When allegations of stolen money and financial corruption rocked a south suburban Roman Catholic church in 2007, Msgr. Francis A. Cimarrusti came to the parish to help restore the faith.
Msgr. Cimarrusti had just retired from ministry, capping a 43-year career as a priest and psychologist for Catholic Charities.
But faced with a crisis at Infant Jesus of Prague Church in Flossmoor, Cardinal Francis George called Msgr. Cimarrusti out of retirement and assigned him to be the church’s temporary administrator.
Once there, the soft-spoken priest balanced the budget and pulled the church together.
“Under Father Frank’s leadership, the investigation was brought to closure and order was restored to our finances,” said parishioner Erin Isaacson. “More importantly, Father Frank reunited us as a faith family.”
In 2010, Pope Benedict XVI honored the Rev. Cimarrusti and 19 other Chicago priests with the title of “Monsignor” for their church work. But to his parishioners and friends, he was always “Father Frank.”
Msgr. Cimarrusti, 73, who provided counseling to dozens of poor families and served at several Catholic parishes in the Chicago Archdiocese, including St. Matthias Catholic Church in the city’s Lincoln Square neighborhood, died of cancer Tuesday, March 29, at his brother’s Chicago home.
He was born in Highland Park. Knowing early in his life that he wanted to become a priest, he attended Quigley Preparatory Seminary in Chicago and the University of St. Mary of the Lake Mundelein Seminary.
In 1964, he was ordained by Cardinal Albert Meyer. Following his ordination, Msgr. Cimarrusti served for four years as assistant pastor of St. Attracta Church in Cicero, which is now closed. From 1968 to 1974, he was at St. Mary of the Lake Church in Chicago.
He then served as an associate at St. Philip Neri in Chicago until 1978, when he was named pastor of Our Lady of the Angels Church in Chicago, which was later consolidated into St. Francis of Assisi-Our Lady of the Angels.
Throughout his religious career, he led several parishes through painful church closings, including St. John of God and St. Rose of Lima, both in Chicago.
In 1990, he was named pastor of St. Bonaventure Church in Chicago. Three years later, he began full-time postgraduate studies at Loyola University Chicago, while serving at Immaculate Conception Church in Chicago.
Upon becoming a licensed psychotherapist in 1995, he joined the staff of Catholic Charities in Chicago and began providing counseling to students, single mothers and families, many of whom attended St. Matthias Catholic Church and School.
“He helped troubled kids and was also an addiction specialist,” said the Rev. John Sanaghan, pastor of St. Matthias. “He was wise and gentle and there wasn’t an ounce of pretense to him. I can’t think of a better example of a Chicago priest than Father Frank.”
Others spoke of his compassion in presiding over Catholic-Jewish interfaith marriages.
“Religious affiliation was not what mattered … what counted was love and the goodness in one’s heart,” Isaacson said.
Msgr. Cimarrusti officially retired in January 2007 and was named Pastor Emeritus of Our Lady of the Angels Church. He was called out of retirement later that year in the midst of the financial scandal at Infant Jesus of Prague.
Two weeks before his death, St. Matthias parishioners held a special Mass for Msgr. Cimarrusti. When he found out, he wrote a letter saying the news brought tears to his eyes.
“I hope I can maintain some sort of a relationship with you even after Jesus calls,” Msgr. Cimarrusti wrote in the letter. “My only disappointment is that I won’t be there to sing with you, so you will have to do that without me.”
Msgr. Cimarrusti is survived by his brothers, David and Raymond.
Services were held.
