Weis, Earl A.
Jesuit Father Earl A. Weis died on Aug. 15, 2018, at the Colombiere Center in Clarkston, Michigan. He was 95 years old, a Jesuit for almost 77 years, and a priest for 64 years.
Born in Toledo, Ohio, on May 5, 1923, Fr. Weis went to grade school in Toledo and high school in Rensselaer, Indiana, before entering the Society on September 11, 1941, in Milford, Ohio. He was ordained on June 19, 1954, made tertianship 1955-1956, and pronounced his final vows on February 2, 1959, at West Baden College.
Fr. Weis earned a bachelor’s (1946) and master’s degree (1948) in English from Loyola University Chicago. He earned a licentiate in philosophy from West Baden College (1948), a licentiate in sacred theology from Weston School of Theology (1955), and a doctorate in sacred theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University (1958).
During regency, Fr. Weis taught English at St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati. After earning his doctorate, he was a professor of dogmatic theology at West Baden College (1958-1963) before moving to Washington D.C. where he wrote about dogmatic theology. He was a staff editor of the New Catholic Encyclopedia (1963-1966) and editor of Corpus Instrumentorum (1966-1970). He spent a year as an associate professor at the University of Detroit before moving to Loyola University Chicago, where he spent almost forty years as a professor of theology. In addition to teaching at Loyola, Fr. Weis was chairman of the theology department (1971-1980) and superior of the Alpha Community (1983-1989). In 2008, Fr. Weis moved to Colombiere Center to care for his health.
Fr. Weis is survived by his sister, Ann Lackey, and many nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews.