Franklin Gregory, 89, Father of Catholic Spirit business manager

Franklin D. Gregory passed away at the age of 89 on Dec. 2 in Lebanon, N.J. He did so in the comfort of his Catholic faith and surrounded by the love of his family and friends. 

Frank was born in Jersey City on Sept. 13, 1935, the seventh of James and Mary Gregory’s 12 children. He attended St. Peter’s Prep and St. Peter’s College, and received a graduate degree from Fordham University in N.Y. His Jesuit education established the foundation for a life-long commitment to service as an educator in the Jesuit tradition. 

Frank began his career as registrar at Brooklyn Prep in 1962 and moved on to Xavier High School in Manhattan in 1972. He was at Xavier for 27 years where, as the dean of students, he influenced generations of young men to find their individual greatness and to live their lives as “Men for Others.” 

Frank and Roberta, his wife of 63 years, raised their family in Brooklyn. Together, they instilled in their children the importance of faith, family, and education. He and Roberta moved to Lebanon, shortly before Frank retired. There, they spent the past 30 years enjoying frequent visits from their growing family. Frank loved to be surrounded by his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

His curiosity for how things work, his love of music and singing, and his deep and abiding faith will live on through them all.

Frank is survived by his wife, Roberta (Kling), his children, Margaret and her husband Kenneth; Francis and his wife Debra; Teresa; Mary Catherine; Virginia and her husband Anthony; Robert and his wife Joan; John and his wife Colleen; and Eileen and her husband Brian. He is also survived by his 27 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren, as well as his siblings Frances Pavick and Daniel “Butch” Gregory. Frank was predeceased by his daughter, Catherine Marie, and nine of his siblings. 

A Mass of Christian Burial took place Dec. 10 in Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Whitehouse Station. Internment was private.


Prayer for Generosity

Lord, teach me to be generous. Teach me to serve You as You deserve; to give and not to count the cost; to fight and not to heed the wounds; to toil and not to seek for rest; to labor and not to ask for reward save that of knowing that I do Your will.     
St. Ignatius Loyola


Pope Francis teaches the goodness of praying for the dead

“Church tradition has always urged prayer for the dead, in particular by offering the celebration of the Eucharist for them: it is the best spiritual help that we can give to their souls, particularly to the most abandoned ones. The foundation of prayers of remembrance is found in the communion of the Mystical Body. Remembering the dead, caring for their tombs and prayers of suffrage are testimony to confident hope, rooted in the certainty that death does not have the last word on human destiny, as humanity is destined for a life without end that has its root and its fulfillment in God.” 
— Angelus, St. Peter’s Square, Nov. 2, 2014

“Praying for the dead is, first and foremost, a sign of appreciation for the witness they have left us and the good that they have done. It is giving thanks to the Lord for having given them to us and for their love and their friendship. The Church prays for the deceased in a particular way during Holy Mass. The priest states: “Be mindful, O Lord, of thy servants who are gone before us with the sign of faith, and rest in sleep of peace. To these, O Lord, and to all that sleep in Christ, grant we beseech thee a place of refreshment, light and peace” (Roman Canon). It is a simple, effective, meaningful remembrance, because it entrusts our loved ones to God’s mercy.” 
– General audience, Paul VI Audience Hall, Nov. 30, 2016

“Today … the Lord repeats to us: ‘I am the resurrection and the life’ (v. 25). He summons us to take once more the great leap of faith and to enter, even now, into the light of the resurrection. ‘Whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?’ (v. 26). Once we have made this leap, our way of thinking and seeing things is changed.  The eyes of faith, transcending things visible, see in a certain way invisible realities (cf. Heb 11:27). Everything that happens is then assessed in the light of another dimension, the dimension of eternity.” 
– Homily, Vatican Basilica, Nov. 5, 2020.