Fr. John Patrick Wheeler

John Patrick Wheeler, CSB

15 March 1939 – 9 December 2025

Fr. John Patrick Wheeler, CSB died peacefully in hospital on 9 December 2025. He was 86 years of age. He was a Basilian for 67 years and served in priestly ministry for 56 years.

John was born in Detroit, Michigan. His parents were Harry Wheeler and Julia Miner. He had seven brothers, William, Harry, Paul, Girard, Michael, Richard, and Timothy, and three sisters, Sr. Winifred Wheeler SJ, Mary McComb, and Harriet Brichta. He attended grade school at St. Michael's in Livonia and at St. Valentine's in Redford Township, and high school at Catholic Central. He entered St. Basil's Novitiate, Rochester in 1957 and was professed on 15 August 1958. He obtained a BA degree from St. John Fisher College in 1962. He taught for three years at Catholic Central High School, during which time he obtained a temporary Michigan State Teacher's certificate. He studied Theology at St. Basil's Seminary in Toronto in 1965, followed by two years at the Grand Séminaire de Saint-Sulpice in Paris, France, and a final year at St. Basil's Seminary. He obtained an MA in English in 1968 from the University of Detroit and an STB in Theology from St. Basil's Seminary. He was ordained on 14 December 1968 in Blessed Sacrament Cathedral, Detroit by Bishop +Thomas Gumbleton. He celebrated his First Solemn Mass in St. Genevieve's Church, Livonia. Fr. James Enright, CSB preached the homily.

John Wheeler had the following appointments in the Congregation:

St. Basil's Novitiate, Rochester 1957-1958

St. Basil's Seminary, Toronto 1958-1959

Aquinas Institute, Rochester 1959-1962

Catholic Central High School, Detroit 1962-1965

St. Basil's Seminary, Toronto 1965-1966

Maison Saint-Basile, Paris 1966-1968

St. Basil's Seminary, Toronto 1968-1969

Collège Privé du Sacré-Cœur, Annonay 1969-1972

Catholic Central High School, Detroit 1972-1976

Collège Privé du Sacré-Cœur, Annonay 1976-1977

Catholic Central High School, Detroit 1977-1989

Sabbatical, Annonay, Fr. 1989-1990

Basilian Fathers of Albuquerque 1990-1994

St. James Church, Port Richey, Florida 1994-1995

St. Mary's Church, Owen Sound 1995-1999

Basilian Fathers of Catholic Central, Livonia 1999-2009

Basilian Fathers of Catholic Central, Novi 2009-2025

Visitation will be on 19 December from 3 pm-7 pm with a Vigil at 7 in the Chapel of St. Basil the Great at Detroit Catholic Central High School.

At St. James Parish, Novi on December 20 there will be Visitation from 9 am-9:45 am with a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 am. A live stream of the Mass can be viewed at St. James Church

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Fr. John P Wheeler, CSB '57 Memorial Scholarship Fund at Catholic Central.