May 24, 2020
REST IN PEACE
Carl Hemmer, 88, a Jesuit priest who left the order to marry and later became a family planner for the U.S. Agency for International Development, died May 24 at a retirement center in Ashburn, Va. The cause was Alzheimer’s disease, said his wife, Patricia Hemmer.
Mr. Hemmer was born in Syracuse, N.Y., and was ordained in 1962. He left the Jesuits in 1967 and married Patricia Harris in 1968 For the next 30 years, he worked for USAID, becoming chief of the policy division as well as branch chief for family services planning in the office of population policy.
He was licensed by the state of Virginia to perform marriages, and he had officiated at more than 200 weddings since leaving the Jesuits. He had served three terms on the Fairfax City Council and was a founding member of the National Association for Pastoral Renewal, which advocates optional celibacy for Catholic priests.
Carl was an active CORPUS member since 1975 and attended CORPUS National Meetings in Chicago, Washington, New York and San Antonio. He authored many articles for various publications and CORPUS REPORTS.