Father Robert Edward Pung

Father Robert Edward Pung of the Society of the Divine Word passed away on Thursday, September 28, 2006 at St. Francis Hospital, Evanston, IL. He was 90 and a retired resident of St. Augustine's in Bay St. Louis since 2003. Father Pung had a long career as a priest and

administrator.

Father Pung was born in Westphalia, MI on January 8, 1916 to John Pung and Juliana Pung nee Simon. He was the youngest of eight children. His four brothers and three sisters all preceded him in death.

He pronounced his first vows as a Divine Word Missionary on June 21, 1939 and was ordained a priest on August 15, 1944 at Techny, IL. For the following fourteen years he was active in Bay St. Louis as a prefect and teacher in the Minor Seminary, as director of lay retreats, as vocational director and editor of the St. Augustine's Messenger. He became the rector of St. Augustine in 1952 and Provincial Superior of the Southern Province in 1955. In 1958 he became a member of the General Council of the Society of the Divine Word, which coordinates the work of more than 6,000 priests and brothers working in more than 60 countries. He was stationed in Rome but in the next ten years visited missionaries in Japan, Ghana, India, the Philippines, New Guinea and elsewhere.

When his term on the General Council ended he worked in various posts for the Vatican and the Society of the Divine Word. One of his posts was to be Promotor of the Cause of the Canonization of St. Arnold Janssen, Founder of the Society and St. Joseph Freinademetz, the Society's first missionary to China. They were canonized in 2003.

In 2003 he returned to St. Augustine's and in 2005 he was selected as vice-rector of St. Augustine's. He survived Hurricane Katrina but because of his age he went to Baltimore until St. Augustine's could be restored. In April 2006 he returned to St. Augustine and was soon elected to represent the Southern United States at a general meeting of the Society of the Divine Word in Rome in June. He became ill in Rome and spent most of the month there in the hospital. It was felt advisable on his return to the States for him to go to the Divine Word Residence in Techny, IL which has round the clock nursing facilities. His health continued to fade and he was frequently admitted to the hospital. Finally he passed to his reward.

Father is survived by numerous nephews and nieces, grandnephews and grandnieces and great grandnephews and great grandnieces.

Wake services were held at Divine Word Residence, Techny, IL on Monday, October 2, with Memorial Mass on Tuesday, October 3. Wake service will be held at St. Augustine's Chapel, Bay St. Louis at 7 p.m. on Thursday, October 5 and Funeral Mass with burial will take place at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, October 6.

Local arrangements are entrusted to Hartwell's Christian Mortuary Inc. in Gulfport.