Let us pray for the life of Fr. R. James Kurtz, SJ, who died on September 14, 2024 at the Federal Medical Center in Butner, North Carolina. He was 79 years old. May he rest in peace.
Jim was born on May 12, 1945 in Mansfield, Ohio. He entered the Detroit Province of the Society of Jesus on August 20, 1963 at Colombiere College in Clarkston, Michigan. He was ordained a priest on July 30, 1977 at Gesu Parish in Detroit, Michigan, and pronounced final vows on August 15, 1985 at the University of Detroit Jesuit High School.
While in the Society, Jim earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Spring Hill College (1970) and a master’s degree in history and philosophy from the University of Notre Dame (1978).
During regency and after ordination, Jim taught chemistry at the University of Detroit Jesuit High School (1970-1973 and 1978-2001). He was missioned to Colombiere Center. In 2011, he was imprisoned in a federal correctional facility after pleading guilty to inappropriate actions with minors.