Fr. John Bach

Date of Death: March 7, 2010

The Rev. John A. Bach
The Rev. John A. Bach, 67, of Lafayette, died Saturday, March 6, 2010, in Lafayette.
Born July 16, 1942, in Chicago, he was the son of the late Arnold and Lillian Bond Bach. He was ordained to the Roman Catholic Priesthood in St. Mary Cathedral in Lafayette on May 29, 1971.
FatherBach was educated at St. Alphonsus Elementary School and St. Michael Catholic Central High School, both in Chicago. He then earned a degree in philosophy from DePaul University in 1965, his master of divinity from Catholic Theological Union in 1971, his master of science from Purdue University in 1980 and his doctor of ministry from Americus University in 2003.
His assignments included working with the Diocesan Marriage Tribunal; was on the faculty at Central Catholic High School; was pastor of St. Charles Parish in Otterbein; was Chaplain of the Monastery of the Precious Blood in Lafayette; and at the time of his death, was Chaplain of St. Anthony Healthcare in Lafayette.
He was an avid reader and loved to tell jokes. He was a life member of the Fraternal Order of Police, Arman Lodge 49, and was a Fourth Degree member of the Knights of Columbus Council 456, both in Lafayette. He was awarded the Sagamore of the Wabash by Gov. Evan Bayh in 1990 and the Marquis of Lafayette by Mayor Tony Roswarski in 2008.
Surviving is a sister, Nancy Back (husband: Jim) of Monticello.
Also surviving are a niece, Deborah Casad (husband: Robert) and a nephew, James Back Jr. (wife: Billie); 3 great-nephews, 1 great-niece.
Visitation is 4-7 p.m. Wednesday, March 10, 2010, at St. Mary Cathedral, with Vigil service at 7 p.m. Funeral Mass of Christian Burial, 11 a.m. Thursday, St. Mary Cathedral, with Bishop William Higi and priests of the Diocese officiating. Interment St. Boniface Cemetery. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to the Lafayette Area Catholic School System. Soller-Baker Funeral Home, Lafayette, in charge of arrangements; www.soller-baker.com
On Mar 8, 2010, at 9:12 AM, Frank Auxier wrote:

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Father John, your were/are a great friend and confidant. Rest in peace my friend and we shall talk soon.

On behalf of the monks and the alumni of Saint Meinrad I offer heartfelt condolences to the family members of Fr. John Bach and the people of God in the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana.

Fr. John will be remembered by name in the prayers of the faithful at the 2010 Alumni Reunion Mass.

May the soul of Fr. John, and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

Joe Cook
Director, Alumni Relations
Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology
200 Hill Drive
St. Meinrad, IN 47577
(800) 682-0988

I was in Fr. Bach&s American History class, 1977. My family also attended St. Mary&s so I was familiar with him from there. I liked him alot. He was tough but fair. He liked humor but when you went too far he showed you were the line was.

My uncle Chico Hatke was on the Lafayette Police force. I heard him say once that if he has a difficult situation with someone who was talking suicide and no one else was available, he would call Fr. Bach. He was always calm, and very good at talking to people. Focused, professional, and good at putting people at ease were the descriptions that my uncle gave of him. This was a side of him that I was not aware of being a teenager at the time I knew him, but in retrospect, I see how that was true. He drew out my respect for him, not just because he was a priest, but just by being who he was.

We are poorer by being without him, and I realize how fortunate I was to have known him. My condolences and respects to the family, and all the graduates at Central Catholic who were so lucky to have known him.

FR. BACH HELPED ME THROUGH THE MONTHS AND THE DAYS AND HOURS BEFORE MY MOTHER&S DEATH.
WE PRAYED EVERYDAY WITH HER. HE WOULD COME INTO HER ROOM
WITH HIS WONDERFUL SMILE.
HE WAS ALSO VERY FUNNY AND WE HAD GOOD LAUGHS IN THE COURT YARD AT ST. ANTHONY&S WITH OUR FAMILY.
I&M SURE I AM NOT THE ONLY PERSON WHO CAN SAY THESE EXACT WORDS.
FATHER BACH WAS A FAITHFUL SERVANT TO OUR LORD!

I am very sorry for your loss. Fr Bach was a great man and I am so glad to have known him. He will be truly missed.
Desiree Winter

Peace of mind is a call away. We’re here when you need us most.

I am the son of the late Jim Hampton of Otterbein, IN. I had the privelage of meeting Father Bach in the early 1980&s when he served at St Charles in Otterbein. At this time I was home on leave visiting from the military.

My dad and Father Bach had a wonderful friendship that began when he was serving on the the Otterbein Town Board and Father Bach would open the church hall to stranded motorists during snow storms.

As I recall, I only visited with Father Bach on 2 occassions which were during a winter storm.

Obviously Father Bach had a possitive impact with me, I am sure he touched many lives as a servant of God & the wonderful person that he was.

I recall Father Bach being an advocate of Law Enforcement.

I now live in Texas where I have served as a Deputy Sheriff for the past 20 years.

God Bless

My deepest condolences to your family. I am a 1982 graduate of Central Catholic High School and was blessed to have Fr. Bach as the Vice Principle. Although, I had no classes with him as teacher, my everyday interaction with him was always a joy - not to mention usually very humorous. I will always remember him for his vocation, devotion, smile and wit.

Additionally, my grandmother was a resident of St. Anthony Health Care. His ministry to her became such a comfort to our family. As she grew in her dimentia, somehow, she always recognized "Fr. John", as she called him. He was a great comfort to her until her death.

Thank you for sharing him with us,

Michael Viola and the Viola / Bresnahan Families.

I was saddened to hear the news about the death of Father John Bach. My thoughts are with you and his family during this difficult time. I remember celebrating many Masses at St. Anthony Healthcare in the months that my mother was living there.

I would like to extend to the family my deepest sentiments, and the wish that I have to accompany you in your grief. I offer my prayers for you during these days, and in particular, directed towards the Eternal Shepherd, to guide the soul of Father John Bach to his eternal rest, and that God give his family, the consolation of the faith in our Resurrected Lord.

With my prayerful remembrance, I have the honor to be,
Yours in Christ,
Mrs. Socorro Truchan and family

Over this past 24 hours, several former classmates and I have met online and taken the opportunity to share our own memories of time spent with Father Bach. This discussion included some heartfelt laughter (mostly at our own expense), that combined with genuine sorrow and perhaps disbelief at his passing, allowed each of us to acknowledge the reality of how much he&d truly enriched all of our lives. And for this, I think we are all a bit better off today.
As a teen I would have said that at times, he was perhaps a bit to stern with us, but as an adult-I can also say that he was also open minded and fair (for the for the most part), and as such we all knew what he expected of us as well as the consequences for disappointing him! And for those reading this who knew him well...I would say thank you for the times we shared together (in case I don&t get to tell you on my own)...and Thank Heaven&s George can finally rest in peace as well!!!
To the family-Thanks for sharing him with all of us.

Please accept our deepest condolences for your family's loss.