Penn Newman Center Chaplain Charles Pfeffer passed away four days before Christmas at his home -- the St. Agatha-St. James Church rectory in University City. "Father Chuck," as Pfeffer was affectionately called, was 53 years old.
It is suspected that Pfeffer, who had suffered from health problems in the past, died of heart failure, but an autopsy has yet to be performed. Campus Minister Sue Harte said that news of Pfeffer's death came as a shock to those who knew him.
Family, friends and colleagues emphasized his dedication to young people, faith in God, speaking abilities and humorous outlook on life.
"He just made people feel good," said his brother, Jack Pfeffer. "I talked to a girl from Penn once who told me that when she heard him deliver a sermon, even though there were hundreds of people in the church, she felt like he was talking directly to her."
As chaplain of Penn's Newman Center -- a Catholic community for students -- Father Pfeffer's responsibilities included counseling individuals about their spirituality and scheduling programs with other faith communities on campus. He also served as assistant pastor at St. Agatha-St. James, the Newman Center's church.
"Starting this Monday, the students will return and it will be their time to mourn," said Father George Strausser, who worked with Pfeffer at St. Agatha-St. James.
"They will return to an emptiness," Strausser said, adding that the students would help to outline the liturgy for Pfeffer's memorial Mass.
Acquaintances of Pfeffer said they cannot help but smile, even with sorrow, when they recall memories about Pfeffer and his sense of humor. Jack Pfeffer mentioned a time when his brother, who was a rather large man, joked that in his conception of Heaven, there were no laws of gravity.
College senior and Newman Center Council President Nicole Oddo said that Pfeffer could even make announcements after Mass interesting.
"We could be having pie after Mass, and if he was announcing it you had to go, even if it was just some pie from Costco," she said.
Pfeffer began working with youth at a young age. As a high school student at Cardinal Dougherty in Philadelphia, he volunteered with the Catholic Youth Organization, tutored schoolchildren and worked at summer camps. According to his brother, it was during this time that he was inspired by the priests he saw ministering to children.
After a year at La Salle as a pre-med student, Father Pfeffer had a change of heart and decided to study at the St. Charles Seminary. Before coming to Penn's campus, Pfeffer worked in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia's Office of Youth and Young Adults. He arrived at the Newman Center in 1996.
Harte described Pfeffer's death as a loss to the community.
"Father Chuck was a very happy man, very down to earth and very approachable to students," she said.
Oddo expressed a similar view.
"Even students who I don't see on a regular basis showed concern when they got the news of Father Chuck's death," she said. "People were putting the news on their instant messenger away messages. He touched a lot of people's lives."
