Date of death: 2/6/2014
Saint Meinrad Class: O 1980
On February 6, 2014 at 10:30am Fr George Wolf died of cancer at age 62. Family and friends, including many priest companions, were with him in his last months and last moments. Many of us were moved and inspired by George’s upbeat spirit and sense of humor as he faced his battle with cancer. We shall miss him!Fr George was born in Chicago on May 21, 1951. He was the son of a railroad worker and one of seven children. He attended St. Augustine Preparatory School in Holland, MI, and then attended the University of Illinois, graduating in 1974.He entered Saint Meinrad Seminary in Indiana and earned a master’s of divinity in 1980. He was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Peoria in 1980, three days after his 29th birthday. He was active in youth retreat work and family life ministry and was a high school chaplain.Fr George moved to the Archdiocese of Portland in 1986 and was incardinated here in 1989. Initially he was assigned as parochial vicar at St. Matthew in Hillsboro. Thereafter, in 1989, he became pastor of Our Lady of Victory in Seaside. In 1994 he was assigned to serve as pastor at Queen of Peace Parish in Salem. After completing two terms as pastor in 2006, he was assigned to St. Mary’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland as pastor. In 2011 he moved to Holy Family Parish in Portland, again as pastor.The vigil service for Fr George will be held at St Mary’s Cathedral in Portland on Thursday February 13 at 7.00pm. The Requiem Mass will be celebrated on Friday February 14 at 11.00am, also at St Mary’s Cathedral.Fr George is survived by his siblings Joanne, Andrew, Suzie, Ed, Jim, and Karen. Please keep them and Fr Wolf in your prayers.Cards, notes, and other expressions of condolence may be sent to his family at the following address:Joanne Kauffman1840 N.W. Arcadia CourtBeaverton, OR 97006From the Archdiocese of Portland, OR.Additionally from the Catholic Sentinel (with pictures of the funeral: http://www.catholicsentinel.org/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=24052&SectionID=2&SubSectionID=35&S=1)Father George Wolf was happiest being a priest and building up parish communities wherever he was assigned. That was one message delivered this morning by Father John Kerns, who gave the homily at Father Wolf’s funeral. St. Mary Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception was packed with people and 65 members of the clergy. Father Wolf died Feb. 6 of cancer at age 62. “He was filled with gratitude to God, his family, friends, parishioners and people of other faiths,” Father Kerns said of his longtime friend, whom he took to the movies just days before the illness worsened. Father Wolf said to his friend: I am so happy to be alive. The ailing priest had feared he would die before Christmas from the fast acting cancer that took over his body upon his return from a trip to Turkey. He was glad to spend that time with families and friends. At the end of the Mass, Archbishop Alexander Sample told the congregation that he phoned Father Wolf when he learned of his condition, hoping to offer his love and support. During the conversation, the humble priest with a highly developed sense of humor alluded to the wish expressed days before by Pope Francis that church leaders shelve the practice of naming priests monsignors. Father Wolf told the archbishop, if he wasn’t going to be named a monsignor, why keep living?The congregation laughed hard at that one, because it was vintage George Wolf.He was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Peoria three days after his 29th birthday and was active in youth retreat work and family life ministry and was a high school chaplain. Father Wolf came to the Archdiocese of Portland in 1986 and was incardinated here in 1989. He served as parochial vicar at St. Matthew in Hillsboro before becoming pastor of Our Lady of Victory in Seaside in 1989. He later served as pastor at Queen of Peace Parish in Salem, St. Mary’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland and most recently Holy Family Parish in Portland.”