Power, Frederick J. (Father)

Jesuit Father Frederick J. Power died peacefully on November 2, 2017 at René Goupil House, in Pickering, Ontario. He was 94 years old and in religious life for 75 years.

Fr. Power was born in Moncton, New Brunswick, and entered the Society of Jesus at Guelph in 1942, following his older brother, John. After novitiate, he studied in Toronto and Regina before being ordained at the Martyrs’ Shrine in Midland, Ontario, in 1955.

Fr. Power began his life-long apostolate immediately after completing his Jesuit studies, when he was appointed to the office of the Eucharistic Crusade, which was a branch of the Apostleship of Prayer. For the next 56 years, he was totally involved in promoting devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He was National Director, Editor, and Promoter of the Apostleship of Prayer, The Messenger of the Sacred Heart, and the Sacred Heart Program. Fr. Power managed all of this on a shoestring budget by putting in long hours of steady work.

Fr. Power travelled throughout Canada promoting this devotion and was recognized as a dedicated holy priest fulfilling the mandate given to the Society of Jesus by the Church. He wrote several books on the Sacred Heart, then published a fine series on reading the Old and New Testaments, and later, a seven-part series for igNation, the English Canada Jesuit Province blog, called “Some Thoughts on Praying.”

Once Fr. Power turned over the responsibilities of his mandate to other hands, he moved readily in early summer of 2014 to the infirmary at Pickering. He was appointed chaplain there and regularly oversaw devotions: Saturday rosary; Benediction on First Fridays, and other liturgical events. Blessed with good health during his long life, he was truly an inspiration to many.