Steele, Thomas J. (Father)

Father Thomas J. Steele, SJ, died October 25, 2010, in Denver. He was 76 years old, a Jesuit for 59 years and a priest for 46 years.

Born in St. Louis on November 6, 1933, Fr. Steele entered the Society of Jesus at St. Stanislaus Seminary in Florissant, Missouri, on August 8, 1951. He was ordained June 16, 1964, at St. Mary’s College in St. Marys, Kansas.

Following ordination, Fr. Steele completed a Ph.D. in English at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. He then taught English at Regis College (now University) in Denver for nearly 30 years, retiring in 1997 as Professor Emeritus. During his time at Regis, Fr. Steele studied religious folk art of the southwestern United States and wrote several books about religious art and culture, including Santos and Saints: The Religious Folk Art of Hispanic New Mexico.

As part of his Jesuit formation, he taught for three years at Kapaun High School in Wichita, Kansas.

Father Steele was remembered by his Jesuit brothers as a natural storyteller, a gift he shared in his writing and in community life. Over many years, he developed the extensive Santo Collection at Regis, housed in a small museum within the university’s library.

In 1997, Fr. Steele moved to Immaculate Conception Church in Albuquerque where he continued his writing and research while helping out with pastoral work in the parish. He visited Denver often, as he continued to serve as curator of the Santo collection. He moved back to Denver and joined the Xavier Jesuit Community in 2010.

Father Thomas J. Steele, SJ, was remembered in a funeral Mass on October 30, 2010, at St. John Francis Regis Chapel. He was buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Denver.

May this good and gentle man rest in peace.