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Landry, Gerald J. (Brother)

December 6, 2014

Jesuit Brother Gerald J. Landry died on Dec. 6, 2014, of heart failure at St. Alphonsus Rodriguez Pavilion at St. Charles College in Grand Coteau, Louisiana. Br. Landry was 81 years old and a Jesuit for 55 years.

Landry, Gerald J.

Jesuit Brother Gerald J. Landry died on Dec. 6, 2014, of heart failure at St. Alphonsus Rodriguez Pavilion at St. Charles College in Grand Coteau, Louisiana. He moved to Grand Coteau less than a week ago because of rapidly declining heath. His physical condition worsened quickly and he died shortly after. Br. Landry was 81 years old and a Jesuit for 55 years.

He and his twin brother were born on Nov. 9, 1933, in Jeanerette, Louisiana. He attended grammar and high school in Jeanerette before joining the U.S. Air Force, in which he served from 1952-56. After taking some college courses, he decided that his real desire was religious life.

He entered the Society at St. Charles College in Grand Coteau, Louisiana, beginning his postulancy on Oct. 20, 1959, and his novitiate on April 27, 1960. He pronounced first vows two years later on April 27, 1962. His tertianship was in Tampa over the two summers of 1975-76, in the Brother’s Tertianship Program directed by John Edwards, S.J. He pronounced his final vows on March 12, 1978.

Much of Br. Landry’s apostolate was devoted to internal ministry. He was an infirmarian for the first 10 years of his Jesuit life, working first at the infirmary at St. Charles College (1959-65) and then at the infirmary at the Jesuit House of Studies on the Spring Hill College Campus in Mobile, Alabama. There he cared for a small number of older Jesuits who were in that infirmary and also the various aches, pains, and athletic injuries sustained by the scholastics. When the House of Studies building was no longer used as a Jesuit Residence, he helped move the remaining older Jesuits to the infirmary at St. Charles College. He then served as minister at the Loyola Jesuit community in New Orleans (1969-74) before returning to Spring Hill as director of student activities (1974-85), showing a great interest in the quality of student life. This was his only major assignment in which he worked mainly with non-Jesuits. He was then minister of the Jesuit Community at Strake Jesuit in Houston (1986-97) and minister and assistant in the business office at Jesuit College Preparatory in Dallas.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Dumas J. Landry and May Simoneaux Landry, and three siblings: Loyd Sapienzia, Sheldon J. Landry, and Jerry Francis Landry. He is survived by his sister, Mrs. Jeanette Melancon.

Memorial gifts may be made to the USA Central and Southern Province of the Society of Jesus at 4511 West Pine Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63108 or through this website.Â