Obituary: Rev. Robert Herne, Our Lady of the Brook, 93

Obituary courtesy of the Archdiocese of Chicago

Rev. Robert George Herne passed away on Thursday, January 14, 2016. Fr. Herne was the Pastor Emeritus of Our Lady of the Brook Parish in Northbrook and was recently a resident at the Bishop Timothy J. Lyne Residence for Retired Priests in Palos Park. He was 93 years old.

Visitation and Funeral Mass

Visitation for Fr. Herne will take place at Sacred Heart Parish, 8245 West 111th Street in Palos Hills, on Thursday, January 21, from 4 to 7 p.m. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 7:30 p.m. Most Rev. Andrew Wypych will be the main celebrant and Fr. Medard Laz will be the homilist.

On Friday, January 22, visitation will begin again at Our Lady of the Brook Parish, 3700 Dundee Road in Northbrook, from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m., when the Funeral Mass for Fr. Herne will be celebrated. Rev. Richard Sztorc will be the main celebrant and Fr. Medard Laz will be the homilist. Most Rev. Francis Kane will preside in choir dress.

Interment will take place at Sacred Heart Cemetery in Northbrook.

“A Priest’s Priest”

Fr. Herne was born in Chicago on March 15, 1922. He attended St. Columbanus School in Chicago and Quigley Preparatory Seminary. Fr. Herne graduated from the University of St. Mary of the Lake / Mundelein Seminary. He also did post-graduate studies at Loyola University Chicago. Fr. Herne was ordained into the priesthood on May 3, 1947, by Samuel Cardinal Stritch, Archbishop of Chicago.

Fr. Herne served as Assistant Pastor at St. Celestine Parish in Elmwood Park (1947-52); Holy Name Cathedral Parish in Chicago (1952-60); St. Joseph Parish in Wilmette (1960-64); and St. Richard Parish in Chicago (1964-68). Because of his great devotion to the Blessed Mother, Fr. Herne was an active member of the Legion of Mary throughout most of his life as a priest. He was named Pastor of Our Lady of the Brook Parish in Northbrook in 1968 and served there until 1991, when he retired and was named Pastor Emeritus a year later. Before moving to the Bishop Lyne Residence, Fr. Herne was a Resident of Sacred Heart Parish in Palos Hills.

Rev. Medard P. Laz, retired Archdiocesan priest, was a close friend of Fr. Herne since his assignment at Our Lady of the Brook Parish in 1969. Fr. Laz preached at many of Fr. Herne’s priesthood anniversary celebrations, including his 25th, 40th, 50th and 60th anniversaries. He was preparing to preach at his 70th anniversary, which would have been next year.

Fr. Laz recalled, “Everyone whoever met or knew Fr. Herne would say he was a priest’s priest. He embodied everything that the priesthood should be. He almost never missed going to a wake for a fellow priest, whether he knew him or not, and the same was true for his parishioners.”

He continued, “I have never met anybody else like him. When you think of priesthood, you would think of him and that this is what a priest is supposed to be. He touched every person he met with the love of Jesus, leaving you feeling like a better person. He was a very uplifting and holy man, but he never let his holiness take away from his humanity.”

Fr. Laz concluded, “In all his 69 years of being a priest, he was never ‘off duty’ and always left himself open to a connection with people; not out of sense of duty, but because of his close relationship with Christ.”

Rev. Richard Sztorc, retired Archdiocesan priest, was the Associate Pastor at Our Lady of the Brook Parish for seven years, while Fr. Herne was Pastor. Following Fr. Herne, Fr. Sztorc was named Pastor of the Parish and the two kept in touch throughout the years, meeting about once per month to catch up.

Fr. Sztorc recalled, “Fr. Herne had great friendships with the parishioners; he loved them and they loved him back. He really believed in the power of the Holy Spirit and collegiality, and made sure parishioners used their gifts and talents for the Parish, while maintaining his thumbprint in the work, too. He was a great Pastor, always visiting the sick in hospitals, following-up by phone and pastoring his people.”

Fr. Sztorc continued, “Fr. Herne really believed in adult education and formation. When the Religious Education program was established at Our Lady of the Brook, it was a two-tiered program. We had Family education and Christian education because Fr. Herne really wanted the children and adults to hear the same message on their own levels.”

He concluded, “Fr. Herne’s favorite words were ‘Amen. Alleluia.’ He always said this whenever we finished a prayer or a meeting. He wanted to make sure there was an abundance of ‘Alleluia’ at his Funeral liturgy.”