Let us pray in thanksgiving for the life of Fr. John A. Schwantes, SJ, who died on March 20, 2026 at St. Camillus Jesuit Community in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. He was 87 years old. May he rest in peace.
John is preceded in death by his parents, John and Sylvia (nee Bludau) and his sister, Mary Schwantes. He is survived by his brothers: David Schwantes, James Schwantes, and Thomas Schwantes.
John was born in Orange, New Jersey, on Mary 9, 1938 and grew up in the Chicago area. He entered the Wisconsin Province of the Society of Jesus on August 25, 1956 at the Jesuit novitiate in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. He was ordained on June 4, 1969 at the Church of the Gesu in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and pronounced final vows on November 5, 1977 at the Fusz Memorial building on the campus of Saint Louis University.
While in the Society, John earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy (1962), a licentiate degree in philosophy (1963), a master’s degree in sociology (1967), and a master’s degree of theology (1971) from Saint Louis University.
During regency, John taught English at Creighton Preparatory School (1964-1966). After ordination, John returned to Creighton Prep where he taught theology and social studies (1970-1971) before spending four years as director of the campus ministry department at Creighton University (1971-1975). John then was missioned to formation work as superior of the Jesuits in formation at Fusz Memorial (1976-1981) and socius to the Wisconsin Province novice director at the Jesuit novitiate in St. Paul, Minnesota (1981-1983).
While John was superior of LaStorta Apostolic Community in Minneapolis, he also directed retreats and offered spiritual direction (1984-1990). He moved to Milwaukee where he spent five years working for Marquette University’s Faber Center for Ignatian Spirituality (1991-1995), helping with adult formation at Marquette University High School (1995-1997), and was the superior of the Pere Maquette Jesuit Community (1994-1997). John then ministered at the Sioux Spirituality Center in Plainview, South Dakota (1997-2000) before spending 14 years at the Jesuit Retreat House in Oshkosh, Wisconsin (2001-2015) where, in addition to retreat work, he was the director of the retreat house and superior of the Jesuit community (2003-2009).
In 2016, John returned to the Faber Center at Marquette University where he was the associate director until he was missioned to St. Camillus Jesuit Community in 2025 to pray for the Church and the Society.
John was a devoted priest and Jesuit. His deep love of the Eucharist directed his thoughts and, more importantly, his heart towards cura personalis for those he lived with, worked with, and encountered each day. He saw Christ in everyone and treated others with respect, love, and concern. He greeted others with a welcoming smile, was kind to everyone, and loved by all. Because of his patience, practicality, and love for others, John was often missioned to be the superior of a community or director of a work.
Fr. Douglas Leonhardt, SJ, has this to say about John:
John was a thoroughly enjoyable classmate in the Society. He was always fun, interesting, and willing to share what he was reading. John took what St. John the Baptist said about Jesus, “He must increase and I must decrease,” as his model in friendship and spiritual direction. It was never about John but always about others. John lived his life as a man consistently for and with others. His service to poor and standing for the marginated was always rooted in faith and prayer life.
Fr. Donald Doll, SJ, had these memories of John:
John entered the Society one year after I did and, beginning in the ‘70’s, we shared many years together at Creighton University. John worked in the “new area” of campus ministry in residence halls and at St. John’s Church. I remember how he started a radio program on which he responded well and articulately to student questions. John’s outgoing, vivacious spirit made him very popular with the students.
During his time at the retreat house in Oshkosh, John was loved by those he worked with. In addition to being so welcoming to the retreatants, he was responsible for the construction of the new building to house retreatants. Everyone John encountered — including those involved with the construction of the building — had a great deal of warmth, appreciation, and love for him. John especially loved a picture of himself with his leg up on his cluttered desk in the retreat house director’s office. He asked that it be placed on the cover of his funeral booklet with lines from the Hopkins poem “As kingfishers catch fire….”, as he felt this poem expressed well who he was.
As I worked with John during the last week of his life, John was in pain, weakening daily, but he never lost his peacefulness nor his joyfulness – to me a sure sign of the Holy Spirit.
Fr. Christopher Manahan, SJ, has these memories of John:
John felt he was ill-equipped to be director of the Jesuit Retreat House on Lake Winnebago, but when I succeeded him as director I found a dedicated staff who worked well together and cherished the mission and each other; a roster of devoted and supportive retreatants; and, a brand new retreatants’ wing well planned and built with great care. Every day of my seven years at Oshkosh I felt grateful to John for what he entrusted to me and what continues to serve retreatants well.
Fr. Jack Treloar, SJ, has this to say about John:
John’s life can best be described by the fact that he loved people. His engaging smile welcomed people by manifesting God’s love for everyone. All the retreatants who walked through the doors knew they were safe and would find God because of John’s ever welcoming open arms for everyone who came to this retreat house for prayer and spiritual refreshment.
The Jesuit Retreat House in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, stated this about John:
Fr. John was not only a leader, but a steady and joyful presence within this sacred place. Those who encountered him often speak of his gentle spirit, his welcoming smile, and the quiet way he made others feel known and cared for. He carried a light that reflected Christ’s love, offered freely, without condition, and it left a lasting impression on all who crossed his path.
Sr. Kerry Larkin, OSM, who served as Associate Director reflects that “Fr. John is a man of deep faith who lived the Spiritual Exercises on a daily basis. This led him to walk and listen to the many retreatants he journeyed with whom he loved.” The two had remained in close touch over the years, and Sr. Kerry shares that he was at peace in the end, knowing he would spend eternity with God.
Fr. John’s life was a quiet testament to what it means to walk with Christ, rooted in prayer, grounded in service, and offered with a spirit of joy. His legacy lives on not only in the spaces he helped build, but in the countless lives he touched through his kindness, his listening heart, and his unwavering faith.
