Frank M.Bruce,Sr. — The death of Frank M.Bruce,Sr.

Sep 21, 2026

Obituary-style memorial writing records the death of Frank M. Bruce, Sr. on February 22, describing how condolences and tributes circulated among acquaintances and friends. It highlights Frank Bruce’s life of dedicated Catholic faith, his belief in the dignity of every person among the company’s employees, and his commitment to spreading the Good Word through honest publishing grounded in Christian principles. It also notes personal devotional practices and introduces Father Joseph Husslein as editor and friend.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryReligion & Spirituality

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

AccessFree to download

Memorial and condolences

Frank M. Bruce Sr.

Cardinal Stritch’s message

Father Joseph Husslein

E CoLEGE1ekAR R鲁 MCMIC Ртеаве БАамот пемоувдBelwween theLanes APR 8) SPRING-1953 Frank M.Bruce,Sr. The death of Frank M.Bruce,Sr.,on February 22,brought sucha flow of oral and written messages expressing sorrow and esteem asfreshly to call to mind with startling emphasis the quality of the man.We could take quotations appropriate to our purpose almost at randomfrom these expressions of the real love for him which lies in the heartsof his great circle of acquaintances and friends,who were to be foundamong all occupations and professions.But one message will have tosuffice here.It is from His Eminence Cardinal Stritch and addressedto Frank Bruce's brother,William C.,president of the Company andeditor-in-chief. “Shocked with the news of Frank's death.In extending my sym-pathy to you and all the family I share your grief.Few knew Frankas I knew him.He was an outstanding Catholic gentleman and filledhis life with things precious in the sight of God.Our consolation isthat God gave him to us.” Frank Bruce,Sr.,publisher and treasurer of the Bruce PublishingCompany,was a man who followed undeviatingly,both in his relationto God and to his fellow men,the ideal of the dedicated Catholicgentleman.In his contacts with the 280 employees of the Companyhe was always guided by his belief in the dignity of man.Eachemployee was a"neighbor"with God-given dignity,whose well-beingwas inseparable from the work he was doing.But Frank Bruce like-wise regarded the dealers who sold the books he published and thebuyers who read them as creatures of God,among whom to spread theGood Word in the best,the most attractive,and the most honest formhis authors,editors,and printers could give it—always hewing strictlyto basic Christian principles and letting profits fall where they might. In his personal life,Frank Bruce's prayer,daily Mass,and Com-munion kept open the channels for the grace to live —and to die—according to his ideal. Father JosephHusslein Editor and Friend By William C.Brucc taught four years and in 1902 enteredthe theological department of St.Louis University;he was ordained tothe priesthood in 1905. T IS difficult to write about FatherL Joseph C.Husslein without firstthinking of him as an old friend andco-worker.He was just that to thepublisher's editorial staff of theScience and Culture Series,which heedited from the spring of 1931 untilthe day of his death,October 13,1952.During his long and busy lifeFather Husslein was successively ateacher of literature;a serious stu-dent of social problems,particularlyof Socialism and Labor;an authorof books on social reform;the or-ganizer of a great Catholic collegeof social service;and finally,he wasthe editor and dean of a"universityin print"—the Science and CultureSeries,and the Religion and CultureSeries of books.It is characteristic ofthe man that in spite of illness anddeclining strength during the last twoyears of his life he continued to workat editorial tasks even to the day ofhis death. In 1907,after teaching in a Jesuitschool in Brooklyn,Ohio,he was sentto St.Ignatius College(now CarrollCollege)in Cleveland,and there camein contact with the Austrian sociolo-gist,Father John J.Ming,S.J.FatherMing,who was writing articles onSocialism for American and Europeanperiodicals,engaged young FatherHusslein's services as a translator.This work aroused in Father Huss-lein an intense interest in Americanlabor problems and made him awareof the serious dangers of the Euro-pean Socialist movements. He now turned to serious writingon sociological problems and pro-duced a long series of articles inleading reviews and magazines.Thebest of these writings he gathered ina number of books:The Church andSocial Problems(1912);The Catho-lics Work in the World(1917);TheWorld Problem(1918);DemocraticIndustry(1919);The Church andLabor(1920),etc.In 1918 he joinedthe editorial staff of America andduring the next eight years dividedhis time between writing and carry- Father Husslein was

FAQs

When did Frank M. Bruce, Sr. die, and what responses followed?

Frank M. Bruce, Sr. died on February 22. The text describes a strong flow of oral and written messages expressing sorrow and esteem.

What qualities does the memorial attribute to Frank Bruce’s character and faith?

He is portrayed as an outstanding Catholic gentleman guided by his relation to God and to others, acting with a belief in human dignity and spreading the Good Word through honest publishing.

How does the text connect Frank Bruce’s work to the well-being of others?

It emphasizes that each employee was treated as a “neighbor” with God-given dignity, whose well-being was inseparable from the work they performed.

Sep 21, 2026

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