Very Rev. Leonard R. Klein
Memory Eternal!
Posted on 12/04/2019 6:24:58 PM PST by lightman
December 4, 2019 — (Wilmington, Delaware) — The Very Reverend Leonard Ray Klein, Rector of the Cathedral of Saint Peter, and Pastor of Saint Patrick and Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception Parishes in Wilmington, Delaware, has died today after a valiant battle with cancer. He was 74 years old. The first and only married man to be ordained to the priesthood for the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington, Father Klein leaves behind his wife of 49 years, Christa, and two adult children and their families. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Renate, who passed in 2016.
Born on August 4, 1945 in Easton, Pennsylvania, Father Klein earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religious Studies from Yale College, a Master of Divinity from Yale Divinity School and a Master of Sacred Theology from Christ Seminary-Seminex. Ordained to the Lutheran ministry in 1972, he served as a pastoral intern, associate pastor, pastor and senior pastor for Lutheran congregations in New York and Pennsylvania. He served on numerous boards and committees and had written and lectured on various topics during his career as a Lutheran minister.
Father Klein was received into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church in 2003. Later that year he was accepted as a seminarian for the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington and began his studies at St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore, Maryland. He was ordained to the priesthood by The Most Reverend Michael A. Saltarelli, on April 1, 2006, at the Cathedral of Saint Peter in Wilmington.
Father Klein’s early assignments were as a member of the diocesan Family Life Bureau, and Hospital Chaplain. In 2011 he was made pastor of Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception and Saint Patrick Churches. In 2013, he was assigned as rector of the Cathedral of Saint Peter, in addition to the other two parishes. Father served as chaplain to the Saint Thomas More Society of the Diocese of Wilmington, and member of the Board of Saint Francis Hospital in Wilmington. A staunch supporter of pro-life causes and advocate for the vulnerable, Father Klein served as Director of the Office for Pro-Life Activities and Chair of the Respect Life Committee for the Diocese of Wilmington for many years.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
Very Rev. Leonard R. Klein
Memory Eternal!
may perpetual light shine upon him, may his soul and
all the souls of the faithfully departed through the mercy of God
rest in peace
7
Memory Eternal!!!!
A former ELCA pastor who became a Roman Catholic priest while I was received into the Orthodox Church!
He served as Editor of Lutheran Forum for the American Lutheran Publicity Bureau.
He was part of the mostly NY/NJ clergy group whose retreats led to the crafting of the Rule of the Society of the Holy Trinity, although he himself never subscribed...in part because he was already contemplating swimming the Tiber.
His liturgical scholarship was considerable: Among his critiques of post 1978 Lutheran worship was the lack of a strong epiclesis in the Eucharistic liturgy.
He could have found a home in the Orthodox Church.
Eternal rest Grant unto Fr. Leonard, O Lord
May your perpetual light shine upon him,
May he rest in peace in your bosom,
Amen
Rest in peace, Father Klein.
He was obviously a very hard worker!
https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/york/obituary.aspx?n=leonard-roy-klein&pid=194654147&fhid=7886
Note the memorial suggestions:
Memorial donations may be sent to the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington, PO Box 2030, Wilmington, DE 19899-2030; to First Things, 9 E. 40th St., 10th Floor, New York, NY 10016 or http://www,firstthings.com; or to the Renate Fund at A-T Children’s Project, 5300 W. Hillsboro Blvd, Suite 105, Coconut Creek, FL 33073 or http://www.atcp.org.
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