| CURIA GENERALIZIA MARIANISTI Death Notice No. 13 (To all Unit Administrations): April 18, 2006 The Region of Peru, recommends to our fraternal prayers our dear brother, ROBERT JOSEPH HEIL, priest, who died in the service of the Blessed Virgin Mary on April 16, 2006 in Lima, Peru in the 88th year of his age and the 70th year of his religious profession. Robert was born on March 28, 1919 in Madison Wisconsin, USA. He was the youngest of four children of Mary Cronenthal and Lawrence Heil. Following primary school, and with the blessing of his parents, he moved on to the postulate at Marianist Prep. After high school, barely sixteen years old, he was admitted to the Marianist Novitiate. He made his first religious profession on August 15, 1936 and professed Perpetual Vows on July 18, 1941. Following philosophy and theology studies, he was ordained to the priesthood on May 27, 1947. The following year he offered his services to work in the Marianist mission in Peru. His offer having been accepted, he was assigned to Colegio Santa María in Lima. Young Fr. Robert arrived in Lima on May 9, 1948 and joined the community of Colegio Santa María, together with Brother Mark Ross, who had arrived just days earlier. He took up the task of teaching courses in Religion and Mathematics. He also became Chaplain of the group, while directing Catholic Action for the school, advising the student newspaper and coaching basketball. His fame as a high school basketball coach led to his being named Technical Director of the National Basketball Select team that participated in the South American Championship at Cúcuta, Colombia in 1955. During the summers, he was always among the group of Marianist volunteers who participated in the work of catechesis and First Communion preparation for the children of the workers from the Haciendas Pucalá and Pátapo in Chiclayo. Over the course of time, Fr. Heil assumed various leadership positions both in the area of education as well as in religious life. He was the director of Colegio Santa María (1957-1960) who planned and completed the initial construction at the new location in Chacarilla. In 1961, following his term as Director of Colegio Santa María, he was sent to the Marianist Postulate in Las Tabernas, Hacienda Pucalá, Chiclayo, where he served as chaplain and teacher for two years. In 1963 he received a Masters Degree in Mathematics from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas. Upon returning to Peru in 1965, he was sent to Chimbote in order to found and direct a Marianist Normal School. In 1966 he became pastor of Santa María Reina parish, where he remained for the next 17 years. He was also regional director of the Marianists in Peru from 1968 to 1970. Upon completing his term as pastor of Santa María Reina, in early 1983, before traveling to the United States, Father was the recipient of an award of appreciation given by the Government of Peru. The Minister of Education conferred on him the Palmas Magisteriales for his years of work in the field of teaching and as leader of the parish. After barely six months in the United States, he decided to return to Peru, halfway through the year 1984, being assigned to the Colegio San José Obrero in Trujillo. In 1985 he returned to Colegio Santa María, where he remained until 1995. He left there in 1996 in order to return to the Parish of Santa María Reina as pastor. He remained there until 1999. There would be still yet, another distinction: the Medal of Honor from the Congress of the Republic. The medal was conferred in December 2002 by none other than Dr. Carlos Ferrero, former student of Colegio Santa María and President of the Congress. Returning to Colegio Santa María, Fr. Robert began to offer the Sunday Eucharist in the assembly hall of the school assisting the nearby parish of Santísimo Nombre de Jesús. There he stayed these last years, going out from time to time to bring communion to the sick and homebound, encouraging the students and teachers of the Colegio, and celebrating daily Eucharist at 7:00 a.m. for those nearby. He has left a profound mark not only on all of the young people that were lucky enough to be educated by him, but also on his parishioners and friends from all over, for whom he taught by personal example, with the radiant joy and vitality, the love and devotion of the Blessed Virgin that characterized him, and the meaning of the teachings of Christ about the concrete love of God and neighbor. May the Lord reward him
abundantly for his dedication and service to Mary! |