In mid-January one of my childhood pastors, Father John Glaves passed away. He is pictured at right with my father and myself on the occasion of my first communion. Father Glaves was a man of many (and obscure) interests. He had literally traveled all over the world, primarily observing the endless variety of plant and animal life. I remember the rectory at Exeter being chock full of plants of every sort; as well as several exotic birds!
One thing that, in retrospect, I greatly admire about Father Glaves was his great interest in and love for liturgy. He was well versed in even the most localized rites of the Church and was even able to celebrate a good number of these rites himself.
Along with his liturgical expertise, Father Glaves also harbored a great interest in ecclesiastical art and architecture. His primary interest lay in various cultural artistic expressions and he had collected a number of works in both painting and sculpture from his world travels. He even dabbled in calligraphy and became quite good at it. During his lifetime, he built two new churches: Ss. Mary & Joseph in Valparaiso and St. John the Baptist in Prague. While the architecture of these church buildings may not suit everyone, they do point towards his concern for simplicity and clarity in worship. He spoke often of "his church" in Valparaiso (see architectural sketch below); it was clearly his pride and joy.
May he rest in peace! Below is his obituary as it was printed in the Southern Nebraska Register:
Father John Glaves, a retired priest of the Diocese of Lincoln, died Jan. 17 at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital, where he had been a resident for three years. He was 82.
Born in Lewiston, Mo., Father Glaves attended seminaries in Illinois, Texas, Ohio and Colorado. He was ordained to the priesthood March 19, 1956 by Bishop Louis Kucera.
Father Glaves served parishes in Fairbury, Wallace, Wellfleet, Lawrence, Cambridge, Bellwood, David City, Curtis, Farnam, Paul, Dunbar, Lincoln, Palmyra, Douglas, Brainard, Valparaiso, Davey, Prague, Plasi, Alexandria, Gilead, Morse Bluff, Cedar Hill and Exeter.
In addition, Father Glaves taught at Aquinas High School in David City, Lourdes Central Catholic Schools in Nebraska City, and Bishop Neumann High School in Wahoo. He was also actively involved in the Knights of Columbus.
A funeral Mass was celebrated by Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz and priests of the Diocese at St. Peter Church in Lincoln Jan. 21. Burial followed at Lincoln Memorial Cemetery in Lincoln. Butherus-Maser and Love Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.