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At 6-foot-8, Rev. Ronald M. Jakows stood more closely to heaven than most. Though impressive, his physical prowess was miniscule when compared with his spiritual renown among the parishioners at his Passyunk Square church.
Seven months into his first pastoral assignment at Annunciation BVM, 1511 S. 10th St., Jakows further endeared himself to his community, continuing a local vocation that included two-year stints as chaplain and president at Ss. Neumann-Goretti High School, 1736 S. 10th St. Those believers lost a great friend Feb. 2, when a heart attack claimed their 46-year-old pastor.
Monsignor Kevin C. Lawrence, the Archdiocese’s Philadelphia South Vicariate regional vicar and North Philadelphia’s St. Malachy pastor, has assisted to lessen the pain among Jakows’ flock.
Rev. Gary Pacitti met Jakows during their seminary days, sharing a formation assignment at the Archbishop Ryan School for the Deaf.
“He had a phenomenal faith,” Pacitti, who preceded Jakows at Annunciation, said.
Pacitti last saw Jakows in December but enjoyed weekly chats with him. He called the day his fellow pastor died, receiving no answer and learning of his friend’s death that night.
“I know Father Ron had a heart ailment, likely congenital,” Pacitti said, disclosing that Jakows was on an aspirin regimen yet had no physical restrictions. “His doctor ordered no autopsy because he is certain of the cause of death.”
Those at Neumann-Goretti felt the loss of Jakows as well, the school’s current president John Murawski said in a statement.
“He was a beloved member of our faculty and a school leader. His legacy will be remembered and cherished here at Neumann-Goretti,” Murawski said.
Serving as the school’s chaplain reunited Jakows with Pacitti, as they lived in Annunciation’s rectory. Pacitti, who became a Chester County church’s pastor in the summer after seven years at Annunciation, recalled learning of Jakows’ Neumann-Goretti presidency assignment.
“He asked, ‘do you think I should take it’” Pacitti said. “What he really wanted was to talk it out, voicing a desire not to let anyone down.”
Pacitti enjoyed examples of Jakows’ humor, including the phone call through which his friend revealed he would become Annunciation’s new leader.
“He called and said, ‘I guess you’re leaving then, huh?’” Pacitti said chuckling.
Jakows left his post as Doylestown’s Our Lady of Mount Carmel’s regional vicar to return to the area, but again expressed fear over possibly letting people down.
“He never let anyone down. He lifted everyone up,” Pacitti, who delivered the Feb. 7 homily, said.
A Roxborough native, Jakows attended Center City’s Roman Catholic High School. Accepting a boyhood call to the priesthood, he entered Overbrook’s St. Charles Borromeo Seminary after graduation. Following his 1990 ordination, he joined Port Richmond’s St. Adalbert parish. Then Jakows taught Latin and religion at Roman for four years and returned to the seminary as its spiritual director for another four before South Philadelphia began to learn of his passion for the Lord, the Phillies and photography.
His six-year stay at St. Adalbert gave Annuciation’s Principal Regina Tanghe her initial exposure to his “genuine goodness.”
She and Jakows handled Catholic Youth Organization games when she was vice principal at a Kensington school before the two paired up again this school year.
“He considered it one of his highlights to visit the children, which he did at least three times a week,” Tanghe said.
Doing so enabled the students, who are working hard to adjust to Jakows’ absence, to develop a fantastic rapport with their towering spiritual head, eighth grader Chris Girardo of Seventh and Federal streets said.
“It felt like he was here for years,” the student council vice president said.
“The news made me sad,” Council President Alexa Leuer, a 10th-and-Reed-streets resident and fellow eighth grader added. “Father Ron cared about everyone.”
As the honor guard, council members joined with the faculty for the parish’s Feb. 6 memorial Mass. The next day, Cardinal Justin Rigali, who will return March 6 to celebrate the parish’s 150th anniversary Mass, celebrated Jakows’ funeral Mass, an event that included 115 priests and scores of parishioners, students and friends of the gregarious clergyman.
“He was one of those people who touch you; he made you feel special,” Mary Hardy, a 20-year Annunciation parishioner, said.
The resident of 13th and Reed streets has offered her time to the parish overseeing the St. Pio Rosary Garden.
“The garden has three facets, Jesus, Mary and St. Pio. We wanted to expand it to include Pope John Paul II,” she said.
A fellow Pole, Jakows sought to honor the first Polish pontiff with a statue. Pope Benedict XVI announced Jan. 14 the Catholic Church will beatify his predecessor May 1. The news enthused Jakows and led to a call to the Italian company that had made a statue of the garden’s namesake.
“He was so proud of his heritage,” Hardy said.
Jakows died the day he told Hardy about acquiring the statue, which is expected to arrive by month’s end and likely will rest at the garden’s entrance.
“He told me he had put down a deposit and said, ‘John Paul is on his way,’” Hardy said.
Jakows was a tireless pastor who loved his time among the students, celebrated three weekend Masses and had the tabernacle placed in the church’s center, she said.
“Father Jakows was a real people person,” Hardy said. “His loss is a tragedy for all of us.”
Though brief, Jakows’ life served as a reputable imitation of Christ’s, especially with children. The Annunciation students’ descriptions of Jakows highlighted his friendliness, humor and peaceful personality. He often made the learners his photos’ subjects, but it is his smile his survivors found picture perfect.
“The day before Thanksgiving, we threw him a surprise party for his [Nov. 28] birthday, and the fourth grade sang to him in Polish. He could not stop smiling,” Tanghe said.
“He was a pastoral priest. To him, the most important thing was to be there for the people,” Pacitti added. “He was a giant man who didn’t make anyone feel small.” SPR
Contact Staff Writer Joseph Myers at jmyers@southphillyreview.com or ext. 124.
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