Gerard Bernard Thomas Cleator, O.P., Death, 2026-01-08

Series

Identifier: PF - Cleator

Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

This collection contains personal materials relating to friars after they have left the order, passed away, or transferred to another province. Each friar's file contents are mostly contain to their novitiate records, canonical assignments, historically important correspondence, and a small number of personal items if desired upon their passing. Within the broader collection, each Friar is sorted as a series.

Friars with particuarly substantial historically important papers or items outside of the scope of the Personal Files Collection are moved to a dedicated collection under their name.

This collection is a work in progress and any use of these files requires the explicit permission of the Provincial. Contact the Archivist to discuss access or inquire about friars that may not been cataloged yet.

Dates

Creation: Death, 2026-01-08

Conditions Governing Access

Requires explicit permission from Provincial to access any records. Contact the Archivist for more information.

For comprehensive lists and records of individuals who left the order or transferred to other provinces, researchers must contact the archivist. Access to such materials may be restricted and is subject to privacy considerations and organizational policy.

Order Obituary

See more See less

Fr. Gerard “Jerry” Cleator, O.P., 87, died on January 8, 2026, after a prolonged illness. Fr. Cleator was a Dominican Friar of the Province of St. Albert the Great. He was born on December 4, 1938, in Queens, New York to Irene Bernadette Cassidy and William James Cleator. He attended Corpus Christi Grade School and Chaminade High School in Mineola, New York, graduating in 1956. He attended Loras College for two years from 1956-1958 before entering the Dominican Order. He made his first profession of vows on August 31, 1959.

He was ordained to the priesthood on June 5, 1965, at St. Rose Priory in Dubuque, Iowa. After completing his theological education, he pursued graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin/Milwaukee from 1966-1968, earning a MA in Communication Theory. From 1967 to 1969, Fr. Cleator served as an instructor in homiletics at the Aquinas Institute, Dubuque, IA and as associate editor of Cross and Crown. He was a member of the Dominican Evangelical Preaching Team from 1969 to 1973.

He served as the sixth Provincial of the Province of St. Albert the Great from 1973 to 1977. Following his term as Provincial, he was the pastor of St. Pius V Parish in Chicago from 1980-1986, before returning to itinerant preaching ministry until 1988. For the next several years, Fr. Cleator served in the Vicariate of Bolivia and in Mexico City. Fr. Cleator was the Director of the St. Dominic Mission Society from 2011 to 2014. In 2014, due to advancing Parkinson’s disease, he entered limited service and later moved to Resurrection Life Center.

Deeply committed to social justice, Fr. Cleator was involved in numerous causes and was a founding member of the board of directors of the Pilsen YMCA. He was one of six children and was preceded in death by his siblings Joseph, Sr. Mary Bride, OP, Joan O’Rourke, and Marilyn Hayward. He is survived by one sister, Patricia Smyth, as well as numerous nieces and nephews. Services were held at St. Pius V Church, 1901 S. Ashland Ave. Chicago, IL 60608 on Wednesday, January 14, 2026 followed by interment at All Saints Cemetery in Des Plaines, IL.