PAGE FOUR
An Interview by Lawrence Sullivan, O.F.M. Cap.
Bulletin, Vol. 13, No. 11, November 1976, pp. 239-240
A Capuchin Franciscan Publication
Community of S aint Mi chael-Brooklyn, N Y -19 54: D aniel B rady, Wi lliam M achosky,
Leonard Muds e, Iv o W eindl, Jus tin J oos, Pancratius Kri eg, Anthon y McInerney,
Damian Niedhammer, Aidan Neenan, Capistran Ferrito, and Noel Scanlon
OUR CAPUCHIN HERITAGE SERIES
Father Justin Joos, O.F.M. Cap.
Native New Yorker, son, brother, Capuchin, priest,
director, pastor, and hospital chaplain—1912-1998
PAGE TWO
OUR CAPUCHIN HERITAGE SERIES
“ O F C HO.F.M.
A P L A I N JCAP.
OOS”
JUSTIN JOOS,
Twelve days later, John Joseph was baptized at Our Lady
Queen of Angels by Capuchin John O’Donovan on 22
September 1912.
John’s older brother George Joos entered the Capuchins
in 1919 but tr agically died in 1924 [see: frater Romuald
Joos, page 5].
O U R
C A P U C H I N
H E R I T A G E
S E R I E S
FATHER JUSTIN JOOS, O.F.M. CAP.
John attended Our Lady Queen of Angels Elementary
School from 19 18-1924 a nd was a member o f the f irst
graduation c lass of s tudents of the new Saint Mar y
Seraphicate in Garrison, New York [1929].
John entered the Capuchin Franciscans on 22 July 1929
at S t. Fe lix Fria ry in Hu ntington, IN. and r eceived the
religious nam e Justin. His no vitiate c lassmates inc luded
Felix Ley and Ignatius McCormick. Frater Justin was
simply professed on 23 July 1930 at St. Felix Friary in
Huntington. F ollowing no vitiate, Justin
began hi s
undergraduate work at St. A nthony Friary, Marathon WI
[1930-32] a nd Mary Imm aculate Friary, Ga rrison, New
York [1932-33]. He was perp etually pr ofessed a t Ma ry
Immaculate on 11 September 1933.
Following so lemn pro fession, Ju stin re turned to Saint
Anthony in Mar athon to continue his theological studies
until 1937. He was ordained to the pries thood along with
Ignatius Mc Cormick, Fel ix L ey, Gabr iel Dief enbach, and
Rudolph Multerer o n 14 June 1936 a
t Saint Ma ry’s
Church in Marathon, Wisconsin.
In J une 19 37, J ustin w as tem porarily assigned to Saint
Bonaventure F riary in Detr oit to assist in t he s econd
publication of The Manual of Customs. The last edition
would be published in 1951.
Justin’s first p ermanent assignment was as a paroc hial
assistant, a ssistant director of th e Ca puchin Mi ssion
Association and vocation director from 1937-46, residing
at the Friary of Saint John the Baptist in New York City.
Justin m inistered as a hospital c haplain fr om 1945-46,
residing at St. Francis Friary in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
For al most ten yea rs, 1947-1956, o ur b rother Justi n
ministered at t he C hurch of Saint M ichael i n Bro oklyn.
During hi s ti me i n Ea st New Yo rk, i n ad dition to hi s
duties as par ochial as sistant, J ustin w as the director of
finance and l argely r esponsible in directing t he B uilding
Drive Fund for the new Social Center. The last three years
in Br ooklyn he s erved as pas tor of S aint M ichael a nd
vicar of the friar community. As pastor he is credited in
planning the building project of the new girls High School
which today serves as the elementary school.
[Middle]- T wins John Jo seph and M argaret Joos-circa 1920 [L eft]Theology students Justin Joos, Felix Ley, Terence Dais, Marius Noe,
Ignatius McCormick, Rudolph Multerer, Gabriel Diefenbach- 1931-32
LIFE AND MINISTRY
JUSTIN
JOOS,
O.F.M.
CAP.
John Joseph, a long wit h his twin sister Mar garet, was
born in Manhattan, New York on 10 Septem ber 1912 to
Alois an d C atharina B eron-Joos. Th e J oos [ pronounced
Jōōs] family m embers, includin g a total of six children,
were lifet ime p arishioners of th e Ca puchin Fra nciscan
parish of Our Lady Queen of Angels in East Harlem, New
York City.
