Rev. John Jay Comerford O.Carm.

1948 - 2025

Rev. John Jay Comerford, O.Carm.
Born: February 18, 1948 in Joliet, IL
Died: September 5, 2025 in Naperville, IL
Rev. John Jay Comerford, O.Carm., known to most as "Fr. Jay", died on September 5, 2025, at the age of 77, at the St. Patrick Residence in Naperville, Illinois.
The visitation for Fr. Jay will be held at 5:00 PM, Tuesday, September 9, at the National Shrine of St Therese at 8501 Bailey Road, Darien, Illinois, followed by the Funeral Mass at 7:00 PM. The interment will be at St. Mary's Cemetery in Minooka, Illinois on Wednesday, September 10, at 10:00 AM.
Born in Joliet, Illinois, on February 18, 1948, to Joseph Thomas and Elizabeth Angela (Donahue) Comerford, Fr. Jay was baptized at St. Patrick Parish in Joliet on March 7, 1948. He attended St. Patrick Elementary School, graduating in 1962, and graduated from Joliet Catholic High School in 1966.
Fr. Jay entered the formation program of the Carmelites in 1966, attending Mount Carmel College, in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. He entered the Carmelite Novitiate in New Baltimore, Pennsylvania, professing his simple vows on August 22, 1968. On April 18, 1976, he professed solemn vows as a Carmelite. Completing his theological studies at the Washington Theological Union, he was ordained a priest on May 27, 1977.
Fr. Jay earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Speech Education from Marquette University in 1971, a foundation that shaped his lifelong ministry in education. He first taught at Salpointe Catholic High School in Tucson, Arizona from 1971-1972, and then served with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps at Monroe Catholic High School in Fairbanks, Alaska, from 1972-1974.
After his ordination, Fr. Jay continued his long career in Catholic secondary education. He taught at Joliet Catholic High School from 1978-1988, served as Dean at Crespi Carmelite High School in Encino, California from 1988-1994, and was a teacher at Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein, Illinois, from 1994-2003. He then returned to Joliet Catholic Academy, serving as a teacher and campus minister from 2003 to 2005.
In 2006, Fr. Jay began ministry as the chaplain at Carmelite Carefree Village in Darien, Illinois, where he touched the lives of countless residents with his pastoral care. He also served the Diocese of Joliet as Vicar for Religious and a member of the College of Consultors at this time.
From 2012 to 2018, Fr. Jay was a retreat director at Mount Carmel Spiritual Centre in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, before returning to Illinois and retiring to Titus Brandsma Priory in Darien, Illinois.
Throughout his 57 years as a Carmelite, Fr. Jay is remembered for his generosity of spirit, his gift as an educator, and his ability to connect with everyone he met.
Fr. Jay was preceded in death by his parents, and his brother, Joseph. He is survived by his nephews, John Comerford and Thomas Comerford, by his Carmelite brothers, and by many former students, colleagues, and friends who were blessed by his presence.
Memorials for Fr. Jay may be made to the Society of Mount Carmel, 1317 N. Frontage Road, Darien, Illinois, 60561.