Obituary of Reverend Joseph Andrew Muha

FATHER JOSEPH ANDREW MUHA, Roman Catholic Priest of the Diocese of Boise, died Friday, March 1, 2024.

Father Muha was born July 15, 1934, the second of four sons of Andrew F. Muha and Susan C. Yamnicky, at Homestead, Pennsylvania. The grandson of four immigrants from the present-day Republic of Slovakia, he and his three siblings were reared in this steel city and grew up in the parish of St. Michael the Archangel, where they all attended the parish school first through eighth grades. Father was baptized there on July 29, 1934, and received his First Communion on May 22, 1945. He joined the Boy Scouts when he was in the eighth grade.

When he was fourteen, Father entered The Pontifical College Josephinum, Columbus, Ohio, for high school, college, and then four years of theology. He received the Sacrament of Confirmation June 3, 1949, from Amleto Giovanni Cardinal Cicognani, then Archbishop and Apostolic Delegate from the Holy See to the Catholics of the United States. Archbishop Cicognani was the Chancellor of the pontifical college and in 1956, assigned Father Muha to be ordained for the Diocese of Boise, which he had requested. Never having been West, Father came to Idaho the following summer on the Union Pacific’s CITY OF PORTLAND, to work for a Catholic gentleman, Al Roessner, in Arco, building a house and exploring the Gem State.

Father Muha was ordained Priest May 21, 1960, by the Apostolic Delegate, Egidio Cardinal Vagnozzi, in St. Thuribius Chapel at the Josephinum, along with all his classmates. The following day, Sunday, May 22, he celebrated his First Solemn Mass in his home Parish of St. Michael’s, with his family and friends.

Three weeks later he left his family home to begin his drive to Boise, arriving there on Saturday, June 18th, to spend the summer at St. John’s Cathedral. The next day Father was sent to St. Joseph’s in Idaho City to celebrate his first official Mass in what was originally the first Catholic cathedral of Idaho. Forty-four years later his bishop approved his retirement from active ministry on July 1, 2004. Since then, he resided in Boise, continued to celebrate Mass, assisted in parishes as requested, as well as taking part in Communal Reconciliation services in the area.

Over the years Father served with the Boise Catholic Engaged Encounter Community, as the religious presenter on weekend retreats for Marriage Preparation of newly engaged couples. Father also assisted in many Catholic Cursillos, Marriage Encounter Weekends. He worked on the Diocesan Judicial Tribunal for a number of years in the Seventies as well as the Diocesan Liturgical Commission. He served as Dean of the Western Deanery during the years he was Pastor of the Weiser Catholic Community. Several times he filled terms on the Diocesan Personnel Board and terms as a Diocesan Consultor to the Bishop of Boise. He also filled terms on the Priestly Life and Ministry Committee and the Priests Retirement Committee.

Father’s favorite hobbies were swimming, photography, and traveling. He attended most of his seminary’s quinquennial reunions and many of the Josephinum’s Western Alumni Reunions, including its first in Hawaii. He hosted three of the sectional reunions, in Boise, Lewiston, and Jackson Hole.

Being an avid photographer since grade school days, Father entered many enlarged, framed pictures in the Washington and Idaho Counties’ annual fairs when living there. Each of his more than fifty entries received ribbons, including five purple ribbons for “Best of Show” in their categories.

Liking to travel since a child when to go to his maternal grandparents’ home required taking a train, Father visited all seven continents and seventy-six countries. His favorite has been Switzerland, especially riding the trains; his most exhilarating was his ancestral homeland, Slovakia. He also was on more than thirty-three cruises as Catholic Chaplain since his retirement at age seventy, going to South and North America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Antarctica.

Four times he took a sabbatical of three months for ongoing education as priest and human being. His favorite was the journey to Israel and Egypt in the steps of Jesus Christ and Greece and Turkey in the steps of St. Paul.

As priest, his diocesan assignments, besides St. John’s Cathedral the first summer, were in Holy Rosary Idaho Falls, Sacred Heart Boise, Assumption Ferdinand, St. Mary’s Soda Springs (with missions in Montpelier, Preston, Lava Hot Springs and Malad), St. Theresa’s Burley, St. Anthony’s Pocatello, San Juan Bautista in Cali, Colombia S.A., St. Agnes’ Weiser (with mission at Cambridge), St. Mary’s Cottonwood and Holy Cross Keuterville including Sunday Masses at St. Gertrude’s Monastery, and finally returning to Pocatello to combine the three parishes in Pocatello and Chubbuck into the new Holy Spirit Catholic Community. While Associate Pastor at Sacred Heart in the 60’s, Father taught religion classes at St. Theresa’s Academy in its final year and the first three years of Bishop Kelly High School.

An active member of the Knights of Columbus since 1960, he was State Chaplain two years for the 3^rd Degree, and State District Friar for two years for the 4^th Degree. Belonging to Ministerial Associations in various cities, he was President for a term in Pocatello. In the 1970’s he was Vice-President-Relationships for the Boy Scouts of America Tendoy Council and took part in training at Philmont Scout Ranch, New Mexico.

Father Muha’s mother died in 1944 when he was nine; his father died in 1961, less than a year after his ordination. His father’s sister, Helen Brown and husband Thomas, and their four children, Thomas, Robert, Carol and John, lived with the family for nine years after the untimely death of his mother. His older brother, Martin and sister-in-law, Hedwig, his brother Andrew and sister-in-law Marcella, preceded him in death, along with his father’s sister, Helen and husband Thomas and their children Thomas and Robert.

He is survived by his brother, James and sister-in-law, Catherine (South Park PA), and, and his cousins John (Jack), Carol and Arla. He has ten nieces and nephews and eighteen great-nieces and nephews. Father is also survived by many other cousins, innumerable friends, especially Father Joseph Schmidt, Father Gerald Funke and Father Ben Uhlenkott, Gary and Rosli Gier of Soda Springs, Mark and Jessica Gier and daughter Michaela of Boise, Agostino and Marie Bonaminio of Boise, as well as many of the clergy of the Diocese of Boise.

We would like to say a big “Thank You” to Cornerstone Senior Living and Keystone Hospice for the loving care throughout the past year which they have given Father Joe, with heartfelt appreciation for all the staff who made him a part of their family.

Father often thought of having on his tombstone the epitaph, He had a great time on Planet Earth.

Funeral arrangements were prearranged by Father with Accent Funeral Home, Meridian. Services will be at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist.  Vesper service will be held at 7 PM on Tuesday, March 12^th. Concelebrated Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday, March 13^th as homilist. Burial follows at Morris Hill Cemetery, Catholic clergy section. Everyone is welcome for any of these services. Remembrances may be left at www.AccentFuneral.com.

Services will be streamed at the following address, please note they will not appear until the service begins.

These are the links for the streaming.

Facebook click on> https://www.facebook.com/boisecathedral

YouTube click on> https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn6g3yFAsysCcVkVSm3mSrA

In lieu of flowers memorials may be made in Father Muha’s name to the Clergy Retirement Fund, Diocese of Boise or the Pontifical College Josephinum, 7625 N. High St. Columbus, OH 43235.

“I thank you for all who touched my life”. Father Joseph Muha