02
JUSTIN JOOS, O.F.M. CAP.
LIFE AND MINISTRY
In 1956, J ustin re turned to Ma nhattan to the
Church of Saint John the Baptist as a parochial
assistant, dir ector of finance, community v icar
[1960-63] and ministered to the memb ers o f
the Secular Franciscan Order until 1963.
In 1963, he w as a ppointed dire ctor of n ew St.
Francis Re treat House in Garrison , Ne w York
and remained in that po sition until 1969. St.
Francis was f ormally the T hird Order Vi lla
owned and housed by retired members of the
Secular Franciscan community.
According to J ustin, he bega n his ministry at
Saint Francis by assisti ng these brothers a nd
sisters in reloca ting to
other re tirement
facilities. Following their relocatio
n, Justi n
assumed the respo nsibility o f renovating t he
entire building for retrea t ac tivities. Ten y ears
later the building would once again be updated
to house the new Saint Franc is Novitiate which
moved from Milton, MA. [1979]
Justin minis tered sev eral ye ars as a hos pital
chaplain in th e D iocese of Rockville C entre,
New York (19 68-1978) in both North Sh ore
Hospital [Ma nhasset, NY] and Brookhaven
Memorial Hospital in P atchogue, NY [see: “Of
Chaplain Joos, page 6].
Following this te n y ear h ospital minis try,
Justin returned to Saint J
ohn the Bap tist
Church for a third time and remained there
until his retir ement in 1996. Justin s pent a
short time with the Capuchin Franciscan senior
friar community of Saint Clare in Yonkers, N Y.
[Top] 1933-1934: Justin, Mrs. C. Joos, Margaret Joos-Auerbach, Mrs. Auerbach,
Gabriel Diefenbach, Anscar Parsons, Felix Ley, Ignatius McCormick
[Above] 1935-36 Sub-deacons: Ignatius, Felix, Gabriel, Rudolph, Justin
[Below] 08 July 19 79- 50 th R eligious Jubilee- P rovincial mi nister P aul St effan
receives Justin’s vows at Saint John the Baptist, Joseph Yakimovich [server]
His final days were spen t at the Infirmary of
Saint Lawrence, administered by th e Capuchin
Franciscan Fr iars of the
Province of the
Stigmata, loca ted in Bea con, New York, un der
the ca re of Efra im Sosa , O.F.M. Cap. Father
Justin died in Newburgh, New York on 11
February 1998 at the age of 85.
Justin was survived by hi s twin sister Margaret
Auerbach of Miami Beach, Florida; two niec es,
Sister Miriam Michael Joos, O.P. of Rockville
Centre, New York and Mrs. Catherine Lapadula
of Port Washi ngton, New Y ork. He was also
survived by a cousin, Reve
rend Joseph De
Santo of the Archdiocese of New York.
Wake services were held at Saint John the
Baptist Church and Fria ry, Ne w York City, on
Friday, 13 February 1998.
The Mass of C hristian Burial was celebrated at
the Church o f Saint John on Saturday, 14
February 1998 a t 10:00 a .m. Be rnard Smith,
O.F.M. Cap., prov incial minister w as th e
principal c elebrant and F rancis Gas parik,
O.F.M. Cap., pastor of the Church of Saint John
the Baptist was the homilist. Justin w as buried
at the Province of Sai nt Ma ry Fria r Ce metery,
Yonkers, New York.
03
OUR CAPUCHIN HERITAGE SERIES
“OF CHAPLAIN JOOS”
Lawrence
O U R C A P U C H An
I NInterview
H Eby R
I T Sullivan,
A G EO.F.M.SCap.
ERIES
Bulletin, Vol. 13, No. 11, November 1976, pp. 239-240
After graduation, Just in and I gnatius w ere
given t emporary duty at D etroit typ ing c opy
for the new manual of customs. This work
was sweated out during the better part of the
summer. Toward the end of t heir stay, w hile
Fr. Justi n was preaching at the Ho ly Hour,
he s uffered a heat s troke. It l anded him in
the ho spital. Upo n recovery he wa s a ssigned
to St. John’s in New York.
