Rev. John F. SCHRODER

SCHRODER, Rev. John F. Rev. John F. Schroder, S.J. Rev. John F. Schroder, S.J., passed from this life on Saturday, January 25 in Grand Coteau, La. at 95 years of age. He was a Jesuit for 72 years and a priest for 60 years. Visitation will be on Thursday, January 30, in the chapel at St. Charles College in Grand Coteau at 10:30 a.m. A Funeral Mass will follow at 11 a.m., with interment in the Jesuit cemetery. Fr. Schroder was born on January 11, 1919, in Atlanta. He graduated from Georgetown Preparatory School in Washington, D.C., in 1936 and attended the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., earning a B.A in 1940. He entered the Society of Jesus on August 15, 1941, at St. Charles College. He studied at Spring Hill College in Mobile, Ala., from 1944 to 1947. He then taught at Loyola College in Montreal and at Jesuit High School in Tampa, Fla., before completing theology studies in 1954 at St. Mary's College in Kansas. He was ordained a priest on June 17, 1953, at Spring Hill College. Much of Fr. Schroder's priestly ministry was to preach the good news of the gospel. From 1955 to 1974 he was a member of the Jesuit "Mission Band," offering parish missions throughout the south. Fr. Schroder served as pastor of Blessed Sacrament Church in Harriman, Tenn., until 1976. He was superior of Ignatius House in Atlanta from 1976 to 1980 when he was missioned to Belize. He served at St. Francis Mission in Corozal Town from 1981 to 2003, and his ministry extended to some 20 area villages. In 2003, Fr. Schroder moved to Jesuit Hall in St. Louis, then to Ignatius Residence in New Orleans in 2008. He moved to Grand Coteau in May 2013. He is preceded in death by his parents, William and Suzanne Spalding Schroder, three brothers and one sister. The original house and property of Ignatius Retreat House was donated to the Society of Jesus by Mrs. Schroder in 1957. Fr. Schroder is survived by two sisters-in-law, Mrs. Van Schroder and Mrs. Frances Schroder, both of Atlanta, and by nephews and nieces. Memorial donations may be made to the Fr. John F. Schroder Fund at Ignatius House Jesuit Retreat Center, 6700 Riverside Dr. NW, Atlanta, GA 30328, or to the Senior Jesuits Fund of "The Jesuits," 710 Baronne St., Ste. B, New Orleans, LA 70113. View the obituary and guestbook online at www.melanconfuneralhome.net. Melancon Funeral Home of Carencro, 4615 North University Avenue, (337) 896-6366, is in charge of arrangements.