Brother John J. McDonald

Brother John J. McDonald, C.F.X., a devoted member of the Congregation of the Brothers of Saint Francis Xavier for sixty-five years, died peacefully on March 11, 2026, at Sarasota Memorial Hospital in Venice, Florida. He was 83.

Born in New York on October 29, 1942, he was the son of the late John and Marie (Clarkson) McDonald and grew up in Westchester County. A graduate of Archbishop Stepinac High School in White Plains, Class of 1960, he entered the Xaverian Brothers that same year, receiving the holy habit and the religious name Brother Peter on September 8, 1960. He earned a bachelor’s degree from The Catholic University of America in 1966 and later received master’s degrees from Fairleigh Dickinson University and Assumption College.

Brother John devoted his life to education and missionary service. He began teaching at St. Joseph Regional High School in Montvale, New Jersey, in 1966. In 1970 he traveled to Kenya, where he taught at Kenyatta College in Nairobi. After returning briefly to the United States, he went back to Nairobi to work in the Catholic Secretariat, focusing particularly on the education and formation of women religious. He later taught at St. John’s High School in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, Xavier High School in Middletown, Connecticut, and Malden Catholic High School. From 2011 onward, he served as Director of the Xaverian Brothers Residence in Venice, Florida, where his warmth, generosity, and skill as a cook made him a cherished host who created a welcoming home for brothers seeking rest and renewal.

He is survived by his sisters, Mary Jo Patucco and Patricia Wargochi, along with several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brother, Thomas McDonald, and his sister, Kathleen Weber.