Thomas MINTA

5 MAY 1948 - 8 JAN 2014

• OCCUPATION: Catholic Brother, CSC, Holy Cross
  
• BIRTH: 5 MAY 1948, Chicago, Cook, IL
• BURIAL: St. Joseph's Cemetery of Holy Cross Village, Chicago, IL
• DEATH: 8 JAN 2014, Arlington Heights, Chicago, Cook, IL

INDEX

[N8465] Brother Thomas Minta
May 5, 1948 - Jan. 8, 2014
SOUTH BEND - Brother Thomas William Minta, C.S.C., age 65, died on January 8, 2014 at his home in Arlington Heights, Illinois. He was born in Chicago, Illinois on May 5, 1948, the son of Florian and Clara (Janorski) Minta. He is survived by his two sisters, Carole Peck (of Arlington Heights) and Geraldine Litza (of Chicago) and many nieces and nephews. Tom attended St. Constance Elementary school in Chicago and graduated from Holy Cross High School in River Grove in 1966. Tom must have been influenced by the Holy Cross Brothers in high school, because a month after graduating he entered Sacred Heart Juniorate at Watertown, Wisconsin and then began his religious training at St. Joseph's Novitiate in Rolling Prairie, Indiana, where he pronounced his first vows as a Holy Cross Brother on January 26, 1968. He was assigned to begin college studies at Holy Cross Junior College. In the fall of 1970, Tom was selected to teach at Holy Trinity High School in Chicago, Illinois. During summers he was able to complete his undergraduate degree at DePaul University and graduated with a B.A. in 1973. Tom taught at Holy Trinity for 5 years and then moved across town to teach at his alma mater, Holy Cross High School until 1980. He was an enthusiastic and dynamic teacher in the classroom. He began graduate studies at Loyola University in the summer sessions and earned a Master's degree in 1984 in Administration and Supervision. In 1980, he took a sabbatical from teaching to pursue a desire to help the needy by working with Catholic Charities of Chicago. In 1981 he joined the faculty with Holy Cross priests at Notre Dame High School in Niles, Illinois where he continued his energetic teaching style. A colleague admired Tom's enthusiasm to energize the students in projects whether in classes or extra-curriculars. In 1989, Tom rekindled his desire to help the needy by studying at Harper College to become proficient in signing language and earned the Illinois Certification as a Sign Language Interpreter. In 1990 he used those skills to serve as an Employment Specialist for the Deaf with Goodwill Industries in Chicago which involved supervising Goodwill staffs in Illinois. In 1996 he took the position as Manager of the Employment Services for Disabled Individuals within Metropolitan Chicago. Tom served a total of 17 years helping deaf and disabled individuals. It's estimated he found work for more than 500 disabled people. He was honored in 1997 when he received the Rehabilitation Worker of the Year Award from the Illinois Deafness and Rehabilitation Association. Since 2007, Tom has served as Business Manager at the Church of the Holy Spirit in Schaumburg, Illinois and most recently at St. Emily Church in Mount Prospect where he continued to care for parishioners and the needy of all ages. Those of us who are privileged to know Tom are familiar with his playful and dynamic personality. He was a jokester, a talented organizer and gifted speaker. He was unique in community gatherings, having the enthusiasm of Brothers Andrew Sukenic, Jerome Schwabe, and Michael Brickman rolled into one. He was also a leader and served on the Provincial Councils of Brothers Robert Fillmore and Chester Freel for six years. Tom's life of serving the deaf and disabled peoples was praised by Brother William Geenen when he once wrote to Tom saying: "Signing is a language more important than any verbal language. When a person signs to another, the personality goes into it and the one receiving the sign also perceives the personal warmth that comes with the message." That talent is certainly what Tom conveyed to all the people he either taught in classrooms or assisted in his long life of helping others. Visitation will be held on Monday, January 13th, at St. Joseph's Chapel, Holy Cross College from 1:00 to 2:00pm. The Mass of Resurrection will then follow with interment afterward in St. Joseph's Cemetery of Holy Cross Village. Kaniewski Funeral Home is handling the arrangements. Memorial contributions, in honor of Brother Thomas Minta, 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.
Published in South Bend Tribune on Jan. 11, 2014