On the evening of June 20, 2026, Fr. Frank Wittouck, SCJ, died. He was 88 and had been in home hospice care at Sacred Heart at Monastery Lake for several weeks.
Originally from Chicago, Fr. Frank – or “Witty” as many called him – had polio as a child but recovered and entered Divine Heart Seminary as a teen. “I was an only child and then got 120 brothers!” he often joked, talking about moving from his own bedroom to a packed dormitory.
Fr. Frank professed his first vows in 1957 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1965. He returned to Divine Heart to teach and later became province formation director and then director of spiritual formation at Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology.
In 1980 he left SHSST to become a military chaplain, serving at Camp Humphreys in Korea and Fort Hood in Texas. From 1985-88 he returned to spiritual formation at SHSST, but by 1989 he was back in uniform, serving as a chaplain in a variety of settings, including Germany, Kuwait, Honduras, Iraq, Panama and Louisiana.
In 1993 he entered into his first parochial assignment feet first, serving at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. At the time it was one of the largest parish communities in Texas. From 2006-2010 he was at Our Lady of Guadalupe in Raymondville, TX (Rio Grande Valley), along with its three mission churches in Hargill, San Perlita, and Lasara where he built St Patrick’s new church.
But it was a ministry that he embraced later in life that he says really got him thinking about his vocation as a priest: serving as a prison chaplain.
“One of our priests was dying of cancer but was still active in prison ministry,” said Fr. Frank. “I told him, ‘You shouldn’t be doing this, you’re sick!’ And then he did something that totally surprised me; he quoted Matthew’s Gospel: ‘When I was in prison, you visited me.’ This went through me like a thunderbolt. I eventually went to the prison myself and it really moved me. The ministry genuinely helped my priesthood.”
Suffering from neuropathy, his doctor suggested that he go someplace warm. Fr. Frank returned to Houston and continued a busy ministerial life, even in retirement. He was a volunteer prison chaplain and helped at several non-profits. He also became involved with Marriage Encounter, leading ME programs around the country.
In 2010, he received a familiar request: a Catholic priest was needed to celebrate a Mass. The request from was from Rose Mary Badami, the founder of Magnificat Houses in Houston. Magnificat is a Houston-based nonprofit that provides housing, daily meals, and comprehensive support services to individuals experiencing homelessness, poverty, and mental illness. Fr. Frank wasn’t familiar with the organization, but as he often did when he received such requests, he said “Yes.”
That first Mass led to a ten-year relationship with Magnificat. Eventually, Fr. Frank moved in and became an on-site chaplain at the center. Not only did he lead prayer, and counsel the 190+ residents, but he was also tasked with helping many of them find jobs.
In 2020, he returned to SHSST once again, living in retirement with the Sacred Heart Monastery Community, and for several years, assisting as a formation director. He also volunteered regularly at Fr. Gene’s Help. Last year, he joined the Sacred Heart Community at SHML.
When asked what it meant to him to be a Dehonian, Fr. Frank said that “I try to appreciate God’s love in my life and try to spread that conviction to others for their lives. That’s what being a Dehonian is to me.”
A lifelong student, Fr. Frank earned certificates and degrees from Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology, Kilroe Seminary, the Catholic University of America, the University of Detroit, the Austin-Presbyterian Seminary, the University of San Francisco and Loyola University New Orleans.
Reception of Body and Vigil was Thursday , June 25, 2026 from 9:30 AM until time of Mass of Christian Burial at 10:30 AM at Good Shepherd Chapel at Sacred Heart at Monastery Lake 7330 S. Lovers Lane Rd., Franklin, WI. Interment in the Community Mausoleum followed.
