LOS GATOS, Calif. — "Father Neale W. Herrlich was a very humble man," said Bill Burbridge, a parishioner of St. Mary Parish, Ogden, where Jesuit Fr. Herrlich was the pastor from 1974 to 1992. "In fact, it seems as if he was almost embarrassed by all the well-deserved recognition he received toward the end of his active priesthood." Fr. Herrlich, 86, died at Los Gatos Community Hospital of heart failure Feb. 12. Fr. Herrlich and his twin brother, John, were born Nov. 25, 1919, in Watertown, Mass., to Maurice and Mary Fitzgerald Herrlich. His father was a U.S. naval officer and the family moved quite frequently. Fr. Herrlich is quoted as saying his whole life has been made up of greetings and good-byes because the family never remained in a place more than two or three years. While in Shanghai, China, Fr. Herrlich attended Gonzaga College operated by Jesuit priests of the Society of Jesus, California. He credited this experience as the beginning of his vocation. The family returned stateside and Fr. Herrlich graduated from St. Anthony’s High School in Long Beach, Calif. He attended Long Beach Junior College and the University of Washington for two years. He then entered the Society of Jesus at Los Gatos on Aug. 14, 1939. He was chosen to study theology in Dublin, Ireland, and was ordained into the priesthood there July 31, 1952. He was a Jesuit for 66 years and a priest for 54 years. In 1955, Fr. Herrlich was assigned as assistant pastor of the Santa Maria Mission for the Hispanic population in Ogden and as chaplain and teacher of history, religion, and sociology at St. Joseph Catholic High School, Ogden. In 1957, St. Mary Parish was dedicated and Jesuit Father Louis Kern was pastor and Fr. Herrlich was assistant pastor. In 1974, Fr. Herrlich became pastor of St. Mary Parish and Superior of the Jesuits in Utah until 1993. In 1987, Bishop William K. Weigand of the Diocese of Salt Lake City nominated Fr. Herrlich to knighthood in the Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem for his dedicated service to the Catholic Church in Utah. Fr. Herrlich remained at St. Mary Parish as associate pastor until 1999, when he was reassigned to the Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos. A retirement dinner was held in his honor, but retirement did not suit Fr. Herrlich. In 2003, he returned to St. Mary Parish as pastor emeritus. In 2004, he received the first "Award of the Children" for his dedication to youth by St. Joseph High School and the Ogden community. In August 2005, St. Joseph High School dedicated their gymnasium in his honor bearing the name "Fr . Neale Herrlich Gymnasium." In 2005, he moved back to the Sacred Heart Center in Los Gatos. Fr. Herrlich touched many lives at St. Mary Parish. His accomplishments at St. Joseph High School were equally significant and inspiring. He taught at the high school from 1955 to 1987 and coached several athletic teams. Even after he was no longer a member of the faculty, he would regularly visit the high school to have lunch with the students, celebrate Mass, or interact in some other way. As recently as last winter, he accompanied the school basketball team to their away games serving as team chaplain. Fr. Herrlich is quoted as saying, "I love teaching young people. I am not sure I taught them as much as they taught me, like how to think young." One of Fr. Herrlich’s earliest accomplishments in Ogden was the establishment of the St. Joseph High School Boosters. He and several parents started the Boosters in 1970. It is an organization designed to support and promote the athletic programs at the high school. Today the organization is very effective in carrying out the original purposes for which it was created. St. Mary Parishioner Bill Burbridge knew Fr. Herrlich for 20 years and said Fr. Herrlich was a person who was quick to listen and slow to speak. He would think about what was said to him and respond in a slow, deliberate, and articulate style. For example, during the last presidential election, Burbridge asked Fr. Herrlich if a priest should deny the Eucharist to someone based on that person’s political views. Fr. Herrlich thought about it for a while, and then responded, "Only God can judge others." "When one first encountered Fr. Herrlich, they were not necessarily overwhelmed by his physical stature. He was a gentle, quiet man," said Burbridge. "But after a personal encounter with Fr. Herrlich, one could not help but be overwhelmed by his warmth, his strength of conviction, his deep faith, his non-judgmental style, his passion for the underprivileged, his love and acceptance of everyone, and his ability to relate to the youth. He was a very wise man." Burbridge said it was difficult for Fr. Herrlich to leave his friends of more than 40 years upon his retirement. But he found comfort in his faith and his obedience to the Jesuit order, and said it was time for a new beginning. Paul Willard, a member of St. Mary of the Assumption Parish, Park City, and a coach at Park City High School, first met Fr. Herrlich in 1955, when he was a student at St. Joseph High School. Fr. Herrlich was the primary motivator for Willard’s becoming a history teacher and a coach. Willard later taught at St. Joseph High School with Fr. Herrlich. Willard also served as principal of the school. "He was a marvelous person," said Willard. "As a teacher, Fr. Herrlich was a person who brought history to life. He was able to reach almost all the students with his humor and his ability to make you want to learn. He also ran the Sodality Club of Our Blessed Lady for students at St. Joseph High School who wanted to pursue things from both a social and religious standpoint such as adopting families at Christmas or other community service projects. It was always fun." Willard said as a peer Fr. Herrlich was always a source of information and guidance. He was the epitome of a priest and a pillar of the Church, always reliable, and always fun to be around. He was a mentor and a friend. In all of Willard’s years, he never heard anyone say an unkind word about Fr. Herrlich. Fr. Herrlich became a large part of Willard’s family. He taught Willard’s wife, he married Willard and his wife, he celebrated Willard’s mother’s funeral Mass, he married Willard’s father and step-mother, and he baptized all of Willard’s children and taught some of them at St. Joseph High School. "He was a man for all seasons," said Willard. "He reached out to people of all races and age groups." A funeral Mass was held Feb. 21 at the Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos, Calif. A Memorial Mass was held Feb. 21 at St. Mary Church, Ogden.
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