Fr. Warren Rector, OFM, is remembered as a comforter to the sick

Fr. Warren Rector, OFM, 84, of Burlington, Wisconsin, passed away on Sept. 28, 2026, following a battle with colon cancer. For more than six decades, he devoted his life to living the Gospel in the Franciscan tradition, accompanying people through some of life's most difficult moments. Best known for his ministry among the sick, dying and poor, he became a source of comfort, consolation and spiritual strength to countless individuals, families and Franciscan sisters. His ministry was marked by the quiet, faithful service that lies at the heart of the Franciscan vocation.

The wake service and Funeral Mass will take place at Queen of Peace Friary, 2281 Browns Lake Drive, Burlington, WI 53105. Reception of the body will take place at 3:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 5, followed by evening prayer (Office for the Dead) at 5 p.m. and the wake service at 7:30 p.m. The Mass of Resurrection will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 6. Br. John Dombrowski, OFM, will preside and Br. Kim Studwell, OFM, will give the homily. Burial will take place at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 7 at the provincial cemetery in Pulaski, Wisconsin.

Born Edward to Michael and Genevieve (née Raniszewski) Rector in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 29, 1941, Edward's vocation began taking shape during his childhood years at Holy Trinity Catholic School in his hometown where he was inspired by the Franciscan friars who preached parish missions and encouraged by the Bernadine Sisters. After graduating from St. Pius X High School in nearby Pottstown, he entered the legacy Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Province in 1959 and received the name Warren. He professed solemn vows on Aug. 15, 1964, and was ordained to the priesthood on May 25, 1968.

Fr. Warren initially served as a teacher at St. Joseph Brothers School in Pulaski, Wisconsin. Although education was not destined to become his life's primary ministry, these years revealed his dedication to serving wherever he was called. In 1970, he was assigned to Queen of Peace Friary in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, where he experienced what he later described as some of the happiest years of his religious life.

At Lake Geneva, Fr. Warren served as assistant librarian and later librarian, helping support the continuing education of friars throughout the province. At the same time, he assisted in nearby parishes: St. Joseph in Lyons, and its mission church St. Killian, St. Benedict in Fontana (where he also taught faith formation), St. Francis de Sales in Lake Geneva, and St. Hyacinth Parish in Chicago. He served the friary as treasurer and was spiritual assistant to the local Secular Franciscan Order fraternity for five years.

A major turning point came in 1981 when Fr. Warren was invited to substitute for Franciscan chaplains at St. Vincent Hospital in Green Bay, Wisconsin. What began as a temporary assignment evolved into a vocation within a vocation. After completing clinical pastoral education and becoming a certified hospital chaplain, he dedicated himself to serving the sick, dying and grieving.

For nearly a decade in Green Bay and 18 years at Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center in Camden, New Jersey, Fr. Warren became the compassionate presence of Christ to patients and families facing illness, fear and death. Fr. Warren's work among the poor and marginalized population of Camden demonstrated the Franciscan commitment to stand alongside those living on the edges of society. In a city marked by poverty and hardship, he served not only as a chaplain but also as a witness to God's mercy and compassion. He accompanied people through suffering, offered prayers at bedsides, comforted grieving loved ones and helped many prepare spiritually for their journey home to God.

From 2008 to 2017, Fr. Warren served as chaplain for the Franciscan sisters of Chicago, and for three years after that he provided spiritual support to the Felician Sisters in Chicago.

Before his retirement in 2022, he served two years at the Assumption Blessed Virgin Friary in Pulaski and provided sacramental support to nearby parishes.

His legacy endures in the lives he touched, the patients he comforted, the families he consoled and the friars with whom he shared community. In the spirit of St. Francis, Fr. Warren left a lasting imprint of a life faithfully given in service to God and His people.

He is survived by his brother Kenneth Rector; his nieces, Audrey Tignor, Carolyn Smith, Julie Orner, and Joanna Moore; his nephew, Andrew Rector; his grand-niece, Meredith Tignor; and his Franciscan brothers of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe