Obituary-Brother Stephen Weber

Brother Stephen Weber, one of the original founders of Japan Mission, died in Kobe, Japan, on June 15, 1994 at the age of 91. Born in France, Stephen, the "Dean" of the Province served in the Marist Brothers' China Province, then following the revolution, moved to Japan to open a school. His local Superior, Brother Vincent Moriarty wrote to the Province Office:

"Brother Stephen died in his sleep aster a long illness; he went peaceably to God. Brother Ramon had visited him earlier in the afternoon, and Stephen was alert at that time. He received wonderful care at both the nursing home and hospital Himeji."

The Marist Community in Japan Sector gathered for final prayers and distribution of the cremated remains which will be buried at the FMS burial site near Kobe.

The preceding obit appeared in the August 1994 NewsnotesI of the Poughkeepsie Province. The following notice was published in the Advent 1994 issue of Today's Marist Brother.

On June 15, 1994, Brother Stephan Weber was called to his eternal reward at a hospital run by the Hospital Sisters of Saint Francis, not too far away from the beautiful castle of Himeji, one of the main tourist attractions of Japan. As we gathered around his deathbed for the customary prayers, surrounded by a large group of Japanese sisters and attending nurses (mostly non-Christian) we could hear their tearful whispering voices muttering what could be the best eulogy for our departed Brother, "How different ... and how peaceful ... the death of a Brother!"

Stephan's call to the Marist way of life took him for a short time to Saint-Genis Laval (France) and then to San Maurizio in Italy where he took the habit on September 8, 1920. Four years later, in December 1924, he arrived in China and spent most of his teaching career at Saint Louis College of Tientsin. After the Communist Revolution in China, Stephan moved for a short time to Hong Kong and from there to Japan in 1951 as one of the co-founders of our mission. We can see in this earthly pilgrimage God's continuous and insistent call towards the FAR EAST. From Alsace to Italy to China and finally to Japan.

Source: Original Marists All Site

Marist College | Marist Archives & Special Collections | Contact Us  | Acknowledgements