OBITUARY NOTICE:
Brother Paschal Steen,TSA – Franciscan Tertiary Friar of the Atonement
(September 13, 1923 – November 2, 2019)
(November 7, 2019 – Graymoor, Garrison, NY). Brother Paschal Steen (nee John A. Steen), TSA, a Franciscan Tertiary Friar of the Atonement, passed from this life on November 2, 2019 at Elderwood of Uihlein at Lake Placid, NY. A wake service is planned for Monday, November 11, 2019 at 7 p.m. in St. Anthony’s Chapel, St. Paul Friary, Garrison, NY. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Tuesday, November 12, 2019 at 10 a.m. in the Chapel. Interment in the Friars’ cemetery will immediately follow the Mass. Funeral arrangements conducted by Dorsey-Carlone Funeral Home.
Br. Paschal was born on September 13, 1923, New York City. He attended St. Francis de Sales Elementary School in New York City and high school at Murray Hill Trade School, NYC, majoring in architecture, drafting and carpentry. He entered the United States Navy during World War II in June, 1943 and worked as a carpenter repairing landing crafts until his discharge in July 1946 with the rank of Seaman First Class. His places of service were Newport, Rhode Island; Great Lake Seaman’s School; Norfolk, Virginia; USS Mount Vernon, Le Havre, France; Washington, D.C.
After the Navy, he thought about the religious life and came to Graymoor in 1952. In 1953 he received his habit and was professed at St. Joseph’s Friary, Saranac Lake, NY. Br. Paschal remained at St. Joseph’s where he was responsible for the overall maintenance of the grounds and buildings, the furnaces and the electrical system. During this time he oversaw four major construction developments at St. Joseph’s. In 1987 Brother Paschal received a surprise honor at St. Joseph’s Rehabilitation Center. The newly constructed visitor’s building at St. Joseph’s was named after him, the “Paschal Family Building.”
Br. Paschal retired and in 2014 took up residence at Uihlein Nursing Center, Lake Placid, NY. On September 13 he celebrated his 96th birthday before his death on November 2, 2019. He was the last surviving Tertiary member of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement.
Br. Paschal was the son of the late Arthur and Florence Steen, both of New York City. He was predeceased by his sister, Marie Bradshaw.