A True Servant of God, Fr. John Hardon

Who Is Fr. John Hardon?

Those who are familiar with the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse may have heard the name Servant of God Fr. John Hardon, S.J. He was the founder of the Marian Catechist Apostolate, now headquartered at the Shrine. That this work was only one of his numerous apostolic activities indicates what kind of life he led.

A quarter-century after his death, Fr. Hardon continues to influence Catholics across the United States. His legacy includes a copious body of writing, notably the Modern Catholic Dictionary; catechetical courses of study; multiple apostolates, including the Marian Catechist Apostolate; and, most importantly, the devoted witness of a holy life.

Early Life

Fr. John Hardon grew up in a simple, devout home. He was born in 1914 in western Pennsylvania; only a year later, his father died. His mother moved with him to Cleveland, Ohio, and raised him on her own, supporting them by cleaning. On his First Communion day, at six years old, he asked Our Lord, “Make me a priest.” Two years later, at his Confirmation, his childlike piety had become even more enthusiastic, as he prayed for martyrdom. Later in life, he would consider his prayer granted through the many sufferings he faced for his faith.

Fr. Hardon attraction to the priesthood remained with him as he grew up, but not without conflicting thoughts. Of these, the strongest was reluctance to leave his mother alone. A relationship with a young woman also made him uncertain about his vocation; for a time, Fr. Hardon seriously considered whether he was called to marriage. In the end, however, with help from his spiritual director, he returned to his pursuit of priesthood, entering the Society of Jesus soon after graduating John Carroll University.

Priesthood and Teaching

From the start of his priesthood, Fr. Hardon was asked to teach truth and address error. In his first assignment, studying at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, he was made director of the graduate library and told to confiscate all books containing heresy. The experience proved formative for Fr. Hardon and his career. “I had doors slammed in my face,” he recalled. “I lost friends whom I had considered believers.” Painful as this episode was, it instilled in the young priest a steadfast determination that stayed with him all his long life: “It taught me that the faith I had so casually learned could be preserved only by the price of a living martyrdom.”

For the rest of his life, Fr. Hardon would go from one teaching position to the next, especially in the Midwestern U.S., at both Catholic and secular institutions. This work alone meant he spent a great deal of time and energy proclaiming the truth of the Faith, and in doing so faithfully, faced more of the opposition he had encountered in the beginning. As he later said, “To remain a bonafide Catholic teacher of Catholic Doctrine was, honestly, the most demanding enterprise of my whole life.”

Yet Fr. Hardon saw in the challenges of his work not merely an obstacle for himself but a sign of how much needed to be done, how many were in need of the Gospel. He therefore wrote prolifically, authoring numerous books and editing no less than three magazines. He went on to develop catechetical programs of study, initially for Mother Teresa and her Sisters and later used widely by laity. Fr. Hardon recognized the importance of using media and technology to spread God’s Word, using the newest means then available—teleconferences on audiocassette—and organizing lay apostolates to better equip the laity to evangelize their world.

His Path to Sainthood

For all his activity, Fr. Hardon remained above all a spiritual father, a caretaker of souls. “He was a true pastor of souls, for whom charity was a way of life,” Dave Armstrong recalls gratefully at Detroit Catholic, describing his acquaintance with Fr. Hardon. “No one who met him or heard him speak could have easily forgotten the experience, nor his kindly, wise manner. This was the closest I have come in my life to meeting a saint.”

Others who knew Fr. Hardon hope that he may indeed be counted among the saints of the Church. Within a decade of his death in 2000, his cause for canonization was opened. Servant of God John Hardon is still leading souls to Christ, not only through his missionary establishments but through his example of faith, perseverance, and gift of self.