Fr. Justin Joos is one of two full-time Catholic
Chaplains at N orth S hore U niversity H ospital,
Manhasset, Long Isl and. Hi s a ssociate i s Fr.
Thomas Holahan. Fr. Justin sat down with me
during an afternoon l ast s ummer at G lenclyffe
and s upplied a fu ll pi cture of his pr esent
assignment and pr ovided t he biographical
information which makes this profile possible.
Fr. J ustin w as born in t he neighborhood of
Queen of A ngels Churc h, 10 September 191 2.
His p arents A lois J oos and Catherine Beron
were of German an d Frenc h des cent from
Alsace-Lorraine. He wa s ba ptized Joh n al ong
with his twin sister, Margaret. They were Hansel
and Gret el to t heir Germ an speak ing re latives.
There were four boys and two girls in the family.
The striking thing about Fr. Justin at this time,
it seems to me, is his sparkling verve. Of a trim
and hefty build, he appears to be in good health
and c onveys a mo od of br eezy e nthusiasm.
After forty years in the priesthood, his capacity
for work s hows no s ign of ebbing. This is
remarkable in so far as Fr. Jus tin, during the
first twenty odd years in the ministry, had been
of prec arious hea lth. Fr. J ustin has app arently
advanced beyond this stumbling block.
Early i n l ife, y oung J oos decided t o fo llow his
brother’s lead into the Cap
uchin Order. In
September 192 4, at the t ender age of t welve he
joined t he fr eshman c lass at Glenclyffe. At t he
time, t his s tage of f ormation in th e Pr ovince
comprised five years.
The J oos f amily of H arlem had always b een
Capuchin or iented. Fr. J ustin’s parents wer e
married by Fr. Justin Hausmann, O.F.M. Cap.,
who re mained a l ifelong frie nd a nd co unselor.
George, an elder s on of t he f amily, b ecame a
Capuchin th ough he di ed an untimely de ath
during stud ies a t Ma rathon, W I. Mr. Jo os
operated a s ervice s tation; an d in th ose days
before c ars became c ommonplace in relig ious
communities, he provided ready transportation
for the friars at Our Lady Queen of Angels. Mrs.
Joos was prefect of the Third Order.
On th e 22 nd of July 1929, he w as in vested with
the Capuchin habit at Huntington, Indiana. The
name take at the time was an obvious tribute to
Fr. Justi n Ha usmann. Mr. Jo os to ld hi s so n on
that occasion, “If you become half the Capuchin
friar Justin was, you will be alright with me.”
After the novitiate y ear and two y
ears of
philosophy at Marathon, h is c lass too k up t he
remainder of subjects at G lenclyffe’s new Mary
Immaculate h ouse of ph ilosophy. It w as t hen
back to Marathon for the four year theology
course. At the time, the candidates received the
Order of pri esthood aft er t he third y ear. This
was in 1936. The final year of theology was to all
intent, if not in fact, pastoral.
Fr. Justi n wa s to sp end ni ne years on th is
first obedience of his career. He would return
to St. John’s for a secon d time in 1956. In
addition to his daily routine of duties, he was
designated as prom oter of vocations an d
assistant di rector o f the Sera phic Ma ss
Association. The New York summers without
air c onditioning to ok a heavy dr ain o n Fr.
Justin’s energies. He w as subject to per iodic
heat attacks. During a heat wave in 1939, he
collapsed in t he pulp it a nd was ob liged t o
spend time in Puerto Rico, recuperating. His
complaint wa s fo und to be a lo w s ugar
content i n h is bl ood. Henceforth, his
summers were spent in Sullivan County.
In September 1947, the c onfirmed Easterner
was transferred to St. Francis in Milwaukee.
It pro ved a most u ncongenial ch ange and
“lasted but four months, three weeks and
four days.” Ironically, it was his first taste of
hospital work. He s aw duty around the clock
at S t. Michael’s, a l arge Ca tholic ho spital
tended from S t. Franc is. He soon became
used up.
Fr. Paschal Ahearn, past or of St. Mic hael i n
East N ew Y ork and o ne of t he councilors of
the Pro vince, was on a b usiness trip to
Milwaukee at the time. Fr. Justin had applied
for a transfer. Fr. Paschal put in a wo rd f or
him at Detro it and pres ently F r. J ustin ha d
an appointment to St. M ichael’s. This was in
January, 1948. He continued at St. Michael’s
until 1956, becoming pastor there in 1953.
