World's oldest Jesuit has died at 104

Father Raymond Reis SJ, a retired priest at St Louis University, Missouri, died on July 19. Aged 104, he was the world's oldest Jesuit.

A funeral Mass is due to take place tomorrow, July 23 at St Francis Xavier College Church, followed by burial at Calvary Cemetery in north St Louis.

Fr Reis had two careers with the Jesuits. After retiring from teaching, he trained to become a registered nurse.

He was born in St Louis on March 25, 1905, attended Kenrick High School and graduated from Quincy Academy in Illinois in 1923.

He joined the Jesuit order at St Stanislaus Seminary in Florissant in 1926. He returned to St Louis University and earned a doctorate in biology in 1940. He taught at Marquette University in Milwaukee and Rockhurst College (now Rockhurst University) in Kansas City and was a visiting researcher at the University of Milan.

He returned to St Louis University, where he taught biology from 1961 until he retired for the first time in 1973. He then studied nursing at the university and worked as a nurse for the residents of Jesuit Hall until 1992, when he retired again.