In Memoriam

Br. Donald Houde, CSV

More than 40 years after Br. Donald Houde, CSV, left his position as principal of Saint Viator High School, his former faculty members and fellow Viatorians still remembered the “rookie rallies.” “They took place in his office,” says Fr. Patrick Render, CSV, who student taught at the high school under Br. Houde. “They were for first-year teachers as a way to listen, coach and encourage them.” This kind of innovation, quiet wisdom and interest in others were the hallmarks of Br. Houde’s 69 years as a Viatorian. He passed away Sept. 29, 2021, at the age of 91. His funeral took place where his Viatorian life began, in the chapel of the Province Center. Br. Houde was among the first group of religious to profess vows in the chapel which he helped design, back in 1952. At the time of his passing, he was the oldest Viatorian in the Province of Chicago. Br. Houde studied art at the School of the Art Institute and Vogue College of Design, both in Chicago, before he joined the community. Though he left his private life for a religious vocation, he never lost his artistic eye. “He was a very creative teacher and was widely respected for that,” says Fr. Thomas Long, CSV, “he also had a good sense of art and color. His imprint is all over (the Province Center).” Over the years, he helped design many of the common areas of the Province Center and he had a hand in all of the holiday decorations. He eventually evolved into the unofficial historian and curator of its religious art collection. Professionally, Br. Houde built a 40-year career in education, that included teaching at four Viatorian high schools and serving as principal at two, Spalding Institute in Peoria and Saint Viator. He capped his career as curriculum director for the Office of Catholic Schools within the Archdiocese of Chicago. “In his retirement, he took on the simple role of sacristan at St. Josephat Parish in Chicago and here at the Province Center,” Fr. Render said in his homily. “I think our founder, Fr. Querbes, would be proud of Don’s fulfillment of his ideals as both catechist and Cleric of St. Viator.” One of the last projects Br. Houde worked on was designing the Viatorian Community’s annual Christmas card. For the last 10 years, he would scour the Province Br. Donald Houde organized a book drive for the Viatorian mission in Belize, back in 2012. He eventually shipped 50 boxes of books to the parish school where Center’s religious art collection for a suitable image for the card. He also wrote the inside greeting and edited Viatorians served. the description of the community — and of the image — on the back. It was always a labor of love. “God gifted Don with curiosity and with vision,” Fr. Render added. “He could explore and find treasures in places where many people would never look.” Ironically, last year’s image was one from his very own collection: Madonna con Bambino, a Gothic image by medieval artist Simone Martini. He will be missed.

Fr. John Milton, CSV

The Viatorian Community lost a master teacher and a devoted priest with the passing of Fr. John Milton, CSV. He would have celebrated 70 years as a Viatorian this year and 65 as a priest. Fr. Milton passed away Jan. 24. He was 92. “John had a deep passion for science,” said the Rev. Arnold Perham, a former math teacher at Saint Viator High School and classmate of Fr. Milton’s. “He looked upon math and science as the language that God expressed in the creation of the cosmos.” Fr. Milton first met the Viatorians at the former Fornier Institute in Lemont, IL, where he attended from junior year of high school through college, earning a degree in electrical engineering. In fact, he graduated first in his class at the small, selective school. He went on to earn a master’s degree in physics and further graduate studies at St. Louis University before embarking on his long career in teaching. Fr. Milton taught physics at Saint Viator High School for 20 years. He was among the early faculty members to help establish its science department. Yet he also was the driver behind bringing the first computer into the building, a minicomputer produced by Digital Equipment Corporation. “John’s college degree at was in electrical engineering and his master’s degree was in physics,” Fr. Perham said. “He was the perfect person to inject computers into the curriculum.” Fr. Milton next pushed for a computer lab in the school – stocked with Commodore PET personal computers -- and he worked with Fr. Perham to create a groundbreaking class, “Computer Supported Problem Solving.” “It was at least 10 years ahead of its time,” says Bob Zeh of River Forest, a computer engineer who graduated from Saint Viator in 1987. “I used some of the math that I learned in that class in my interviews with my last employer.” Fr. Milton continued his academic career at DePaul University, where he taught another 24 years. When he retired in 2010, Fr. Milton was awarded the Via Sapientiae Award, the highest faculty-staff honor at DePaul. In his retirement, Fr. Milton found great satisfaction in helping to build the science department at Cristo Rey St. Martin College Prep in Waukegan, where Viatorians have been an endorsing community since its opening in 2004. Like the early days at Saint Viator, he brought in his own handmade components to introduce students to new experFr. John Milton worked with Ms. Kumkum Bonnerjee at Cristo Rey iments, and he regularly asked his colleagues in statewide St. Martin College Prep to develop the school’s AP physics program. physics associations for any unused equipment that he could donate to the school. In recognition of Fr. Milton’s dedication to the school and his work in creating its AP science programs, Preston Kendall, president of Cristo Rey St. Martin, dedicated its physics lab in Fr. Milton’s name. They hoped to surprise him, but he never made it back to the school to see it. Fr. Daniel Hall, CSV, celebrated Fr. Milton’s funeral Mass in the chapel at the Province Center, where he described him as a dedicated priest and teacher who quietly inspired others. “To me, John represented a certain stability in an unstable world,” Hall said. “He was a model for all of us as to what it means to be a deeply spiritual man.” He will be missed.