John E. Naus
1924–2013A Jesuit priest who, after contracting polio, became a beloved campus figure at Marquette University for nearly 50 years, known for his Tuesday night Masses and his past as a clown.
Particulars
John Erwin Naus, a Jesuit priest who served at Marquette University for nearly five decades, was also known as Tumbleweed the Clown. As a young man, he dreamed of running away with the circus, and in 1971 he rode in the Great Circus Parade. He entered the Society of Jesus in 1942 and contracted polio in 1944, but continued his religious studies, earning degrees from Saint Louis University and the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He was ordained a priest in 1955 at Gesu Church on the Marquette campus.
Naus began at Marquette as dean of students in 1963. Over the years, he held roles including director of spiritual welfare, residence hall minister, associate professor of philosophy, faculty adviser to Alpha Sigma Nu and the Evans Scholars, assistant to the president, and chaplain to the Alumni Memorial Union. For 28 years, he preached Tuesday night Mass at the St. Joan of Arc Chapel, attracting a regular congregation of students regardless of weather. He retired in 2012 but continued to spend time at the university until his death in 2013.
Marquette University honored Naus with a dedicated meeting room in the Alumni Memorial Union, officially named for him in 2016, and he established the Rev. John E. Naus, S.J., Scholarship Fund to support students with financial need.
Compiled from Wikipedia. Automated record.