Former Minister Provincial of the Dominican Province of St. Albert the Great and former pastor of St. Jude chapel in Downtown Dallas, Father Gilbert J. Graham OP., died on Friday, June 20, 2008, at Resurrection Life Center in Chicago, Illinois, of heart failure.
After service in the Vatican and Chicago for 22 years, he was administrator of the Saint Jude chapel in downtown Dallas for 27 years, retiring in 2003, to the place where he began his priesthood ministry, Saint Pius V Priory in Chicago. A native Bostonian who was born in 1921, he ended a promising acting career at the Catholic University of America under the training of the late Father Gilbert Hartke OP., and Helen Hayes, to pursue a vocation in the Dominican Order as a priest. He was first to play the role of George M. Cohan in the stage production of Yankee Doodle Dandy that later starred James Cagney in the film production. As a young man, he was invited to Hollywood to meet with Mr. Cagney to share his experience of that role. He maintained a warm friendship with his childhood neighbor, the late Speaker of the House, John W. McCormack, through whom he was introduced to President Lyndon B. Johnson. He also knew the Massachusetts Congressman and Speaker of the House who was a successor to Mr. McCormack, Thomas, "Tip" O' Neill. He was especially close, however, to the late Chicago Mayor and Mrs. Richard J. Daley and his family, with whom he developed life-long friendships. He counted among his friends many members of the Catholic hierarchy as well, including Cardinal Cody of Chicago, Cardinal Cushing of Boston, Bishop Cletus O'Donnell of Madison, Wisconsin, and Bishop Timothy Lyne of Chicago, some of whom he met during his years as President of the Conference of Major Superiors of Men. In Dallas, he was loved and respected by civic and philanthropic leaders of the city as well as people of every economic and social strata, all of whom were all made to feel at home at St. Jude chapel.
After his ordination in 1949, he served first as director of vocations for the Dominicans and then as pastor of St. Pius V church in Chicago. As pastor, Fr. Graham was very active as a member of the Cardinal's Committee on Urban Affairs and as an organizer of the Catholic Alliance of Latin Americans. He also served as chairman of the Area Pastors' Organization for All Denominations. In 1951, Fr. Graham was called to serve as director of vocations for the Dominican Order, Province of Saint Albert the Great, which covered 17 states in the Midwest and South and two foreign mission areas, one in Nigeria, West Africa, the other in Bolivia, South America. In 1964, he was elected Provincial of the Central Province of the Dominican Friars. During this time, Father Graham hosted the General Chapter of the Dominican Order of 1968, in which Dominican Superiors from around the world gathered in River Forest, to renew the Order. As Provincial, Fr. Graham directed more than 600 Dominican priests and brothers. In 1969, the Master General of the Dominican Order appointed Fr. Graham as the Director of Development for the Angelicum, the international study center of the Order in Rome, which includes among its alumni the late Pope John Paul II. When his term ended in Rome in 1974, he was appointed pastor of the Saint Jude Chapel. Throughout his years of ministry in the heart of the business district of Dallas, he befriended some of the most influential and some of the most disadvantaged members of the city. Apart from his gift for preaching which drew crowds each week to the Shrine, Fr. Graham was known as a priest whose door was always open to those in need.
Throughout his life, Fr. Graham was celebrated as a preacher whose sermons both engaged and instructed, a pastor who knew his people and their spiritual needs, a counselor whose advice was practical, sound and life-giving, and above all a Dominican priest who was faithful and generous to the Church he loved. His affiliations included: President, Conference of Major Superiors of Men, U.S. and Chairman of the liaison Committee with The U.S. Bishops Conference; Executive Board of the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA); Magistral Chaplain of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta; Board of Trustees, University of Dallas; Board of Trustees, The Catholic Foundation; Chaplain of Dallas Chapter, Legatus International; Panelist, the American Religious Town Hall Meeting weekly National Television Broadcast.
The Father Gilbert J. Graham OP., Institute for Sacred Music and Performing Arts was established in his honor upon his retirement from Saint Jude chapel in 2003.
