A funeral Mass for Father James G. Knapp, SJ, was celebrated Jan. 4 in the Chapel of the of the Beloved Disciple at St. Louis University High School. Father Knapp died Dec. 20 in Florissant. He was 73 years old, a Jesuit for 55 years and a priest for 43 years.
James Gerard Knapp was born March 15, 1951, in St. Louis to Warren F. and Mildred M. Knapp. Following his graduation from St. Louis University High School, he entered the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) at St. Stanislaus Seminary in Florissant on Sept. 1, 1969, and pronounced first vows on Sept. 2, 1971. He was ordained a priest on June 18, 1981, at St. Francis Xavier (College) Church in St. Louis, and pronounced final vows on May 8, 1996, at St. Louis University High School.
Father Knapp began his teaching career in 1975 at St. Louis University High School. From 1982-86, he taught religion and ran the pastoral program at Rockhurst High School in Kansas City, Missouri. He spent the 1986-87 school year at Fordham University in the Jesuit Secondary School Administrators Program (JSSAP) run by the Commission on Research and Development of the JSEA. In this program he earned a professional diploma in high school administration from Fordham in 1987. With this credential in hand, he was assigned to Regis High School in Denver as assistant principal from 1987-89 and then principal from 1989-93. He then returned to SLUH in 1994 and remained there until 2011, except for a brief sabbatical in 2003.
In 2011, Father Knapp was assigned to Kenrick-Glennon Seminary for the Archdiocese of St. Louis, where he was a spiritual director and assistant professor of theology. In 2015, he was assigned to pastoral ministry, and in 2019, he began a ministry of prayer.
Father Knapp is remembered by his Jesuit brothers as bright, gifted and congenial. He inherited St. Ignatius’ special zeal for fostering the faith and moral life of youth. He also embodied the magis, as seen in his enduring commitment to deepening old skills and developing new ones — even pursuing a doctorate well past the age of 50. He loved the outdoors (especially Wyoming and Alaska) as much as he loved books. His profound faith, joyful priestly spirit and gentle care for others remained part of his character to the end.
Father Knapp earned bachelor’s degrees in philosophy and education at Saint Louis University, a master of divinity in theology and a master of theology at Regis College in Toronto, and a doctorate in sacred theology at the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family at The Catholic University of America.
His parents, Warren F. and Mildred M. Knapp predeceased him. He is survived by his sister, Jacquelyn M. Syberg. Burial was in the Jesuit plot at Calvary Cemetery.
