Br. James Kozak ‘64, who resided in Columba Hall at the University of Notre Dame, passed away at age 82 on Jan. 20 at Holy Cross College. He served as a chaplain for the men’s and women’s soccer teams, a capstone evaluator and an assistant rector in Pulte Hall.
Following his studies at Notre Dame as an undergraduate majoring in English, he pursued a master’s degree in pastoral studies at Loyola University. From 1965 to 1977, he taught in schools abroad and within the United States, such as Sacred Heart Military Academy in Watertown, Wis., St. Patrick High School in Monrovia, Liberia and St. John’s School in Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana.
He previously was a youth minister at St. Martin’s Parish in Chicago, a diocesan chaplain for the youth and later, the executive director of the diocesan health committee in Sunyani, Ghana. Kozak also worked as the director of formation in the former district of West Africa.
After his service as a pastoral associate at St. Felicitas Catholic Church, he became a program associate for Life Directions. He worked at the Boysville of Michigan boarding school from 1995 to 2005 and then taught at Archbishop Hoban High School in Akron, Ohio. Most recently, he worked at different campus functions and departments within Holy Cross.
He was also part of the Forever Learning Institute, a nonprofit in the South Bend community dedicated to fostering lifelong learning among students aged 50 and older.
Kozak’s death came unexpectedly when he was in Pulte Hall. Students at Holy Cross were immediately notified of the passing that same day with an email from College president Marco Clark to the student body.
“Brother Jim was a beloved member of our Holy Cross family, and his presence on campus was a gift. Many of us will remember his ever-present smile, his gentle spirit, and the quiet way he made others feel seen, supported, and loved,” the email read.
According to sophomore Kiko Medrano IV, who lived in Pulte Hall last year, the late assistant rector was easy-going and made himself available to students. He explained his reaction to the email that was sent by the College.
“I found out more details through the current RA of Pulte about what happened,” he said. “I live off campus now [but] hearing that, it’s definitely kind of heartbreaking.”
Freshman Andrew Koshakji, a forward on the men’s soccer team, said that the team noticed that Kozak was absent from practice one day.
“He didn’t show up for practice, so we went and investigated his room, and one of the RAs found him, unfortunately,” he stated. “Obviously difficult, he was our chaplain [and] said a chaplet before every game. We grew close to him [and] kind of saw him as like a father or grandpa figure.”
Freshman Sebastian Douglas, a resident of Pulte Hall, mentioned that the visitation helped the community recognize the presence and impact that Kozak had in their lives. He added that it provided a moment of solace and peace for his passing.
“The stories that we were able to tell with each other, I feel, definitely hit us hard with a sense of calming. Brother James was an amazing guy and we were able to cherish the moments that we weren’t present for, but just hearing them just was impactful,” he reflected. “I think that was definitely one of the most impactful moments, getting together as a community in the chapel and being able to speak freely about him, about all the good things that we remember about him.”
A visitation and funeral Mass were held at St. Joseph Chapel at Holy Cross on Jan. 30. Kozak is buried at St. Joseph Cemetery of Holy Cross Village.
