Father John Harvey — Apostle of Charity and Chastity, Man of Courage, by Catherine Smith

Earlier this year, on April 14, the Father John Harvey Guild officially announced its existence through social media. This announcement coincided with the 105th anniversary of the birth of John Francis Harvey, a native son of Philadelphia who attended Northeast Catholic High School for Boys and was ordained as a Catholic priest in the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales on June 3, 1944. Father Harvey was a professor of moral theology as well as medical and sexual ethics, and he was president of the Cluster of Independent Theological Schools in Washington, D.C.

When Father Harvey entered eternity on Dec. 27, 2010, many expressed the hope that his virtuous and holy life of charity would never be forgotten. While various efforts to preserve Father Harvey’s memory have been made over the last 13 years, there is now an official non-profit solely dedicated to that purpose. The Father John Harvey Guild, according to its mission statement, “aims to share the life, spirituality, and ministry of Father John Francis Harvey, Oblate of St. Francis de Sales, with the world and with the Church,” and members “especially pray for the opening of Father’s cause for beatification and canonization.” ….