Jesuit Father Robert T. Costello died Feb. 21, 2017 in St. Louis, after a brief illness. He was 87 years old, a Jesuit for 65 years and a priest for 53 years.
Jesuit Father Robert T. Costello died Feb. 21, 2017 in St. Louis, after a brief illness. He was 87 years old, a Jesuit for 65 years and a priest for 53 years.
He was born in St. Louis, on June 20, 1929 to William J. and Florence Murray Costello. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brothers William and Lawrence and sisters Rosemary Dittmeier and Anne Dependahl.
He graduated from St. Louis University High School in 1947, then earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a minor in Sociology from Saint Louis University before entering the Society of Jesus at St. Stanislaus Seminary, Florissant, Missouri, on Aug. 17, 1951.
He studied philosophy at Saint Louis University and theology at St. Mary’s College in St. Marys, Kansas. He was ordained a priest on June 11, 1963 at St. Mary’s College and pronounced final vows on April 22, 1972 at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri. In 1971, he received a Ph.D. in counseling from the University of Missouri at Kansas City.
Father Costello spent nearly 20 years teaching psychology at Rockhurst University (1965-83). During his time there he spent a sabbatical year (1975-76) working as a staff psychologist in the U.S. Penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas, and another year (1981-82) doing research in the Sam Houston State University Center for Corrections at Huntsville, Texas. While at Rockhurst, he began working with the federal prison system and developed a special interest in how the Christian Community could be part of the process of reconciling ex-offenders with society. From this sprang the “Seventy Times Seven” program focused on changing attitudes toward people who had been incarcerated
In 1983, he returned to St. Louis where he oversaw a house of studies for two years before becoming provincial of the Missouri Province (1985 to 1991). From 1992 to 1997, he led St. Louis University High School as president. He worked for three years in Toronto as a staff member at Southdown Institute, which provides help for vowed religious and clergy related to addictions and mental health. He then served for three years at Loyola House-Guelph Centre of Spirituality, a retreat house and Ignatian Spirituality training center in Guelph, Ontario.
Since 2000, he worked with the Christian Life Community (CLC) in various capacities in Birmingham, England, and then in St. Louis as Regional Ecclesial Assistant (2005-2015); from 2009-2011 he was National Ecclesial Assistant. He also served as faculty chaplain at De Smet Jesuit High School in St. Louis, a role he found especially satisfying.
He elicited respect and trust, and committed himself completely to whatever the Society asked him to do. His strengths enabled him to be of support and consolation particularly to those in moments of suffering and personal crisis – students, parents, clients, prisoners and, of course, many Jesuits.
Memorial gifts may be made to the USA Central and Southern Province of the Society of Jesus at 4511 West Pine Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63108 or through this website.
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