Mass of Christian Burial took place at St. Vincent Ferrer Church, 1530 Jackson Avenue in River Forest, on Friday, June 27, at 10.00 am., followed by interment at All Saints Cemetery, Des Plaines.
After service in the Vatican and Chicago for 22 years, he was administrator of the Saint Jude chapel in downtown Dallas for 27 years, retiring in 2003, to the place where he began his priesthood ministry, Saint Pius V Priory in Chicago. A native Bostonian who was born in 1921, he ended a promising acting career at the Catholic University of America under the training of the late Father Gilbert Hartke OP., and Helen Hayes, to pursue a vocation in the Dominican Order as a priest. He was first to play the role of George M. Cohan in the stage production of Yankee Doodle Dandy that later starred James Cagney in the film production. As a young man, he was invited to Hollywood to meet with Mr. Cagney to share his experience of that role. He maintained a warm friendship with his childhood neighbor, the late Speaker of the House, John W. McCormack, through whom he was introduced to President Lyndon B. Johnson. He also knew the Massachusetts Congressman and Speaker of the House who was a successor to Mr. McCormack, Thomas, "Tip" O' Neill. He was especially close, however, to the late Chicago Mayor and Mrs. Richard J. Daley and his family, with whom he developed life-long friendships. He counted among his friends many members of the Catholic hierarchy as well, including Cardinal Cody of Chicago, Cardinal Cushing of Boston, Bishop Cletus O'Donnell of Madison, Wisconsin, and Bishop Timothy Lyne of Chicago, some of whom he met during his years as President of the Conference of Major Superiors of Men. In Dallas, he was loved and respected by civic and philanthropic leaders of the city as well as people of every economic and social strata, all of whom were all made to feel at home at St. Jude chapel.
After his ordination in 1949, he served first as director of vocations for the Dominicans and then as pastor of St. Pius V church in Chicago. As pastor, Fr. Graham was very active as a member of the Cardinal's Committee on Urban Affairs and as an organizer of the Catholic Alliance of Latin Americans. He also served as chairman of the Area Pastors' Organization for All Denominations. In 1951, Fr. Graham was called to serve as director of vocations for the Dominican Order, Province of Saint Albert the Great, which covered 17 states in the Midwest and South and two foreign mission areas, one in Nigeria, West Africa, the other in Bolivia, South America. In 1964, he was elected Provincial of the Central Province of the Dominican Friars. During this time, Father Graham hosted the General Chapter of the Dominican Order of 1968, in which Dominican Superiors from around the world gathered in River Forest, to renew the Order. As Provincial, Fr. Graham directed more than 600 Dominican priests and brothers. In 1969, the Master General of the Dominican Order appointed Fr. Graham as the Director of Development for the Angelicum, the international study center of the Order in Rome, which includes among its alumni the late Pope John Paul II. When his term ended in Rome in 1974, he was appointed pastor of the Saint Jude Chapel. Throughout his years of ministry in the heart of the business district of Dallas, he befriended some of the most influential and some of the most disadvantaged members of the city. Apart from his gift for preaching which drew crowds each week to the Shrine, Fr. Graham was known as a priest whose door was always open to those in need.
Throughout his life, Fr. Graham was celebrated as a preacher whose sermons both engaged and instructed, a pastor who knew his people and their spiritual needs, a counselor whose advice was practical, sound and life-giving, and above all a Dominican priest who was faithful and generous to the Church he loved. His affiliations included: President, Conference of Major Superiors of Men, U.S. and Chairman of the liaison Committee with The U.S. Bishops Conference; Executive Board of the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA); Magistral Chaplain of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta; Board of Trustees, University of Dallas; Board of Trustees, The Catholic Foundation; Chaplain of Dallas Chapter, Legatus International; Panelist, the American Religious Town Hall Meeting weekly National Television Broadcast.
The Father Gilbert J. Graham OP., Institute for Sacred Music and Performing Arts was established in his honor upon his retirement from Saint Jude chapel in 2003.
Mass of Christian Burial took place at St. Vincent Ferrer Church, 1530 Jackson Avenue in River Forest, on Friday, June 27, at 10.00 am., followed by interment at All Saints Cemetery, Des Plaines.
