NOTRE DAME, Indiana – Rev. George Joseph Lucas, C.S.C., 79, died at Holy Cross House, Notre Dame, Indiana, on October 21, 2024, after a short illness.
Fr. Lucas was one of five children born to Joseph and Marion (Mihaly) Lucas in Bridgeport, Connecticut, on October 28, 1944. After graduating from Notre Dame High School in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in 1962, Fr. Lucas entered the seminary program of the Holy Cross Fathers and Brothers at Stonehill College, North Easton, Massachusetts, where he graduated in 1967 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy. He went on to study theology at the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. before transferring to the University of Notre Dame, where he earned his Master of Theology degree in 1970. Fr. Lucas made First Vows on July 16, 1964, professed Final Vows on April 1, 1970, and was ordained a Holy Cross priest on June 17, 1972.
After ordination in 1972, Fr. Lucas assisted at various parishes and schools in Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania, Africa for thirty-three years developing classes for religious education, acting as the Vocation Director for Holy Cross, and learning Swahili to better communicate with those he served. From 1981-1984, he assisted with Holy Cross Formation in Nairobi, Kenya, before serving as Director of the Holy Cross Novitiate in Fort Portal, Uganda. From 1994-2003, he served as District Superior for Holy Cross in East Africa. From 2004-2009, he returned to the United States to serve as Assistant Provincial of the Eastern Province of Holy Cross. From 2009- 2013, he took an assignment to assist at various parishes in Lima, Peru, before returning to Tanzania, Africa in 2014 to assist at St. Bernard Parish in Kitete until 2017. In 2018, he returned to Lima, Peru, to serve as Director of the Formation House before leaving Peru and residing at Holy Cross House in Notre Dame, Indiana, in 2023.
Fr. Lucas was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Gerard Lucas. He is survived by his sisters, Colette (Michael) Clark and Dorann (Paul) Dinga and his brother, Phillip (Theresa) Lucas and many beloved nieces and nephews.
A wake Service will be held on Tuesday, October 29, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. ET at the Chapel of Mary located on Stonehill College campus in North Easton, Massachusetts. A funeral Mass will be celebrated on Wednesday, October 30, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. ET also at the Chapel of Mary on Stonehill College campus. You may also join us via live stream at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nH1G0ESXRrk
Burial will be in the Holy Cross Community Cemetery in Easton, Massachusetts. Kane Funeral Home, Easton, is in charge of the arrangements.
Memorial contributions in support of the mission and ministries of the Congregation of Holy Cross can be made to: United States Province of Priests and Brothers, Office of Advancement, 500 Washington Street, North Easton, MA 02356-1299 or online at https://donate.holycrossusa.org
