Rev. John Baldwin

 Retired U.S. Navy chaplain dies

A memorial Mass for the Rev. John Baldwin, retired U.S. Navy chaplain, was celebrated Sept. 14 at St. Norbert and Our Lady of the Brook Church, Northbrook.

Rev. Baldwin was 85 when he died April 1.

Bishop Francis Kane was the main celebrant and the Rev. Ronald Kalas, vicar for senior priests, was the homilist. Interment was after the liturgy at Calvary Catholic Cemetery, Evanston.

Baldwin was born Sept. 14, 1933, in Chicago and attended St. Clare of Montefalco Catholic Church and Quigley Preparatory Seminary, both in Chicago. He graduated with a master’s degree from the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary in 1958.

Baldwin was ordained to the priesthood May 7, 1959, by Cardinal Albert Meyer, archbishop of Chicago, and celebrated his first Mass at St. Clare of Montefalco on May 10 of the same year.

After ordination to priesthood, Baldwin served the archdiocese as assistant pastor at Resurrection Parish on Jackson Street in Chicago and St. Joseph Parish in Round Lake. He was assigned as chaplain of the U.S. Navy in 1968 and served in that role until retirement.

Monsignor Michael Adams, pastor emeritus of St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish on 64th Street in Chicago and a classmate of Baldwin, had known him for 70 years.

“He was curious about everything. He liked to talk to people — he was very friendly, and people responded well to him,” Adams said.

The Rev. Edward J. McLaughlin, pastor emeritus of St. Michael Parish in Orland Park, remembers his classmate as a very inquisitive person and a great musician.

“He loved to serve the Navy,” McLaughlin said. “He was very dedicated as a chaplain and very proud of it.”

“He was always interested in many new things and had traveled the world,” said Kalas, adding that his classmate was very interested in organ music.”

Kalas said Baldwin’s his favorite piece, played at various occasions, was Charles-Marie Widor’s “Toccata.”

CHICAGO

Homes in East Beverly burglarized

Chicago police are searching for burglars who have been entering houses through open windows in the East Beverly neighborhood.

The offenders removed the screens and entered the homes through open window between midnight and 6 a.m.

In one incident, a victim heard movement in the house around 4 a.m. and saw three males running out of the residence. The offenders took the victim’s car keys and fled in the individual’s car.

The burglaries were all in the 10300 to 10700 blocks of Wood Street to Prospect Street.

Burglaries were:

• Sept. 1 on the 1600 block of West 106^th Street.
• Sept. 2 on the 1700 block of West Walter Griffin Place.
• Sept. 2 on the 10400 block of South Prospect Street.

The offenders were described as three males wearing hooded sweatshirts and blue jeans. One offender was holding a flashlight. The estimated age of the offender is between 18 and 25.

Police offered the following tips to avoid being the victim of a residential burglary and how to react if a burglary victim:

• Secure all windows and doors to your residence.
• Ensure the entry door to your building is locked.
• Keep gates locked and yard fences secure.
• Keep a record of serial numbers for your electronic devices.
• Consider the installation of an alarm and surveillance system.
• Notify a neighbor, friend or relative, if you are planning to be out of town.
• Be aware of the crimes and alert neighbors in the area.
• Call 911 immediately and provide a description of any suspicious people, including any vehicle description and license plate information.

Anyone with information about the burglaries or offenders should contact the Chicago Police Department’s Bureau of Detectives for Area South at 312-747-8273.

REGION

 Free basketball officiating class to start in October

The Inter-Athletic Council of Officials will be sponsoring a free seven-week basketball officiating course starting the first week of October at two different locations —  Montini Catholic High School in Lombard and Lockport High School East Campus in Lockport.

The course includes classroom instruction on the rules of high school basketball and appropriate IHSA officiating mechanics and officiating philosophy.

The class incorporates over 100 video clips and numerous review sessions of NFHS rules.

This course is ideal for basketball officials with zero to four years of basketball officiating experience.

Officials new to the IHSA will be able to obtain an officiating license at a reduced rate.  Completion of the class will allow the participant to earn IHSA Level 1 Clinic Credit.  Participants must attend a minimum of five sessions to be eligible for IHSA clinic credit.

Classes at Montini Catholic will be held on Tuesdays, starting on Oct. 1 and will run through Nov. 12.  Classes at Lockport East will be held each Wednesday, starting on Oct. 2 and will run through Nov. 13.

For more information and to register for the classes on-line, visit the IACO website at: www.iaco-official.org