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Obit: Maurus Martin Pax

Obit: Maurus Martin Pax

Posted: 25 Apr 2004 4:50PM GMT
Classification: Obituary
Reprinted with permission of the Albuquerque Journal
March 27, 2004

Rev. Maurus Pax Served New Mexicans for Almost 50 Years
By Paul Logan
Journal Staff Writer
The Rev. Maurus Pax devoted nearly 50 years to serving New Mexico Roman Catholics, especially Indian children.
The Franciscan priest, who lived in Albuquerque, died Tuesday at Laurel Skies Care Center of prostate cancer. Pax was 80.
In a letter to the fellow Franciscans, the Rev. Duane Torisky, province secretary, said Pax "left a legacy of accepting the infirmities of old age with grace, dignity and faith-filled resignation."
There will be a service for Pax, starting at 9:30 a.m. today at Queen of Angels Chapel, 12th Street at Interstate 40. After a visitation, a rosary will be recited at 10 and a Mass will follow at 10:30 a.m.
Burial will be at Mount Calvary Cemetery, followed by a luncheon/reception at Holy Family Parish Hall, 562 Atrisco Drive SW.
Queen of Angels was chosen because of Pax's many years of service to Indians, said the Rev. Larry Dunham, provincial for the Franciscan Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Dunham will celebrate the Mass at the church, located near the former site of Albuquerque Indian School.
Pax helped Indian children with their religious training.
"Really, by all accounts, he was an excellent minister and very sensitive to their culture," Dunham said of Pax, whose first name is pronounced "Morris."
"They were bused in from around the area but into an institution so foreign to their culture and living. He tried his best to be sensitive to them."
Dunham described Pax as a private but kind person with a twinkle in his eyes.
Pax, who retired in 2000, battled cancer for 11 years. The last few months he was bedridden. Still, Pax was always thanking his hospice caregivers, Dunham said.
"He never had any arrogance," Dunham said. "He was a very humble person. That made it easy for people to approach him."
Maurus Martin Pax was born in northwest Ohio. His parents, who had eight children, were farmers near Celina.
Pax, which means peace in Latin, was ordained in 1950.
Pax's first assignment was at San Fidel near Grants. Then he went to newly opened Holy Family Church in Albuquerque in 1955. For nearly 20 years, Pax was the chaplain at Queen of Angels. He also worked a year at St. Francis Cathedral in Santa Fe.
Pax spent all but two years in New Mexico, finishing his career with stops at churches in Laguna Pueblo, Blanco, Cerrillos and Grants.
"He was very down-to-earth and simple," Dunham said. "He was a very enjoyable man."
Other survivors include a brother, the Rev. Joseph Pax of Ohio, and cousins, the Rev. Ulric Pax of Laguna-Acoma and the Rev. Bart Pax of New Orleans.
Memorial donations may be made to your favorite charity; the Franciscan Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe, P.O. Box 12315, Albuquerque, NM 87195; or Queen of Angels Chapel, P.O. 6881, Albuquerque, N. 87197.
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