The wake for Father Edward J. Kordas will begin with vespers at 3 p.m. Sept. 29 in St. Mary Church, 340 Main St., Hudson. Bishop Martin Amos, bishop emeritus of Davenport, Iowa, will be the presider and Father Ryan Cubera, pastor of St. Mary of the Falls Parish in Olmsted Falls, will be the homilist. The wake will continue after vespers until 8 p.m.
Auxiliary Bishop Michael Woost will celebrate Father Kordas’ funeral Mass at 11 a.m. Sept. 30 in St. Mary Church with Father Damian Ference, vicar for evangelization and director of the Parish Life and Special Ministries Office, as homilist.
Father Kordas, 80, died Sept. 25.
He was born Oct. 23, 1942 to the late Edward and Stella (Zaucha) Kordas. Father Kordas was educated at St. Mary Czestochowa School in Cleveland, Borromeo High School and Borromeo Seminary in Wickliffe and Saint Mary Seminary in Cleveland.
Bishop Clarence Issenmann ordained him to the priesthood for service to the Diocese of Cleveland on May 25, 1968.
After ordination, Father Kordas was assigned as parochial vicar of St. Helen Parish in Newbury. He was transferred on Aug. 17, 1971 to Corpus Christi Parish in Cleveland to serve as parochial vicar. Father Kordas was appointed Newman campus minister at Baldwin Wallace University in Berea on June 28, 1972, with residence at the Newman Center in Berea. On Sept. 5, 1978, he was appointed to serve as a member of the pastoral team at Our Lady Help of Christians in Litchfield. Father Kordas was appointed campus minister at Cleveland State University with residence at Annunciation Parish in Cleveland on June 27, 1979. He was appointed Newman campus minister at Case Western Reserve University with residence at the Hallinan Center on July 15, 1980. Father Kordas served as pro tem director, Newman Apostolate, from Dec. 2, 1981 until March 2, 1982.
Father Kordas was appointed associate judge, Diocesan Tribunal, on Sept. 21, 1983. Then on Nov. 1, 1983, he was appointed prosynodal judge, Diocesan Tribunal.
On May 15, 1989, Father Kordas was named pastor of Nativity of the Virgin Mary Parish in South Amherst. In addition to this assignment, he also served as campus minister at Oberlin College, effective May 15, 1989.
Father Kordas was named pastor of St. Mary Parish in Hudson on Oct. 1, 2001. He served at the parish until his retirement on Sept. 30, 2019. Father Kordas assisted in creating a culture of vocations at St. Mary Parish and was proud of the number of sons of the parish who were ordained to the priesthood.
Those who knew him said Father Kordas was quiet but had a great sense of humor and will be missed by many.
Interment will be at St. Mary Cemetery in Hudson.