ROCKFORD—Father John A. Slampak, S.T.L, died Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2019, at Presence Cor Mariae here. He was 79.

 

Father Slampak was born on Feb.  11, 1940, in Evergreen Park  to Joseph A. Slampak and Helen (Petro) Slampak.

 

He attended Quigley Preparatory Seminary and Loyola University in Chicago. He continued his priesthood education at St. Mary College in St. Mary, Ky., and Catholic Theological University (Catholic University of America) in Washington, D.C.  

 

Father Slampak was ordained a priest by Bishop Loras T. Lane on May 28, 1966, at St. James Pro-Cathedral in Rockford.

 

His post-graduate education includes a master’s degree from Notre Dame University in 1975; a master’s degree in Applied Spirituality from the University of San Francisco in 1982; and a Licentiate of Sacred Theology (S.T.L.) from Gregorian University in Rome in 1983.

 

He served as parochial vicar at St. Mary Parish in East Dubuque from June to December 1966, then at St. Patrick Parish in St. Charles to June 1970, and then at St. Monica Parish in Carpentersville to December 1975. In 1969, he was named chaplain of the Newman Apostolate at Elgin Community College.

 

He was director of the diocesan Office of Divine Worship from August 1974 until July 1984 and was in residence at Holy Angels Parish in Aurora from December 1975 until September 1982. 

 

In 1978 he was elected regional representative to the National Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions, representing Region 7.

 

After nearly a year of study in Rome, he became pastor at St. Laurence Parish in Elgin from July 1983 to June 1995. At that time, he became pastor of St. Mary Parish in Byron, serving there until July 1999 when he began service for a year as the director of Continuing Education for Clergy, a position he had earlier held from November 1991 until September 1994.

 

Father Slampak also served as director of the diocesan Liturgical Commission from October 1994 to July 2004; as diocesan director of Divine Worship for the second time from July 1995 to July 2004; as director of the Department of Pastoral Services from July 2000 to July 2014. He was on the Liturgical Commission from July 2004 to June 2012. 

 

Father Slampak also was a long-time popular weekly columnist for The Observer where he used popular culture to make liturgical themes relevant to everyday life. Some of his favorite examples of human interaction came from the Peanuts comic strip. 

 

Father Slampak was parochial administrator at St. Patrick Parish in McHenry from September 2003 to July 2004. He then became pastor of Blessed Sacrament Parish in North Aurora, serving there until his retirement on July 1, 2014.

 

He was preceded in death by his parents, brother Thomas P. Slampak and sister Helen Treulufian. He is survived by his brother Joseph Slampak and several nieces. 

 

Father Slampak’s funeral Mass was Monday, Sept. 23, 2019 at Blessed Sacrament Church in North Aurora, with burial at Mount Hope Cemetery in Elgin.