By Eileen Connelly, OSU
An educator, writer and priest, Br. John Ostdiek, OFM, celebrated a life of faith amid his fellow friars and family members as they gathered for his 102nd birthday on Aug. 27 at Blessed Giles Friary in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. He is the oldest friar in the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Born in Lawrence, Nebraska, Br. John was inspired to join the Franciscans through the example of his uncle, the late Br. Arthur Rempe, OFM.
He entered the Franciscans in 1934 and farmed the land where their seminary was. “I wanted to be a brother like he was,” he said.
Br. John entered the Franciscan minor seminary in 1936 for four years of high school and two years of college study. After the novitiate, he earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy. He made simple profession on Aug. 20, 1943, professed solemn vows on Aug. 20, 1946, and was ordained to the priesthood on June 24, 1949.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Quincy, Illinois, College. He later studied at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., where he earned both a master’s degree and a doctorate in biology. While studying at Catholic University, Br. John also ministered as an assistant chaplain at Walter Reed Medical Center, an experience for which he is especially grateful.
“Those were busy years, but I loved every minute of it,” he said.
Br. John prepares to blow out the candles on his birthday cake with help from his niece Marilyn Roelfs. (Photo courtesy of Br. Bob Gross)
Upon completing his doctorate, Br. John began a long teaching career at Quincy University, rising through the ranks to serve as a full professor of biological sciences. He also served in various administrative positions at the university. After a year-long sabbatical in 1980, he resumed educational ministry at Mundelein College in Chicago.
In addition to his many years of ministry, Br. John was a National Senior Games bowler until his early 90s, earning 36 medals. He is the author of more than 400 articles and pamphlets, and penned the “Whispers of Life” column in the Catholic Times, along with a weekly blog post of short reflections.
His most meaningful and personal writing endeavor has been Letters to Emma, which features a lifetime of insights and lessons shared with his great-great-grandniece, whom he met in 2015 at a family reunion when she was just seven months old. As Emma sat on his lap for a photo, a question popped into his mind: “Emma, suppose that the calendar reads 2100. You are 85 years old. What sort of life have you experienced?”
Published in June, Br. John hopes the letters included in the book — which focus on the wonder and humor of cultivating a relationship with God, nature and ourselves — will help answer that question for Emma and future generations.