Brother John Kuhn C.S.C.

Brother John Herbert Kuhn, C.S.C., age 89, died on June 11, 2019 at Dujarie House, Holy Cross Village at Notre Dame, Indiana. He was born in Evansville, Indiana on February 11, 1930, the son of John and Clara (Bohn) Kuhn. He attended St. Anthony’s Elementary School and graduated magna cum laude from Reitz Memorial High School in 1948. He was influenced by many of the Brothers to join Holy Cross and entered Sacred Heart Juniorate in Watertown, Wisconsin in June 1948. He began religious training at St. Joseph’s Novitiate in Rolling Prairie, Indiana and pronounced his first vows in August 1949. John was selected to begin college studies at Notre Dame for two years and completed studies at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, to graduate with a B.A. degree in 1952. His first teaching assignment was at St. Edward High School in Lakewood, Ohio.  In 1953, he was assigned to Holy Trinity High School to teach English and art for the next 11 years. In 1964, he was assigned to return to his high school alma mater, this time, as Principal of Evansville Reitz Memorial High School where he capably served for four years. John then returned to the classroom and taught his favorite English and art classes at Bishop David High School in Louisville, Kentucky for five years. He requested to spend two years in exclaustration in order to begin graduate studies at the Chicago Art Institute. At the conclusion of graduate studies, he returned to the community to join the faculty at Gilmour Academy, in Gates Mills, Ohio teaching art classes. In 1978, he joined the faculty of Holy Cross Junior College at Notre Dame, IN to teach his popular English literature and art classes for the next 13 rewarding years. He then spent a year in a spiritual renewal program at the Lebh Shoma House of Prayer in Sarita, Texas. The training he received there preceded a return to Notre Dame where he became the Director of the Solitude of St. Joseph, a spiritual renewal program on campus. In 1992 he retired from full-time teaching to become archivist for the Midwest Province for the next 13 years. One might think that an archivist would be interested only in the “old” stuff, but Br. John possessed an intellectual curiosity which makes all things “new”. During his more than 25 years of living at Notre Dame, Brother John enjoyed participating in the fine arts, photography, calligraphy and painting, both in teaching and participating. He took great pleasure in teaching the senior citizens in the courses offered at the Forever Learning Institute in the South Bend-Mishawaka area. His art and music courses were among the most popular ones offered.  Br. John was one of the founders of the very successful Holy Cross History Association which offers research and study of historical documents about the Holy Cross family of religious sisters, brothers, priests and lay associates.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, June 20, 2019 at Our Lady of Holy Cross Chapel from 9:30 to 11:00am on the grounds of Holy Cross Village at Notre Dame. The Mass of Resurrection will then follow with interment afterward in St. Joseph’s Cemetery of the Village. Kaniewski Funeral Home is handling the arrangements. Memorial contributions, in honor of Brother John Kuhn, C.S.C., to support the mission and ministries of the Brothers may be sent to: Brothers of Holy Cross, Office of Development, P.O. Box 460, Notre Dame, IN 46556. 

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