NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Rev. James Norman Watzke, C.S.C., 88, died at Holy Cross House, Notre Dame, Ind. on Saturday, November 9, 2024, after a short illness.
Rev. James Watzke, C.S.C. was born in Chicago, Illinois, on July 7, 1936, to Frank and Margaret (Murray) Watzke and is one of five children. After attending St. Leo Elementary School, Chicago, Illinois, in 1950, Fr. Watzke entered the Holy Cross High School Seminary in Notre Dame, Indiana, where he graduated in 1954. After high school, he studied at the University of Notre Dame earning a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy in 1959. In 1959, he traveled to Rome to study theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University, where he earned a Licentiate in Sacred Theology degree in 1963. He was ordained a Holy Cross priest on February 17, 1963, in Rome, Italy.
After ordination in 1963, Fr. Watzke held a pastoral apprenticeship at the University of Notre Dame for one year. In 1964, he returned to school to earn his Master of Arts in Sociology from the University of Notre Dame in 1965. From 1965-1967, he taught at St. George’s College in Santiago, Chile. Beginning in 1967, he studied at Harvard University, where he earned a Ph.D. in Sociology in 1972. From 1972-1979, he worked in the psychiatric unit of Westside Veterans Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, and from 1980-2021, he was in private practice as a clinical and consulting psychologist in Chicago and its suburbs, as well as preaching in Chicago and Joliet parishes. From 2021-2024, Fr. Watzke resided at Holy Cross House in Notre Dame, Indiana.
Fr. Watzke was preceded in death by his parents, brothers; Frank and Gerald. He is survived by his two sisters; Donna Watzke and Kathy Engler and many beloved nieces and nephews.
A Wake Service will be held on Wednesday, November 13, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. EST at Sacred Heart Parish Center, Notre Dame, Indiana. A Funeral Mass will be held on Thursday, November 14, 2024, at 3:30 p.m. EST at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Notre Dame, Indiana. You may also join us via live stream at https://funerals.holycrossusa.org.
Burial will be in the community cemetery at Notre Dame. Kaniewski Funeral Home, South Bend, 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, P.O. Box 765, Notre Dame, IN 46556-0765 or online at https://donate.holycrossusa.org.
