5 July 2023

On December 11, 1931, Sophie (Stolowski) and Clinton Paraday welcomed their second of six children, Robert Clinton, into the world in Chicago, Illinois. He attended Longfellow School (1937-1940), Nathanael Greene School (1940-1945) and Kelly High School (1945-1949) all in Chicago.

After two years working in maintenance at a factory, Robert entered the Dominican Novitiate in Winona, Minnesota. He received the habit from V. Rev. Reginald Hughes, O.P., on September 4, 1951 and was given the religious name of Mark. He made simple profession as a cooperator brother on September 5, 1952.

He remained at St. Peter Martyr Priory in Winona serving in the laundry until 1953 when he was reassigned to St. Rose Priory in Dubuque, Iowa, where he worked in the laundry and kitchen. There he made solemn profession on September 5, 1958. In 1959 he moved to St. Pius V Priory in Chicago where he worked in the kitchen and laundry as well as ministered in the parish and taught leadership courses.

In 1965, Fr. Paraday moved to the Provincial Vicariate in Bolivia, a ministry which shaped the remainder of his Dominican life. After language studies in Cochabamba, he worked in Oruro and La Paz as the procurator and youth moderator until 1967. He then worked in Cochabamba as the director of the Youth Center, high school teacher and a leader in the charismatic renewal until 1973. In addition to religion classes, Fr. Paraday taught two-hour long dance classes to high school boys so that they would have greater confidence at their school dances, which was a great success!

From 1973 until 1982, he was assigned to Santa Cruz and continued working in the charismatic renewal and pastoral work with the marginalized. While there, he requested a change in status from cooperator to clerical brother and began studies for the priesthood at St. Thomas Aquinas Pastoral Institute in Santa Cruz as well as the Theological Institute of Higher Studies in Cochabamba. He was ordained to the priesthood on December 11, 1983, by Bishop Pedro Lira at La Mansion in Santa Cruz. He began his priestly ministry in Cochabamba where he remained until 2006. There he continued his charismatic work as director of Centro San Martin de Porres (1984-1987) in addition to working as a Community Coordinator. In 1987, Fr. Paraday was elected to the first of two terms as the Vicar Provincial for Bolivia. He also served as economic administrator of the Vicariate, house superior, prison chaplain and hospital chaplain during his years of ministry in Bolivia.

Fr. Paraday return to Chicago in 2006 and became the associate director of the Shrine of St. Jude Thaddeus which he did until 2010. He then worked for one year as the Parochial Vicar of Sacred Heart Parish in Columbia, Missouri. Travel to and from the parish became quite burdensome as he was no longer driving, so he retired to St. Pius V Priory in Chicago, Illinois. Due to failing health, Fr. Paraday moved to Bethesda Senior care in June of 2023. The community discovered many small chores he had been attentive to when he moved out as glassware was no longer being put away and the coffee was no longer ready at 4:30am. Fr. Richard Litzau, O.P., Prior of St. Pius V, sat with Fr. Paraday for most of the day on July 5 before he passed away that evening. In his funeral homily for Fr. Paraday, Fr. Patrick Rearden, O.P., shared that Fr. Paraday’s liturgical training was perhaps insufficient as he gave the episcopal blessing at the end of his first Mass, a mistake he never repeated.

Office of the Dead and Mass of Christian Burial were held at St. Pius V Parish on July 10, 2023. V. Rev. Louis Morrone, O.P., Prior Provincial, presided and Fr. Patrick Rearden, O.P., preached. Fr. Paraday was laid to rest in All Saints Cemetery, Des Plaines, Illinois.