- Brandon Sun Passages
- All Titles
Search:
Notices are posted by 10 am Monday through Saturday
FATHER JOHN PUNGENTE, JESUIT
Date of Passing: Dec 06, 2023
Send Flowers to the Family Offer Condolences or MemoryFATHER JOHN PUNGENTE, JESUIT
Fr. John Pungente died December 6, 2023 in René Goupil Residence, Pickering, Ontario. He was in his 84th year and a Jesuit for 66 years. He was born Port Arthur, Ontario, but grew up in Brandon, Manitoba. He was the son of John Pungente and Mary Wikien. John entered the Jesuits in 1957 and was ordained in 1971. He was then missioned to St Paul’s High School, Winnipeg, as a teacher and film guide, all the while serving as Chair of the Manitoba Film Board from 1972 to 1976. He was appointed Principal of St. Paul’s High School in 1976, a post he held for seven years. In 1985 he moved to Toronto to become Director of the Jesuit Communication Project, a role he fulfilled for thirty-four years. While holding that position he co-authored Media Literacy: A Resource Guide (1989), Meet the Media (1990), the award winning teaching kit, Scanning Television (1996), More than Meets the Eye: Watching TV Watching Us (1999) and Finding God in the Dark: The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Go To The Movies (2004).
In 1997, John created and hosted the award-winning television show: Scanning the Movies, and produced the video: A Heart to Understand. He was also president of the Canadian Association of Media Education Organizations. In 2018 he moved to Lourdes Parish, Toronto, doing pastoral ministry and editing the online Jesuit blog, IgNation. In early 2022, in diminishing health, he moved to La Storta Jesuit Community and subsequently to René Goupil Residence in Pickering.
Visitation: Manresa Chapel, Pickering, Monday, December 18 from 7 to 9 p.m., with Vigil Prayers at 8 p.m. Funeral: Manresa Chapel, Tuesday, December 19, 2023 at 10 a.m.; followed by burial at 2 p.m. in the Jesuit Cemetery, Guelph. Family and friends may also join the mass via live webcasting at:
https://pickartphoto.com/stream/
FrJohnPungente/
Donations to the Jesuit Advancement Office, 43 Queen’s Park Cres. E., Toronto, ON M5S 2C3, (416-962-4500) would be appreciated as your expression of sympathy.
Condolences:
www.rosar-morrison.com
As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Dec 16, 2023, Dec 16, 2023
Condolences & Memories (3 entries)
-
Our paths crossed several times over the years because of our mutual interest in media literacy education. His warm smile could light up a room. I'm so pleased he wrote books, planned conferences and hosted TV series. He was a true educator in every sense of that word. A pioneer who will be missed. Frank Baker, Columbia South Carolina. - Posted by: Frank Baker (Colleague ) on: Dec 18, 2023
-
As I offer prayers in memory of Fr John Pungente, SJ, I am grateful for his role as a most generous mentor, colleague, and friend in the media literacy education community. I first met John via Sister Elizabeth Thoman (who founded the Center for Media Literacy in Los Angeles) when I asked her where I could go to get a master's degree in media literacy education. I contacted him, and he immediately faxed me back with a list of schools, the first of which was the Institute of Education at the University of London in England. This is where I earned my MEd in Media Studies in 1995. I participated in the Summits on Media Literacy that he organized. Over the years, he has always answered my queries and has always been an enlightening presence and teacher in this mediated world. I hope someone will write his life story; there is so much more to tell; rest in peace, good and faithful servant. - Posted by: Sr Rose Pacatte, FSP (Medlia Literacy Education Colleague) on: Dec 18, 2023
-
I smile when I think of Father Pungente...he was a rock for many years. Rest in peace. - Posted by: sharon helgason (friend) on: Dec 16, 2023