Obituary of The Reverend Foster Hanley

Carmelite Priest, Fr. Foster Hanley Dies The Province of the Most Pure Heart of Mary (PCM), of the Order of Carmelites, mourns the death of the Reverend Foster John Hanley, O. Carm., who died at the age of 76 on April 26, 2013, in Tucson, Arizona. Visitation for Reverend Foster Hanley, O. Carm., will be held at the chapel of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish on Tuesday, April 30, from 6:00 PM-8:00 PM. St. Thomas is located at 5150 North Valley View Road (at Calle del Pantera). The Mass of Christian Burial will take place at the Salpointe Catholic High School gymnasium at 1545 East Copper Street in Tucson at 1:30 PM on Wednesday, May 1. Interment will follow at Holy Hope Cemetery. Fr. Foster was born to (the late) George James Hanley and (the late) Eileen Mary (Haney) Hanley on June 7, 1936, in Chicago, Illinois. His given name at baptism was John William Hanley. He is survived by his brothers George. Another brother, Gerald, is deceased. John William attended St. Grabriel and St. Bernard Grade Schools in Chicago, Illinois, before entering the Carmelite Junior Seminary in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, in 1951. He entered Mount Carmel College, Niagara, beginning in 1955 and received a BA degree in Sociology from Saint Bonaventure University, Olean, New York. In 1972 he received a MA in Sociology from Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas. He completed his theological studies at Whitefriars Hall in Washington, DC. During the 2001-2002 school year, Fr. Foster was on sabbatical which included biblical archeology in Israel, course work in Ireland, and the study of the Spanish language in Lima, Peru. He received the Carmelite habit on August 21,1956, taking the religious name of Foster. He made first vows on August 22,1957 in New Baltimore, Pennsylvania and made his solemn profession with the Carmelites on August 22,1960. On June 8,1963, he was ordained a Carmelite priest at St. Viator Church in Chicago, Illinos. In 1964, Father Foster's first assignment was teaching at DeSales High School in Louisville, Kentucky. In 1965 he served as Associate Pastor at St. Clara Parish in Chicago, Illinois, and later that same year he was assigned to teach at Mount Carmel High School in Houston, Texas, where he taught until 1978. He then went on to teach at Salpointe Catholic High School in Tucson, Arizona, until 2011, when he began working in the school's Campus Ministry program. During his tenure in Tucson, Fr. Foster was also the spiritual director of the Search Retreat program of the Diocese of Tucson for many years and was the regular celebrant of Eucharist weekly at the monastery of the Benedictine Sisters' of Perpetual Adoration. He resided at the Carmelite priory of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Tucson, until a few weeks before his death. May he rest in peace. Donations in honor of Fr. Foster Hanley, O. Carm., may be made to: the Society of Mount Carmel, 1317 North Frontage Road, Darien, Illinois, 60561 or to the Fr. Foster Hanley, 0. Carm., Endowed Scholarship Fund at Salpointe Catholic High School, 1545 East Copper Street, Tucson, AZ, 85719. For further information on the Reverend Foster Hanley, O. Carm., or the Order of Carmelites contact Carmelite Media at (630) 971-0724 or visit the Carmelite website at www.carmelnet.org.