Father Sedlak was spiritual director, retreat master, author 

Redemptorist Father Kenneth Sedlak, an Omaha native who served much of his 48-year priesthood in Illinois, died Dec. 19 at his order’s St. Clement Center in Liguori, Missouri. He was 74.

A funeral Mass was held Dec. 23 at the St. Clement Redemptorist Chapel. A memorial Mass will also be offered Jan. 9 at St. Michael Church in Old Town Chicago, where he served as associate pastor for the past 30 years.

In Omaha, a private family graveside service will be held at a later time, with a memorial Mass planned for late spring or summer.

Father Sedlak was raised in Omaha’s Holy Name Parish, which was served at the time by the Redemptorist Fathers. He was ordained a Redemptorist priest at Immaculate Conception Seminary in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, in 1972.

After ordination, he served on the faculty of Holy Redeemer College in Waterford, Wisconsin, and became known as a spiritual director and retreat master.

During the 1980s, Father Sedlak served in the youth apostolate at Sacred Heart Retreat Center in Rolling Meadows, Illinois. He was named associate pastor at St. Michael Parish in Old Town Chicago in 1990.

While serving in Chicago, he also founded Pathways, a program for young professionals seeking to integrate body, mind and spirit, and served on the core team of STILLPOINT, a contemplative outreach center.

Father Sedlak wrote a column for Liguorian Magazine titled “The Redeemer, Mary and You,” and a book titled “Why God Loves Us … No Matter What.”

Due to health problems, he moved in 2020 to the St.Clement Center and was recently placed in hospice care.

Father Sedlak was preceded in death by parents, George and Helen Sedlak. He is survived by siblings and spouses, Karen and Jeff Berthiaume, Thomas and Cheryl Sedlak, Robert and Susan Sedlak, and Kathryn and Dan Adam; special friend, Kathleen Paul; nieces; nephews; and many friends.