August 15, 2003
REST IN PEACE
Raymond Nicholas Eipers, age 87, of Riverside, IL, beloved husband of Carole, nee Juckniess; loving father of Nicholas Robert Eipers; dear brother of Marlene (John) Reedy and Betty (Charles) Handel; devoted son-in-law of Mae Juckniess and fond brother-in-law of Robert (Mary) Juckniess and Richard (Maria) Juckniess; adoring uncle to many nieces and nephews, and life long friend to many special cousins and parishioners. Studied at North American College, Rome, Italy. Ordained to the Priesthood on May 2, 1942. Served as Associate Pastor of St. Peter's Parish, Rockford, IL and St. Mary's Parish in Woodstock, IL. Ray was the founding Pastor of St. Margaret Mary Church in Algonquin, IL from 1954 until 1962 and also served as Pastor of St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Crystal Lake, IL and Holy Angels Church in Aurora, IL. Family and friends will be received at the Kuratko Funeral Home, 2500 S. Des Plaines Ave., North Riverside on Sunday from 3 until 9 p.m. Funeral Monday 10:15 a.m. from the funeral home to St. Mary Church in Riverside for Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m. Interment All Saints Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Ray's name to St. Mary's Parish or to Providencia Academica de Ingles, Attn: Sr. Carolyn Glynn, SP. Funeral information, 708-447-2500.
Ray Eipers, 87 years old, died on August 15, 2003. Jean and Carol, Ray's wife, were both Sinsinawa Dominicans and were in the same parish where Ray was the pastor when Ray and Carol met. Ray and Carol were married for 32 years and he served as a celibate priest for the Rockford Diocese for 29 years. Carol has her Doctor of Ministry and had worked for the Archdiocese of Chicago for 10 years, knowing Cardinal Bernardin well. She is now the Executive Director for Catechetics for Sadlier Publishing in New York. At the wake yesterday 3 bishops came. Cardinal George was not able to get to the wake as he had 4 other appointments Sunday. However he was willing to come. For the funeral liturgy today the main celebrant was Bishop Timothy Lyne, and auxiliary for Chicago. The liturgy was wonderful and Bishop Lyne did acknowledge Ray's priesthhood.
Ray was assistant pastor at St.Peter Church, Rockford when I was in grade school and probably one of the models I, as a kid with a mindset to become a priest, looked up to (even though later in life I recognized how short in stature he was with a giant personality). Ray preached at my First Mass at St Peter Church, Rockford, on May 26, 1963.
Ray was able to get approved by Bishop Loras Lane while he was pastor at Saint Thomas the Apostle, Crystal Lake from 1954 to 1962: the home (or neighborhood as it became known) mass. The celebration of that type of community-building liturgyeventually spread across the diocese and the nation. When I was at Saint Monica Church, Carpentersville, Illinois, we were implementing a home mass as a means of bringing parishioners together with their neighbors in a demographically diverse mega-parish.
And even that fuller outline of his life omits a revolutionary innovation Ray was able to get approved by Bishop Loras Lane while he was pastor at Saint Thomas the Apostle, Crystal Lake from 1954 to 1962: the home (or neighborhood as it became known) mass. The celebration of that type of community-building liturgyeventually spread across the diocese and the nation. When I was at Saint Monica Church, Carpentersville, Illinois, we were implementing a home mass as a means of bringing parishioners together with their neighbors in a demographically diverse mega-parish. Jack Wentworth