The Rev. Roger Coughlin brought the bonhomie of an old-fashioned parish priest and top-notch academic credentials to his more than four decades of work with Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago.
Father Coughlin coordinated untold numbers of adoptions, found homes and help for refugees from Cuba and Southeast Asia, and saw that the homeless were fed and senior citizens were kept active.
Father Coughlin, 84, died of congestive heart failure Thursday, April 15, in St. Joseph Hospital, according to the archdiocese.
A native of Chicago’s South Side, he came to Catholic Charities in 1956 as an assistant director after five years as a parish priest. In addition to administrative duties, he was chaplain for many years to staff and residents at St. Vincent Hospital and Infant Home, 721 N. LaSalle St., which offered maternity services until 1971.
His duties were as varied as the services offered by Catholic Charities, and among many other things, he helped several groups of refugee immigrants make their way in America.
In the 1960s, he traveled to Miami to arrange passage to Chicago for Cuban children brought to the country as part of Operation Pedro Pan. He organized efforts to provide families and housing for the children once they got here. Years later, he oversaw reunions of the children and their families from the island, said the Rev. Michael Boland, administrator of Catholic Charities in Chicago.
In the 1970s, Father Coughlin initiated Vietnamese Refugee Services for newcomers looking for fresh starts in Chicago.
Father Coughlin was active in the diocesan Head Start programs and helped organize services for adoptive families. Years after the St. Vincent maternity ward closed, he led tours of the building for people who had taken their first breaths there.
His skills as a priest were complemented by extensive secular training. He studied psychology and counseling at Loyola University and in 1964 received a master’s degree from the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration.
“He bought the gifts of his education to a very specialized field,” Boland said. “He had wonderful pastoral sense and professional competence, and great organizational ability.”
One of his lasting legacies will be research and writing for several histories of Catholic Charities and the history of Catholic charitable care. He also wrote a monthly column titled “Words for the Spirit” for the Catholic Charity’s free monthly publication for seniors, “Keenager News.”
He was a talented pianist, playing all types of music during meals at the Catholic Charities food pantry. He also was a gifted storyteller, swapping tales with people from all walks of life, Boland said.
Father Coughlin grew up in Little Flower parish on the South Side and graduated from Quigley Preparatory Seminary. He completed studies at University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary and was ordained in 1951. For the next five years he was an associate pastor at Our Lady of the Angels parish on the West Side.
He leaves no immediate survivors.
Visitation is set for 2 to 8 p.m. Sunday in the St. Louise de Marillac Chapel on the third floor of the St. Vincent Center, 721 N. LaSalle St., Chicago. Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Monday in Holy Name Cathedral, State and Superior streets.
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