Submitted by: Dan Rich
Br. John Chrysostom Ryan CSC
SOUTH BEND - Brother John Chrysostom
(William) Ryan, CSC, 84, died after a long illness in Dujarie
House, the Holy Cross Village at Notre Dame, IN, on Sunday, Jan.
21, 2007. Br. John was born William Ryan in Troy, New York, on
December 18, 1922, the son of William A. and Irene (Dunn) Ryan.
He received his education in St. Joseph's parish school in Troy.
After graduating from high school, he worked briefly for the
General Electric Company in Schenectady and for the Federal
Housing Administration in Albany. He joined the Brothers of Holy
Cross in January 1943, making his first profession of vows on
Feb. 2, 1944, and his perpetual vows August 16, 1947. From 1944
to 1973 his assignments were as a cook in various Holy Cross
residences. From 1961-1969 he was cafeteria manager of the
Brothers' high school in Flushing, NY.
In 1973 he began work counseling recovering
alcoholics, a service that became a full-time occupation in
several locations from then until shortly before his death. He
counseled at Mount Pleasant Hospital, Lynn, MA, was director of
counseling in that hospital, then at Doctor's Hospital in
Worcester, MA, at AdCare Hospital in Worcester, and finally at
Holy Cross Counseling Services in South Bend, IN. After suffering
a severe and debilitating illness he came to the brothers' acute
care facility at Notre Dame. Confined to a wheelchair, he
nevertheless worked for years as a volunteer in counseling.
Among the distinctions he held were his
certification as a licensed Social Worker for the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts. In June 1981 he became a member of the Board of
Directors of the National Clergy Council on Alcoholism. He was
also a licensed substance abuse counselor in Massachusetts. In
1985 he was appointed to the Professional Advisory Committee of
the Priests' Recover Program of the Boston Archdiocese.
As he was received into Holy Cross he took
as his religious name John Chrysostom after the fourth-century
Orthodox teacher and saint. Influenced by his patron, Br. John
began to study the Orthodox Church and its icons, representations
of God and the saints displayed in Eastern churches in place of
statues, becoming over time an expert in iconography. Many are
the brothers who, as students at Notre Dame, appreciated Br.
John's culinary skills. More meaningful to him in later years was
his counseling, as he helped numerous individuals in difficulty
to deal with their additions.
At Dujarie House a viewing is scheduled for
today, Tuesday, Jan. 23, at 11 a.m., followed at 11:30 a.m. by a
Mass of the Resurrection in the new Our Lady of Holy Cross Chapel
at Dujarie House, the Holy Cross Village at Notre Dame.
Afterward, he will be flown to the Eastern Province of brothers'
retreat and retirement center at Valatie, NY, where the formal
funeral service will take place, including burial in the province
cemetery on the grounds of St. Joseph Center. The Kaniewski
Funeral Home is in charge of local arrangements.