On Saturday, January 3, 2026, strengthened by the holy sacraments, our brother and priest Fr. Paul Maslach, OFM, passed away peacefully in the Lord, in the 89th year of his life, the 70th year of his religious profession, and the 64th year of his priesthood.

Fr. Paul Maslach, a member of the Order of Friars Minor (OFM), was born on August 25, 1937, in Ljubljenica – Stjepan Krst, to parents Josip Maslać and Stana, née Raguž. He was baptized on August 29, 1937, in the Parish of Saints Peter and Paul in Rotimlja, where he received the baptismal name Nikola.

In 1951, he arrived in the United States, where he began his further education and religious formation. He attended elementary school in Grottamare, Italy, from 1947 to 1951. He completed his high school education at St. Joseph High School in Westmont, Illinois, from 1951 to 1954. He began his studies in philosophy and theology in Westmont (1954–1955), continued them in Rye Beach, New Hampshire (1956–1958), and completed them at Holy Name College in Washington, D.C. (1958–1962). In 1962, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Bonaventure University.

He entered the Order of Friars Minor with his novitiate on July 14, 1955, in Lafayette, New Jersey. He professed his first religious vows on July 15, 1956, also in Lafayette, and made his solemn vows on August 18, 1959, in St. Bonaventure, New York. He was ordained to the priesthood on March 17, 1962, in Washington, D.C., by the Papal Nuncio, Archbishop Egidio Vagnozzi. With his priestly ordination began his long and faithful priestly, pastoral, and religious service.

He began his pastoral ministry as an associate pastor at Sacred Heart Parish in Chicago from 1962 to 1964, and then at Sacred Heart Parish in Milwaukee from 1964 to 1970. From 1970 to 1976, he served as pastor of St. Joseph Parish in St. Louis, Missouri, and from 1976 to 1979 as pastor of St. Jerome Parish in Chicago.

In 1979, he was appointed administrator of the Our Lady of Peace Residence in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, and from 1979 to 1982 served as pastor of Holy Trinity Parish in Ambridge, Pennsylvania. From 1982 to 1985, he served as guardian of St. Anthony Friary in Chicago. From 1985 to 1994, he held the office of Custos. He again served as guardian at the same friary from 1994 to 1995.

From 1995 to 2000, he served once more as pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Chicago. For the following twelve years, from 2000 to 2012, he was pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Milwaukee. From 2009 to 2012, he served for the fourth time as Custos. His final active pastoral assignment was as pastor of Blessed Alojzije Stepinac Parish in Chicago, where he served from 2012 to 2017. From 1990 onward, he also served as the spiritual leader of the Croatian Catholic Community. From 2017 until his death, he spent his retirement years at St. Anthony Friary in Chicago. Through his long religious and priestly life, Fr. Paul Maslach made a significant contribution to the Church, the Franciscan Order, and the many communities entrusted to his care. His ministry was marked by fidelity, perseverance, and devoted pastoral service, especially among Croatian faithful in the United States of America. The Funeral Mass for Fr. Paul Maslach will be celebrated on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, at 10:30 a.m., at St. Jerome Church in Chicago. Burial will follow at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.

May the Lord whom he faithfully served grant him eternal rest.