Reverend Bertrand J. Rapp - March 23, 2007

Father Bertrand J. Rapp, a retired priest of the Archdiocese of Louisville and senior associate at St. Bartholomew Church, died March 23 at University Hospital in Louisville.

He was 81 and had been a priest for 47 years.

A Louisville native, he attended St. Charles Borromeo School, St. Mary’s College in Kentucky and St. Meinrad Seminary in Indiana. He also did post-graduate studies in pastoral counseling at the Louisville Presbyterian Seminary.

Father Rapp was ordained to the priesthood in Louisville June 3, 1950, and following ordination served as associate pastor for one year at St. Thomas More Church. He also was associate pastor at St. Ann Church from 1961 to 1964.

He served at Bellarmine University as chaplain and an instructor in theology from 1964 to 1968.

Father Rapp was pastor of three churches: Christ the King in Louisville, from 1968 to 1976; St. Bernard in Louisville, 1976 to 1986; and St. Brigid in Vine Grove, Ky., from 1986 until his retirement in 1996. He had been senior associate at St. Bartholomew since retirement.

He also held other parish assignments as administrator pro tempore at St. Thomas More and St. Albert the Great churches.

Father Rapp was founding chairman of the archdiocesan Family Relations Center and served as a counselor there. He was volunteer director of Pre-Cana from 1959 to 1979 and volunteer director of Our Lady of Fatima Rosary Makers from 1950 to 1970.

He also worked with the Christian Family Movement and Young Christian Students.

Father Rapp was founding chairman of the Clergy Health Panel and had been a member of the archdiocesan Priests’ Council. He was chairman of the Priests’ Senate (now Priests’ Council) committee to develop marriage guidelines in the 1970s.

The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated March 27 at St. Bartholomew Church. Burial was in Calvary Cemetery.

Survivors include his sister-in-law, Louise Rapp, and many nephews and nieces.