Let us pray in thanksgiving for the life of Fr. Carl A. Bonk, SJ, who died on May 19, 2026 at Colombiere Center in Clarkston, Michigan. He was 84 years old. May he rest in peace.
Carl is preceded in death by his parents, John and Josephine (nee Kosnetski), and his siblings: Eugene Bonk, Thomas Bonk, Robert Bonk, Eleanor Nicastro, Leona Osier, Dorothy Bonk, and Irene Fennimore.
Carl was born on October 27, 1941 in Detroit, Michigan. He entered the Detroit Province as a Brother on March 11, 1961 at Colombiere Center. After two decades in the Society, Carl felt called to be a priest and was ordained on June 19, 1982 at Gesu Parish in Detroit, Michigan. He pronounced final vows in Cleveland on May 8, 1986.
While in the Society, Carl studied at the Miller-Draughon Business College in Cincinnati (1963-1965) before earning a bachelor’s degree in history from University of Detroit (1971). He studied theology at the Jesuit School of Theology in Chicago for one year (1979-1980) before earning a master’s of divinity from Weston School of Theology in Cambridge, Massachusetts (1983).
After novitiate, Carl was the registrar, assistant treasurer, and secretary at Bellarmine School of Theology in North Aurora, Illinois, for one year (1965-1966). He then was missioned to studies at the University of Detroit Mercy where he also was the community treasurer (1966-1971). Carl was then missioned to Walsh Jesuit High School where he taught social studies (1971-1974) and theology (1975-1979). In addition, he was the treasurer for the school. He studied theology at Jesuit School of Theology in Chicago (1979-1980) and Weston School of Theology (1980-1983). After ordination, Carl taught theology at Saint Ignatius High School in Cleveland for almost a decade (1983-1992) before he focused his ministerial energy on pastoral ministries.
In 1993, Carl joined the Cleveland-area Spirituality Team (1993-2000). He returned to his hometown and was pastor of Ss. Peter and Paul Jesuit Church (2002-2009). In addition, he was the provincial assistant for pastoral ministry in the Detroit Province (2000-2002). Carl returned to Cleveland where he worked at the Jesuit Retreat Center (2009-2010) before working in the Campus Ministry Department at Saint Ignatius High School (2010-2014). In 2014, Carl was missioned to Colombiere Center to pray for the church and the Society.
Carl was a devoted priest and Jesuit. He enjoyed talking with others and wanted everyone to deepen their relationship with Jesus. Carl was pastoral with others and provided wonderful cura personalis to everyone he encountered. He was known for his encyclopedic knowledge of baseball facts and loved to share these statics with others.
Fr. Mike Vincent, SJ, has these memories of Carl:
Carl wanted to be a good priest and care for God’s people! He had a good sense of humor which was apparent when, during a very tough financial time at Walsh Jesuit High School when he was the school’s treasurer, Carl told the faculty, “If the lights go out in your classrooms, it’s because we paid your salaries before the electric bill.”
During his many years as the Saint Ignatius High School freshman baseball coach, Carl would impart to those he encountered many of the innumerable Major League Baseball (MLB) stats he had memorized.
As he aged, Carl suffered from severe memory loss for years. May the patience that Carl exemplified be an inspiration to us all.
Fr. Bob Scullin, SJ, has this to say about Carl:
Carl had a wide range of gifts from the academic to the pastoral to the spiritual. He rejoiced in his priesthood and did his best to involve people in all his ministries. In his prime, he was a walking baseball encyclopedia with amazing facts at his fingertips. His occasional rough edges did not diminish his apostolic effectiveness.
Fr. Ken Styles, SJ, has these memories of Carl:
When many people think of Carl, the first thing to pop in their heads is his phenomenal knowledge of baseball statistics, particularly of the Detroit Tigers. But I remember instead his love for Soren Kierkegaard and Karl Rahner. Carl was no intellectual slouch. He would painstakingly read and reread very challenging material until he understood it. On a more personal note, when I entered the Society in 1962, Carl was preparing to take first vows as a Jesuit Brother on the feast of St. Joseph in 1963. Luckily, he was at Colombiere long enough for me to get to know him when I did Brothers Probation. He was a lively, friendly, and thoughtful Brother– well-liked by all. He showed me a side of Jesuit life that was less competitive than that of the scholastic novices. It was a genuine pleasure to attend his ordination nearly 20 years later. My joy was not so much that he was now a “better” Jesuit but rather one who said yes to what he then felt God wanted him to do. These last nine months we have been together once more where we both began our vocations. I am grateful I could be with him once more as he handed his life back to God. Rest in peace, Carl. We will all miss you.
