Fr. Cassian Yuhaus, C.P. (1922-2013)

Father Cassian Yuhaus, a Passionist priest, church historian, and a noted pioneer in religious renewal, died after a brief illness at Little Flower Manor in Wilkes-Barre, PA. on February 14, 2013. He was 91. Son of the late Adam Yuhaus and the late Elizabeth (Alasko) Yuhaus.  Brother of Betty  Tunnessen of Hazelton, Pennsylvania, Bernadette Oslovich of Buffalo Grove, Illinois, and John Leo Yuhaus of Fort Smith, Arkansas and many beloved nieces and nephews.  Father Yuhaus graduated from Hazelton High School, Hazelton, Pennsylvania in 1940 and professed his vows in the Passionist community in 1944.  He was ordained in 1951 at Saint Michael Monastery, Union City, New Jersey.  He was awarded a Doctorate in Church History and the papal gold medal for excellence from the Gregorian University in Rome in 1962.  He also studied at Munich, Montreal, New York, Boston, and Paris.

Father Yuhaus was a professor of church history at various Passionist houses of study in the eastern United States from 1954-1968.  A research scholar, noted lecturer, and innovator in Catholic Church renewal, Father Yuhaus served in leadership positions in the Passionist community, coordinated the Religious Life program for the Center of Applied Research into the Apostolate (CARA) from 1975-1980 and was President of CARA in Washington, DC from 1980-1984.  In the years immediately after the Second Vatican Council, Father Yuhaus became an internationally recognized consultant for many religious communities of Brothers, Sisters, and priests.  He was national director for the Institute for Religious from 1968-1980.  He was co-founder and director of the Institute for World Concerns at Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1984-1989.

A dynamic speaker and imaginative scholar, Father Yuhaus wrote Compelled to Speak, a history of the Passionists in the United States, published books on the Religious Life, church renewal and American culture with Paulist Press, and scores of research studies on religious life, seminary renewal, and the missionary outreach of the church.  He also championed the cause of the downtrodden and the poor.  He was a member of Amnesty International, World Futures Society, Bread for the World, Pax Christi USA and served on various boards dedicated to assisting the poor and promoting justice, peace, and global charity.

Father Yuhaus served as Rector of Saint Ann Monastery from 1998-2002 and resided there until his death.  He also conducted an office for Religious Life renewal and research at Saint Gabriel Monastery in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania.