St. Benedict Monastery Online: Memorials

     Fr. John Colautti was born on March 30, 1930 in Windsor, Ontario. He was raised in a devout Catholic home and eventually started monastic formation in 1946. With Fr. Livius Paoli as director, John finished his novitiate and made his profession of vows in 1948. He earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy at Duns Scotus College in Southfield, and later received a licentiate in theology from the Angelicum in Rome. In 1955, he was ordained to the priesthood in Fabriano, Italy.

     There were numerous ministries in which Fr. John was involved. He was pastor, associate pastor, novice master, high school teacher, prior and cook, but even though these are important aspects of his life, what most people recall about Fr. John were his caring personality, humility, generosity and wit. It was these aspects of his life more than anything else that gave encouragement and joy to his monastic confreres and warmed the hearts of so many of the people to whom he ministered.

    During Fr. John Colautti, O.S.B.

the last year of his life, Fr. John battled lung cancer. Suffering through the initial stages of the disease, he continued to serve the community in Detroit as cook and continued to celebrate the Mass for the parish and the grade school. As the disease progressed and more care was needed, his sister Alice Kurosky and her daughter Alanna Kurosky voluntarily took him into their care in Windsor. Whenever he talked about the disease, he did so without any hint of bitterness – he truly accepted it as a cross. At the last hours of his life, both of Fr. John’s families were present. His sister and niece from one family and Fr. Livius and Fr. Michael Green from his other family bid him farewell with their presence and the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick and Viaticum on August 14, 2004.

The funeral Mass (celebrated at St. Scholastica Parish) was attended by hundreds of family and friends as well as the monks of our Benedictine community. Fr. John’s long-time friend and superior of our community in Detroit, Fr. Livius Paoli, gave the homily. Fr. Livius recalled Fr. John as being “the conscience of the community” recounting the many ways that he lived the spirit of the Rule of St. Benedict. Later that day, at the burial, the monks and his family and friends spent some time enjoying refreshments and sharing with one another the stories about Father and the inspiration he was for all.