria, 1959-66; St. Martin of Tours, Bushwick, 1966-69; Mary’s Nativity, Flushing, 1969-78; St. Robert Bellarmine, Bayside, 1979; St. Christopher, Baldwin, L.I., 1979-81; Our Lady of the Snows, N. Floral Park, 1981-86; Sacred Heart, North Merrick, L.I., 1986-89; and St. Joachim, Cedarhurst, L.I., 1989-90.

She served as financial secretary at Bishop Kearney H.S., Bensonhurst, 1978, and as administrative assistant at the Motherhouse in Brentwood, from 1990 until she retired in 2011.

Burial was in Calvary Cemetery.

 

Sister Joseph Amata Wittick, C.S.J., a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph, Brentwood, L.I., for 65 years, died March 14. She entered the congregation in 1949 from Our Lady of the Angelus parish, Rego Park.

She taught at St. Michael, Sunset Park, 1951-56; St. Camillus, Rockaway Park, 1956-62; Academia Santa Maria, Ponce, Puerto Rico, 1962-66; St. Angela Hall Academy H.S., Clinton Hill, 1966-70; Our Lady of Perpetual Help H.S., Sunset Park, 1970-83; and St. John of God, Central Islip, L.I., 1983-84. She also ministered at St. Thomas More, Breezy Point, 1984-2008, and volunteered at Stella Maris Convent, Rockaway Beach, 2008-13.

Burial was in Calvary Cemetery, Brentwood.

[hr] Retired Rear Adm. Jeremiah Denton, who as a young Navy flight captain was captured in 1965 during the Vietnam War and held prisoner for more than seven-and-a-half years, died March 28. He was 89.

He was in a hospice in Virginia Beach, Va., and died of heart problems, according to The Washington Post. Details of funeral arrangements were not immediately released.

A Catholic, Denton often talked about how his faith sustained him during his years as a prisoner of war and helped him survive the torture he endured at the hands of his captors.

“Sometimes I wonder how I survived. It was by the grace of God that I am still here,” he told The Tablet in a 1999 interview.

Denton told The Tablet he was often transferred from one POW camp to another.

“If it hadn’t been for the Rosary, I would have lost my sanity,” Denton said. “It held my mind together.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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