As pasto r, F ather Just in commenced t he
building of St. Michael’s High School and the
Fr. Pas chal M emorial Hall. Th e proj ect w as
completed by his successor, Aidan Neenan.
04
Fr. Justin was then back at St. John’s until 1961. He directed the
Third Order fraternities during these years. His 1961 as signment
was as administrator of the Thir d Order Villa, Garrison, NY. An
indication of th e impro ved c ondition of his h ealth, he n o lo nger
deemed it necessary to spend the summer months upstate.
During Fr. Justin’s eight years of tenure at Garrison, he presided
over th e liq uidation of t he V illa a nd its tra nsformation int o St.
Francis R etreat Ho use. Th e V illa w as o wned by the Third Order
Corporation and operated as a residence for its elderly members.
In 1963, the Co rporation handed over the pro perty to the
Capuchins with the proviso that the Province would see to placing
the remaining residents into nursing homes.
The Little Sisters of the Po or in Brooklyn received these tertiaries
for a m odest c onsideration. J ustin th en undertook an e xtensive
modernization of the building and opened it as a retreat house.
In the summ er o f 1969, the P rovince o f St. Ma ry a ssumed
chaplaincies in the R ockville Centre D iocese. Fr. J ustin was
among the four original Capuchins assigned to this work. He and
Fr. John O’Hare took up r esidence at North Shore on the 15 th of
September of that ye ar. T hey a lso had p astoral c are of the
Catholic p atients a t Ma nhasset M edical Ce nter a nd C ommunity
Drive Nursing Home.
North Shore is a large and active hospital – six hundred beds. It is
a te aching h ospital. Op erations are perf ormed t here a ll day.
Interns and student nurses are ubiquitous in the corridors and on
the wards. Accordingly, Holy Communion is dis tributed a t 7 :00
a.m. At N orth Sh ore, t he c haplain s ees n ew p atients every
morning at 10:00 and makes his rounds. He goes through again at
3:00 p. m. and programs the well disposed for Holy Communion
on the morrow.
At Manhasset Medical Center, one of the chaplains sees the new
patients ever y aftern oon at 2: 00 p.m. and arranges for Holy
Communion. This being the smaller hospital of the two, they find
that thi s on e ro und is en ough. T he n urses ha ve always prov en
most c ooperative in c alling i mmediately f or a pri est if a nyone
comes in cri tical. Vi sits at commu nity Drive Nu rsing Home a re
made ev ery M onday, Tu esday and Friday morn ing. Mass is
celebrated ev ery Tu esday a fternoon a t 1:30 and Communio n i s
brought to those confined to their rooms.
Fr. J ustin has f ound g roup anointing of t he s ick at t he nurs ing
home impr actical. Ins tead, t he c haplain s ees the individual
patient every two or three months, personally speaking with each
one, offering each an opportunity for confession and anointing. A
card is kept on eac h res ident, and a ll v isits an d an ointing are
recorded.
They ha ve organized a w omen’s auxiliary for the nurs ing ho me.
These ladies help by c onducting residents to Mass in wheelchairs
and in ke eping room li sts straigh t. A coo rdinator also take s c are
of all fi nances, b ookkeeping and re ports c onnected with t he
chaplain pr ogram. Fr. J ustin stated t hat t he administration at
North Shore is very favorable to them. Both top men are Catholic.
If problems crop up with the department heads, the chaplains talk
them o ver w ith t he c oordinator a nd th e Catholic n ursing
supervisors – then back out and let them clear the air. He adds:
“The beauty of course is that our pastoral service becomes a
completely spiritual ministration. You can see the grace of God
at work in the patients from day to day.”
A Fond Farewell Gathering-NSUH—1978
[Top] Assoc iate Dir. J. S.T. G allagher pres ents a te stimonial; [Mi ddle]
Maintenance personnel offer their
appreciation; [Above] Dennis F .
Buckley, director of NSUH pays tribute to our brother Justin
O U R C A P U C H AnI NInterview
H Eby Lawrence
R I T Sullivan,
A G O.F.M.
E SCap.E R I E S
“OF CHAPLAIN JOOS”
OUR CAPUCHIN HERITAGE SERIES
05