Fr. John Kull Ofm

Rev. John J. Kull, O.F.M.

The Rev. John J. Kull, O.F.M., age 83, a professed Franciscan friar for 62 years and a Catholic priest for 57 years, died Wednesday, April 19, 2023, in Springfield, MA. Father Jack, as he was called, had resided at Mission Care Holyoke prior to his admission to Baystate Medical Center in nearby Springfield due to rapidly declining health. It was there that he surrendered his spirit to the God he loved and served all his life.

A native of Lackawanna, NY, Father Jack came to know the Franciscans at Bishop Timon High School in Buffalo and entered their formation program shortly after graduating from Timon in 1957. Following undergraduate and graduate philosophical and theological studies, Father Jack was ordained a priest in 1966. His long-standing desire to be a missionary led him to the Maryknoll Language School in La Paz, Bolivia for intensive training in Spanish, then to various pastoral assignments in his newly adopted country. Returning to the U.S. in 1973, Father Jack served the people of northern New Jersey as a parochial vicar at St. Leo Parish in Elmwood Park from 1973 to 1991 and at St. Anne Parish in Fair Lawn from 1991 to 1999. Retiring from full-time ministry in 2000, he resided at St. Anthony Friary in Butler, NJ until 2012 and then at St. Margaret of Cortona Friary in Ringwood, NJ. In both locations, Father Jack continued to be of service to the People of God and his Franciscan brothers until he himself required skilled nursing care, first at Holy Name Friary in Ringwood and later at medical facilities in western Massachusetts. He was a long-distance member of the Franciscan community at St. Patrick-St. Anthony Parish in Hartford, CT and would regularly participate in the friars' community prayer by telephone. He took very seriously his prayer ministry for the needs of the Church and the world. Father Jack was a compassionate, outgoing man with a playful sense of humor; a dedicated priest with a deep concern for the poor, the sick and the plight of Native Americans; a devoted religious who loved his Franciscan brothers and delighted in their company; a beloved brother, uncle and friend; as well as an avid fan of the Buffalo Bills. He persevered in his fraternal and pastoral concern for his family, friends, friars, and fellow residents and staff at Mission Care Holyoke until his final days.

Father Jack is predeceased by his parents, John and Helen (Watts) Kull, and is survived by his Franciscan brothers in Holy Name Province, his younger brothers Fred Kull of Fairport, NY, and Dr. Robert Kull of East Aurora, NY, their spouses Rose Norine and Mary Ann, eight nieces and nephews, eighteen grandnieces and grandnephews, and a great-grand niece and nephew.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered Thursday, April 27, 2023 at St. Anthony of Padua Church, 65 Bartholdi Ave., Butler, NJ, at 10:30 a.m., preceded by a viewing from 9:15 to 10:15 a.m. A livestream of the funeral Mass will be available via the parish website: www.saopp.org. Burial will take place immediately following the Mass at Mount Calvary Cemetery, Butler. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to two organizations dear to Father Jack: St. Labre Indian School in Ashland, MT, or the Franciscan Missionary Union of Holy Name Province. All arrangements were entrusted to The Morrison Etheridge Funeral Home Inc. Butler, NJ. www.themorrisonfuneralhome.com