Former Minister Provincial of the Dominican Province of St. Albert the Great and former pastor of St. Jude chapel in Downtown Dallas, Father Gilbert J. Graham OP., died on Friday, June 20, 2008, at Resurrection Life Center in Chicago, Illinois, of heart failure.
After service in the Vatican and Chicago for 22 years, he was administrator of the Saint Jude chapel in downtown Dallas for 27 years, retiring in 2003, to the place where he began his priesthood ministry, Saint Pius V Priory in Chicago. A native Bostonian who was born in 1921, he ended a promising acting career at the Catholic University of America under the training of the late Father Gilbert Hartke OP., and Helen Hayes, to pursue a vocation in the Dominican Order as a priest. He was first to play the role of George M. Cohan in the stage production of Yankee Doodle Dandy that later starred James Cagney in the film production. As a young man, he was invited to Hollywood to meet with Mr. Cagney to share his experience of that role. He maintained a warm friendship with his childhood neighbor, the late Speaker of the House, John W. McCormack, through whom he was introduced to President Lyndon B. Johnson. He also knew the Massachusetts Congressman and Speaker of the House who was a successor to Mr. McCormack, Thomas, "Tip" O' Neill. He was especially close, however, to the late Chicago Mayor and Mrs. Richard J. Daley and his family, with whom he developed life-long friendships. He counted among his friends many members of the Catholic hierarchy as well, including Cardinal Cody of Chicago, Cardinal Cushing of Boston, Bishop Cletus O'Donnell of Madison, Wisconsin, and Bishop Timothy Lyne of Chicago, some of whom he met during his years as President of the Conference of Major Superiors of Men. In Dallas, he was loved and respected by civic and philanthropic leaders of the city as well as people of every economic and social strata, all of whom were all made to feel at home at St. Jude chapel.
After his ordination in 1949, he served first as director of vocations for the Dominicans and then as pastor of St. Pius V church in Chicago. As pastor, Fr. Graham was very active as a member of the Cardinal's Committee on Urban Affairs and as an organizer of the Catholic Alliance of Latin Americans. He also served as chairman of the Area Pastors' Organization for All Denominations. In 1951, Fr. Graham was called to serve as director of vocations for the Dominican Order, Province of Saint Albert the Great, which covered 17 states in the Midwest and South and two foreign mission areas, one in Nigeria, West Africa, the other in Bolivia, South America. In 1964, he was elected Provincial of the Central Province of the Dominican Friars. During this time, Father Graham hosted the General Chapter of the Dominican Order of 1968, in which Dominican Superiors from around the world gathered in River Forest, to renew the Order. As Provincial, Fr. Graham directed more than 600 Dominican priests and brothers. In 1969, the Master General of the Dominican Order appointed Fr. Graham as the Director of Development for the Angelicum, the international study center of the Order in Rome, which includes among its alumni the late Pope John Paul II. When his term ended in Rome in 1974, he was appointed pastor of the Saint Jude Chapel. Throughout his years of ministry in the heart of the business district of Dallas, he befriended some of the most influential and some of the most disadvantaged members of the city. Apart from his gift for preaching which drew crowds each week to the Shrine, Fr. Graham was known as a priest whose door was always open to those in need.
Throughout his life, Fr. Graham was celebrated as a preacher whose sermons both engaged and instructed, a pastor who knew his people and their spiritual needs, a counselor whose advice was practical, sound and life-giving, and above all a Dominican priest who was faithful and generous to the Church he loved. His affiliations included: President, Conference of Major Superiors of Men, U.S. and Chairman of the liaison Committee with The U.S. Bishops Conference; Executive Board of the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA); Magistral Chaplain of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta; Board of Trustees, University of Dallas; Board of Trustees, The Catholic Foundation; Chaplain of Dallas Chapter, Legatus International; Panelist, the American Religious Town Hall Meeting weekly National Television Broadcast.
The Father Gilbert J. Graham OP., Institute for Sacred Music and Performing Arts was established in his honor upon his retirement from Saint Jude chapel in 2003.
