Allan Wasiecko, OFM Cap. (1942-2025)
The video of the Wake Service held for our brother Allan
on Sunday evening, February 2, 2025, appears here.
The Funeral Mass celebrated on Monday, February 3, 2025, appears here.
Our brother, Allan Wasiecko, OFM Cap., passed to the Lord’s eternal life on January 30, 2025 at a residential rehabilitation center in Pittsburgh, PA. He was 82. Allan was at the Center following a successful surgery to repair a broken femur he suffered from a fall at our St. Augustine Motherhouse on January 17th. His passing was not entirely expected, though health issues and increased memory loss weighed him down in his final years among us.
Born on October 19, 1942, to Stephen and Helen (Pack) Wasiecko in Pittsburgh, PA’s Mt. Oliver district, Allan entered St. Fidelis High School Seminary in Herman, PA, in 1955 and was invested as a novice in 1962, making his first profession of vows to our way of life on July 14, 1963. He was given the name Br. Donan, but he returned to his baptismal name when permitted to do so in 1968. Donan was part of the largest class of young men ever to join the community in one year, the height of the vocations boom in the 20th century. 25 young men joined him in professing vows that year, and 18 of the them went on to priesthood ordination following theology studies at Capuchin College in Washington, DC, on October 19, 1968 (which just happened to be Allan’s 26th Birthday!). Classmates included our confreres John Bednarik and Gene Emrisek. Other brothers would precede him to the “eternity fraternity:” Gary Powell (+1994), Ed Judy (+2003), future bishop Bill Fey (+2021) and Jerome Dunn (+2022).
Colman Studeny, OFM Cap. (1934-2024)
See the end of the article for livestreaming links of our brother's Wake and Funeral Mass are below . . .
Our brother, Colman Studeny, OFM Cap., passed to the Lord’s eternal life on Friday. October 18, 2024, at our motherhouse, St. Augustine Friary, in Pittsburgh, PA, less than a month after celebrating his 90th birthday. He had been in residence there since 2022 when he retired from his work as a missionary in Papua New Guinea.
Born to Leo and Germaine (Koehler) Studeny on September 28, 1934, he was given the name James at his baptism at Resurrection Parish in Pittsburgh and also where he was to attend the parish grade school. In 1948, James entered St. Fidelis High School Seminary in Herman, PA. Sadly, within six weeks of his arrival there, the young freshman suffered the unexpected loss of his older brother Leo, Jr.
When he was ready to move on to the novitiate year after his second year of college and recieve the habit of the Order, this was his highlight in the 1953 edition of the school's Yearbook, the Skullcap . . .
Read more about our brother Colman and his life on a mission . . .
Michael Greb, OFM Cap., 1958-2023
Livestreaming of the wake service and Funeral liturgy appear below
Our Capuchin confrere Mike Greb, OFM Cap., 65, passed to the Lord's eternal life on Thursday, October 26, 2023, at UPMC Shadyside Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA.
One of seven children, our brother Michael Greb was born to parents Ralph and Dorothy (Koeper) Greb on August 8, 1958, in Pittsburgh, PA. He was proud of his parish Church in Castle Shannon, St. Anne Parish, and of its pastor Charles Owen Rice, a writer and American Labor activist. Mike was even highlighted in historian Sam Sciullo Jr.’s book, Castle Shannon, in the Images of America series. In the caption of the photo, Mr. Sciullo wrote:
As a teenager in Castle Shannon, Michael Greb loved baseball. But when he realized he probably was not going to replace Roberto Clemente as the Pittsburgh Pirates’ next great right fielder, his career path took him in a much different direction. The 1976 graduate of Keystone Oaks High School, who also attended St. Anne School, became Father Greb when he was ordained in 1989 by Bishop Donald Wuerl. Father Greb recalled his roots when asked to consider his influences during a 2012 interview. “I do realize that so many of the values of faith and family, care for people and good citizenship were born in Castle Shannon,” he said.“ I have always been proud of my hometown and the people. Our parish of St. Anne’s will always he where I came to love my Catholic faith and where I discovered my pathway of service and religious life."
Gervase Degenhardt, OFM Cap. 1931-2023
Our brother Gervase Degenhardt, OFM Cap., passed to the Lord’s eternal life at our Provincial motherhouse, St. Augustine Friary, in Pittsburgh, PA, on Wednesday, September 27, 2023. He was 91. He had been suffering weakness in the past few months and growing increasingly frustrated that the Lord was delaying the moment when he could be freed from the weakness of Brother Body.
Francis Degenhardt was the fourth of eight children born to Martin and Pauline (Leiker) Degenhardt in Antonino, KS, on December 28, 1931. As a child, he recalled flowers growing around his home and his parents tending a vegetable garden. His interest in horticulture began! Walking to St. Joseph Grade School in nearby Hays, KS, he noticed flowers and shrubs thriving in yards along the way.
Benjamin Madden, OFM Cap., 1933-2023
Our brother Benjamin Madden, OFM Cap., made his transitus to the Lord's eternal life on Friday, July 14, 2023 , at our motherhouse, St. Augustine Friary in Pittsburgh, PA. Ben had been in declining health this past year and found it more and more difficult to maneuver life on his own. Still, given Ben's tenacity, and his desire never to be a bother to anyone, it's unsurprising that his passing was solitary; he didn't bother anyone.
He was born Francis Madden March 10, 1933. His parents, Louis and Clara (Helmstetter) Madden lived in Cumberland, MD, and they were parishioners of SS. Peter & Paul Church where the Capuchins had a large fraternity of young and older friars who were familiar faces as Francis was growing up.
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