- Date Of Birth: June 16, 1937
- Date Of Death: December 29, 2021
- State: Indiana
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Rev. Cornelius J. Ryan, C.S.C., 84, died at Holy Cross House, Notre Dame, Ind. on December 29, 2021 after a short illness.
Fr. Ryan was born on June 16, 1937 in Peoria, Ill., the second of four children to William and Lorraine (Conner) Ryan, who preceded him in death.
Fr. Ryan attended elementary school at St. Mary’s Grade School in Streator, Ill. and graduated from Streator Township High School in 1956. After graduating high school, Fr. Ryan attended the University of Notre Dame where he heard the call to serve God and entered the Old College pre-Novitiate program in 1957. In 1962, he graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Philosophy and in 1966, graduated from Holy Cross College, Washington, D.C. with a Masters of Arts in Theology. He entered the Sacred Heart Novitiate in Jordan, Minn. on August 15, 1958, professed final vows on August 16, 1962 and was ordained a Holy Cross priest on June 9, 1966.
From 1966 to 1998, Fr. Ryan began his pastoral ministry within the District of East Africa, Uganda where he was involved in various mission work projects. He worked to produce a new language program in Rutoro to be used in teaching new missionaries to the Dioceses of Fort Portal and Hoima, taught in
Uganda’s National Major Seminaries where he developed “Justice and Peace Scholarships” for Ugandans to pursue an education at Holy Cross’ universities in the United States, and was appointed the Director of Family Ministries program in Uganda. From 1998-1999, Fr. Ryan took a sabbatical at Holy Cross Mission House in Notre Dame, Ind. From 1999-2002, he returned to the District of East Africa to assist the Dandora Community in Nairobi, Africa. From 2002-2011, Fr.