Mass of Christian Burial took place at St. Vincent Ferrer Church, 1530 Jackson Avenue in River Forest, on Friday, June 27, at 10.00 am., followed by interment at All Saints Cemetery, Des Plaines.
After service in the Vatican and Chicago for 22 years, he was administrator of the Saint Jude chapel in downtown Dallas for 27 years, retiring in 2003, to the place where he began his priesthood ministry, Saint Pius V Priory in Chicago. A native Bostonian who was born in 1921, he ended a promising acting career at the Catholic University of America under the training of the late Father Gilbert Hartke OP., and Helen Hayes, to pursue a vocation in the Dominican Order as a priest. He was first to play the role of George M. Cohan in the stage production of Yankee Doodle Dandy that later starred James Cagney in the film production. As a young man, he was invited to Hollywood to meet with Mr. Cagney to share his experience of that role. He maintained a warm friendship with his childhood neighbor, the late Speaker of the House, John W. McCormack, through whom he was introduced to President Lyndon B. Johnson. He also knew the Massachusetts Congressman and Speaker of the House who was a successor to Mr. McCormack, Thomas, "Tip" O' Neill. He was especially close, however, to the late Chicago Mayor and Mrs. Richard J. Daley and his family, with whom he developed life-long friendships. He counted among his friends many members of the Catholic hierarchy as well, including Cardinal Cody of Chicago, Cardinal Cushing of Boston, Bishop Cletus O'Donnell of Madison, Wisconsin, and Bishop Timothy Lyne of Chicago, some of whom he met during his years as President of the Conference of Major Superiors of Men. In Dallas, he was loved and respected by civic and philanthropic leaders of the city as well as people of every economic and social strata, all of whom were all made to feel at home at St. Jude chapel.
After his ordination in 1949, he served first as director of vocations for the Dominicans and then as pastor of St. Pius V church in Chicago. As pastor, Fr. Graham was very active as a member of the Cardinal's Committee on Urban Affairs and as an organizer of the Catholic Alliance of Latin Americans. He also served as chairman of the Area Pastors' Organization for All Denominations. In 1951, Fr. Graham was called to serve as director of vocations for the Dominican Order, Province of Saint Albert the Great, which covered 17 states in the Midwest and South and two foreign mission areas, one in Nigeria, West Africa, the other in Bolivia, South America. In 1964, he was elected Provincial of the Central Province of the Dominican Friars. During this time, Father Graham hosted the General Chapter of the Dominican Order of 1968, in which Dominican Superiors from around the world gathered in River Forest, to renew the Order. As Provincial, Fr. Graham directed more than 600 Dominican priests and brothers. In 1969, the Master General of the Dominican Order appointed Fr. Graham as the Director of Development for the Angelicum, the international study center of the Order in Rome, which includes among its alumni the late Pope John Paul II. When his term ended in Rome in 1974, he was appointed pastor of the Saint Jude Chapel. Throughout his years of ministry in the heart of the business district of Dallas, he befriended some of the most influential and some of the most disadvantaged members of the city. Apart from his gift for preaching which drew crowds each week to the Shrine, Fr. Graham was known as a priest whose door was always open to those in need.
Throughout his life, Fr. Graham was celebrated as a preacher whose sermons both engaged and instructed, a pastor who knew his people and their spiritual needs, a counselor whose advice was practical, sound and life-giving, and above all a Dominican priest who was faithful and generous to the Church he loved. His affiliations included: President, Conference of Major Superiors of Men, U.S. and Chairman of the liaison Committee with The U.S. Bishops Conference; Executive Board of the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA); Magistral Chaplain of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta; Board of Trustees, University of Dallas; Board of Trustees, The Catholic Foundation; Chaplain of Dallas Chapter, Legatus International; Panelist, the American Religious Town Hall Meeting weekly National Television Broadcast.
The Father Gilbert J. Graham OP., Institute for Sacred Music and Performing Arts was established in his honor upon his retirement from Saint Jude chapel in 2003.
Mass of Christian Burial took place at St. Vincent Ferrer Church, 1530 Jackson Avenue in River Forest, on Friday, June 27, at 10.00 am., followed by interment at All Saints Cemetery, Des Plaines.
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