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In Memoriam: Rev. John Wintermyer '54
The Gonzaga community mourns the passing of alumnus Father John Wintermyer '54, a priest who dedicated his life to offering medical care to the sick, poor, and homeless. In 2006, Gonzaga honored Father Wintermyer with a St. Aloysius Medal; reprinted below is the citation that was read that year. The Catholic Standard also published a nice tribute to Father Wintermyer this week; you can read it by clicking here.
As we reflect on Father Wintermyer's example of selfless service, we join all those who are mourning his loss. May God grant him eternal rest.
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It is not all that unusual for a man to work two careers during a lifetime - usually starting one after finishing another. Jack Wintermyer, however, has two full careers at the same time, many times working upwards of 16 hours a day.
At Washington Hospital Center, where he only recently retired after 26 years as Director of Catholic Ministry, he was known as "Father Jack.” As "Father Jack”, he put in a full day visiting the sick, anointing the dying, comforting those in need and celebrating Mass every Monday and Friday. Ordained in 1962, he has been over the years "Father Jack" for Catholic students at the Neuman Centers at George Washington University and Maryland University. He has been “Father Jack” for the Washington, D.C. National Guard and for several Archdiocesan parishes. A co-worker at the Washington Hospital Center once described Father Jack as, “having a faith that doesn't come from the clouds...he really is an example of the Gospels via shoe leather and service.”
In 1974, while serving as a parish priest and volunteering his time at the Zaccheus Clinic, Jack Wintermyer felt the calling to begin a second career in serving the needs of the homeless. So, having already earned his bachelor's degree in philosophy, and bachelor's degree in Theology and a Master's in Theology and a Masters in Adult Education, he began a Physicians Assistant Program at George Washington University. He found the course work to be quite a challenge. "It would blow my mind trying to pick up all that medical stuff. I kept thinking, if I had studied Theology this hard, I would be God!” he joked. By 1977, "Father Jack," the priest known to many for a keen sense of humor and for living the scriptures daily, had studied and retained enough of the “medical stuff" that he became known to many more people as "Doctor Jack."
As a Physicians Assistant he served in Trinidad-Tabago, a rural mountain clinic in Tennessee, and in Thailand, where in addition to helping heal Cambodian and Vietnamese refugees, he served as parish priest at the refugee camp in Lem Sing.
In 1980, he returned to Washington, D.C. to continue his simultaneous callings to provide spiritual guidance and healing the poor and the homeless. In 1987, he joined Health Care for the Homeless, now called Unity Health Care. Very early in his work with the homeless, Jack received a small icon of Jesus washing the feet of the apostles at the Last Supper. That icon served as a major inspiration that has guided Jack's career as a Physician's Assistant. In an article that appeared in the Catholic Standard, Jack explained, “In the story from the Gospel of John, Jesus serves His disciples and those friends by washing their feet. At the same time, He commanded His followers to do the same thing. Could I miss the obvious expression of love?"
Jack Wintermyer embraced Jesus' expression of love so deeply that caring for the feet of the homeless has been the special mission of his medical service. "If you are homeless and on the street, your feet are your only transportation," he says. He recalls one patient who entered the clinic barely able to walk. "We soaked his feet in warm soapy water, and then I began my job of clipping, shaving and then massaging his pained, tortured feet with a soothing ointment. As he left the clinic, he could only smile and thank me by saying, “I think I can dance.”
In 1998, the Washington Hospital Center presented Jack Wintermyer with its Community Service Award for work with the homeless. In 2001, he was the recipient of the Clinician of the Year award from the National Health Care for the Homeless Association. Tonight, Gonzaga, too, wishes to honor Jack Wintermyer, and in doing so we remember another priest/healer who in the 16th century brought comfort to the sick and dying of Rome. His name was Aloysius Gonzaga.
It is, therefore, Gonzaga's distinct honor and privilege to bestow upon its alumnus, Jack Wintermyer, the St. Aloysius Medal for Service to School and Community.
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As we reflect on Father Wintermyer's example of selfless service, we join all those who are mourning his loss. May God grant him eternal rest.
-------------------------
It is not all that unusual for a man to work two careers during a lifetime - usually starting one after finishing another. Jack Wintermyer, however, has two full careers at the same time, many times working upwards of 16 hours a day.
At Washington Hospital Center, where he only recently retired after 26 years as Director of Catholic Ministry, he was known as "Father Jack.” As "Father Jack”, he put in a full day visiting the sick, anointing the dying, comforting those in need and celebrating Mass every Monday and Friday. Ordained in 1962, he has been over the years "Father Jack" for Catholic students at the Neuman Centers at George Washington University and Maryland University. He has been “Father Jack” for the Washington, D.C. National Guard and for several Archdiocesan parishes. A co-worker at the Washington Hospital Center once described Father Jack as, “having a faith that doesn't come from the clouds...he really is an example of the Gospels via shoe leather and service.”
In 1974, while serving as a parish priest and volunteering his time at the Zaccheus Clinic, Jack Wintermyer felt the calling to begin a second career in serving the needs of the homeless. So, having already earned his bachelor's degree in philosophy, and bachelor's degree in Theology and a Master's in Theology and a Masters in Adult Education, he began a Physicians Assistant Program at George Washington University. He found the course work to be quite a challenge. "It would blow my mind trying to pick up all that medical stuff. I kept thinking, if I had studied Theology this hard, I would be God!” he joked. By 1977, "Father Jack," the priest known to many for a keen sense of humor and for living the scriptures daily, had studied and retained enough of the “medical stuff" that he became known to many more people as "Doctor Jack."
As a Physicians Assistant he served in Trinidad-Tabago, a rural mountain clinic in Tennessee, and in Thailand, where in addition to helping heal Cambodian and Vietnamese refugees, he served as parish priest at the refugee camp in Lem Sing.
In 1980, he returned to Washington, D.C. to continue his simultaneous callings to provide spiritual guidance and healing the poor and the homeless. In 1987, he joined Health Care for the Homeless, now called Unity Health Care. Very early in his work with the homeless, Jack received a small icon of Jesus washing the feet of the apostles at the Last Supper. That icon served as a major inspiration that has guided Jack's career as a Physician's Assistant. In an article that appeared in the Catholic Standard, Jack explained, “In the story from the Gospel of John, Jesus serves His disciples and those friends by washing their feet. At the same time, He commanded His followers to do the same thing. Could I miss the obvious expression of love?"
Jack Wintermyer embraced Jesus' expression of love so deeply that caring for the feet of the homeless has been the special mission of his medical service. "If you are homeless and on the street, your feet are your only transportation," he says. He recalls one patient who entered the clinic barely able to walk. "We soaked his feet in warm soapy water, and then I began my job of clipping, shaving and then massaging his pained, tortured feet with a soothing ointment. As he left the clinic, he could only smile and thank me by saying, “I think I can dance.”
In 1998, the Washington Hospital Center presented Jack Wintermyer with its Community Service Award for work with the homeless. In 2001, he was the recipient of the Clinician of the Year award from the National Health Care for the Homeless Association. Tonight, Gonzaga, too, wishes to honor Jack Wintermyer, and in doing so we remember another priest/healer who in the 16th century brought comfort to the sick and dying of Rome. His name was Aloysius Gonzaga.
It is, therefore, Gonzaga's distinct honor and privilege to bestow upon its alumnus, Jack Wintermyer, the St. Aloysius Medal for Service to School and Community.
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