A Jesuit's Journey:
Fr. Jack Rainaldo, SJ
Fr. Jack Rainaldo, SJ
Born: March 4, 1929
Entrance: August 17, 1951 | Ordination: June 16, 1964 | Final Vows: August 15, 1967
Fr. Jack Rainaldo, SJ, was called to eternal life on August 10, 2013 at St. Camillus in Wauwatosa, Wis. Read obituary here.
July 24, 2013 — Father Jack Rainaldo, SJ, accomplished much in his 62 years as a Jesuit. He served others as teacher, retreat director, spiritual advisor, and a staunch advocate of the Catholic faith.
In his early years as a Jesuit, Fr. Jack served as a teacher and administrator at Creighton Prep in Omaha. He excelled as a spiritual advisor serving as a minister to priests of the Archdiocese of Omaha and led retreats at the Jesuit Retreat House in Oshkosh, WI. Eventually he went on to serve as Director of the Jesuit Retreat House from 1983-1990 during which he included women religious as retreat directors and involved lay administrators in operating the facility.
In later years, his managerial and organizational skills were also put to good use as Director of the Jesuit Seminary Guild and then as National Director of the Apostleship of Prayer.
Fr. Jack is a tireless advocate for the Catholic faith. He defended Catholic civil rights in his work with Fr. Virgil Blum, SJ, founder of the Catholic League and he helped launch the Ignatian Circle of Gold, a vocation promotion program involving Jesuit family and friends.
Today at age 84, he is one of over 100 senior Jesuits in the St. Camillus (WI) and Colombiere Center (MI) communities receiving assisted living and nursing care. All of them pray daily for the Church, the Society of Jesus and for you, our Jesuit Partners.
S P I R I T U A L I T Y
Well over a decade ago, Fr. Jack Rainaldo, SJ, wrote these consoling words to an elderly friend in failing health.
“Often the good we have accomplished through our deeds of the past are never fully realized in our lifetime. But God knows of our labors of love.”