Father Christopher Rupert of the Society of Jesus died on October 16, 2019 in Supportive Care at the Oshawa Lakeridge Hospital. Born in Belleville, Ontario, he was the son of Thomas Harry Rupert and Regina Mary Harrison. He was 82 years old and a Jesuit for 60 years. He was ordained a priest in 1975. He received a doctoral degree in theology through the Toronto School of Theology at the University of Toronto. He taught at Wheeling Jesuit College in West Virginia and at Lakehead University. He designed formation courses for Deacons and laity in both the Hamilton and Toronto Dioceses. Fr. Rupert loved doing pastoral ministry and served with zeal in many parishes – St. Andrew’s (Thunder Bay), Holy Rosary (Guelph), St. Joseph the Worker (Oshawa), and Holy Spirit (Scarborough). Fr. Rupert also helped in many other parishes and was chaplain for the Knights of Columbus in Scarborough and in the Durham Region. He designed and personally cared for the grounds at the Manresa Renewal Center in Pickering. In June of 2019 he suffered a debilitating stroke which ended his pastoral ministry and his gardening.
Fr. Rupert is much loved by his family, many friends and the Jesuits. On Sunday, October 20 from 7-9pm (with a Prayer Service at 8:00pm) friends may visit at St. Ignatius Chapel, Manresa Jesuit Spiritual Renewal Centre, Liverpool Road, Pickering, ON L1X 1V4. On Monday, October 21 at 11.00am a Funeral Mass will be celebrated at the same chapel. Interment follows at the Jesuit Cemetery, Guelph, Ontario at 3:00pm. As your expression of sympathy, a donation may be made to the Jesuit Advancement Office, 43 Queen’s Park Cres. E., Toronto, ON M5S 2C3, (416-481-9154).
