Father James R. Motl, O.P.
Father James R. Motl, O.P., died on April 22, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois, at the age of 80. Father Motl was a Dominican Friar in the Province of St. Albert the Great (Central Province, USA). Born on December 31, 1935 in Jackson, Minnesota to Albert and Agatha (Dolan) Motl, he attended grade school in Enterprise Township and Peace Memorial, before graduating from Jackson High School.
After spending two years at St. John’s University (St. Cloud, MN), Fr. Motl entered the Dominicans, and made first profession of vows in 1956 at St. Peter Martyr Priory in Winona, MN. In 1959, Fr. Motl earned a Master of Arts degree in Philosophy from the Dominican House of Studies, in River Forest, Illinois. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1962, and earned a Master of Arts degree in Theology from Aquinas Institute in Dubuque, Iowa. Father Motl would later go on to earn a Master of Arts degree in Speech Education from Marquette University in 1972 and a Doctor of Philosophy in Communication Studies from Northwestern University in 1980. Father Motl taught religion and speech at Fenwick High School (Oak Park, Illinois) from 1963-73, before joining the faculty of the Cluster of Independent Theological Schools in Washington, DC. When he left Washington in 1984, Fr. Motl joined the faculty at St. Thomas Seminary in St. Paul, MN. He taught Communication and Preaching at St. Thomas until 2002, when he entered limited service at St. Dominic Priory in St. Louis, Missouri.
For several years, Fr. Motl battled a variety of long-term health issues. At the time of his death, he was assigned to St. Pius V Priory in Chicago.
Besides his Dominican Community, Fr. Motl is survived by many cousins and their families.
A memorial service will be held at Good Shepherd in Jackson on Saturday, June 25th, at 11:00 a.m. Father Motl was a Jackson native.
