St. Benedict Monastery Online: Memorials

On Wednesday, December 1, 2005 our community bade farewell to Fr. John Stopponi who passed the Sunday before. During a well attended, moving funeral Mass, Fr. Daniel Homan, the Prior of our community, spoke of Fr. John's courage, vigor and gentleness. The Mass was held at the Church of the Holy Family in Downtown Detroit, the parish that Fr. John pastored for the last nine years. Although nearly all of his relatives live in Italy, the funeral was well attended by those who became Father's extended family through his monastic life and priestly ministry.

Fr. John Fr. John Stopponni,
O.S.B.

Stopponi was a humble priest of small stature, but his heart made him well loved by the people he served. He was born in Albachina Fabriano in 1914 of a farming family. He started his formation in the monastic life at 1931 and made his solemn profession of vows in 1936. As a candidate for the priesthood, he struggled with his studies, but eventually completed his academic requirements. In 1938 he recieved the sacrament of holy orders.
Fr. John Stopponni, O.S.B.

After serving at several parishes in Italy, Fr. John came to North America in 1949. In Ontario, Canada he served as Associate Pastor of St. Angela Merici, a parish in Windsor. In the United States he later held the same position at Our Lady of Help and St. Scholastica in Detroit. In 1996, he became the pastor the Church of the Holy Family, downtown. Fr. John entered eternal life on Sunday, November 27th, after a short illness. He died at Bon Secour Hospital after receiving the Anointing of the Sick.

Many great things can be said about Fr. John's personality and his ministry. Fr. Livius Paoli of St. Scholastica Parish offered the story of his first encounter with him in the parish bulletin:

Well then, that particular September afternoon as we Roman students were starting out for our daily walk around the mountain, a young aspirant from our school down the mountain joined me and in particular. He and his class were visiting older brothers up the mountain. His friendly, between shy and coy demeanor, rather impressed he in a friendly way. I don't remember what we talked about during our trip around the mountain. What we talked about I forgot, but I never forgot the little fellow who kind of danced around me and was playing with my scapular during the whole conversation.

My friendly companion was Fr. John Stopponi whom I anointed a few hours before his death. Between our trip around the mountain and the anointing, there is a whole story of a life together that death cannot dim or erase.