Compiled and written by David R. Schleper, 2024

John Robert Gilbert was born Oct. 3, 1930 in St. Paul, Minnesota. He was the middle child of Wayne Charles Gilbert, Sr. (1895-1959) and Gladys Irene Bambery Gilbert (1901-1993). His oldest brother was William Charles Gilbert (1928-2008) and his youngest brother was Wayne Charles Gilbert, Jr. (1933-2010).

John’s grandparents were William Charles Gilbert (1860-1942) and Florence Emma McCord Gilbert (1862-1957); and Richard Joseph Bambery (1856-1904) and Mary Ann Mollie Feely Bambery (1862-1960).

Great-grandparents of John included William Mardick Gilbert (1834-1872) who died when he was 38 years old when he drowned in the falls in Mosince, Wisconsin, and Helen Smith Gilbert Bruneau (1832-1913). Helen’s second husband was Jeremiah Bruneau (1837-1890); Myron Hawley McCord, Sr. (1840-1908) and Maria Anne Murray McCord (1844-1917) and John Bambery and Mary Moran, and John Feely (1831-1913) and Bridget Gartland Feely (1829-1890).

In the Minneapolis Star Tribune on Aug. 6, 2001, an obituary talked about Fr. Jack.

St. Mary’s Church of the Purification in Marystown was started in 1855. A log cabin church was built in Marystown, but burned before completed. A second church was finished in 1856. A stone church was built in 1870. In addition, in 1881 and 1882, enlarging the church caused the real wall to collapse. In 1882 the present church was completed. On Feb. 28, 1917, it was destroyed by a fire, but the stone walls were okay, and so the church was rebuilt. In 1987, Fr. Jack became pastor of the Church of St. Mary of the Purification, 15850 Marystown Road.

John graduated from Cretin High School, Nazareth Hall Seminary, and graduated from Louvain, Belgium with a S.T.L. degree in theology. He was ordained to the priesthood on July 1, 1956 for the Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis.

Fr. Jack served in educational ministry of the Archdiocese from 1968-1990 as Director of Education and Director of Continuing Education for clergy. He served as associate pastor of St. Michael’s parish in St. Michael, and as pastor of Nativity of Mary in Bloomington. Fr. Jack was the pastor of the Church of St. Mary of the Purification from 1987-2001.

He made many contributions to the advancement of Catholic education in his position as Director of Education in Catholic elementary and secondary schools and the religious education of the youth in the public schools. Under his leadership, the religious education of adults emerged as a model for the rest of the country. Fr. Jack developed a continuing education program for the priests for the archdiocese and taught catechetics at the St. Paul Seminary. He served on many regional and national boards of education.

Fr. Jack always was remembered for his compassion and gentleness in his pastoral guidance of people of all ages.

On Aug. 2, 2001 in Shakopee, Fr. Jack Gilbert died. After a celebration of Christian burial at St. Mary’s Church of the Purification in Marystown, he was buried in the cemetery near the church.