January 27 is the anniversary of Patrick J. Nowlan.

Patrick Joseph Nowlan, son of Philip F. Nowlan and Teresa (Junker) Nowlan, was born on August 6, 1931, in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, where he was baptized in Saint Matthias church on August 27, 1931 and attended the parish grammar school. After completing his secondary education at Saint Thomas More High School (1945-1949), he received a full scholarship to La Salle College, where he attended for one year. In the summer of 1950, he studied Analytic Geometry at the University of Pennsylvania. In November of that year he entered the Augustinian seminary on Staten Island, New York, as a postgraduate. Patrick was received into the Novitiate of Our Mother of Good Counsel, New Hamburg, New York, on January 26, 1951, professed first vows on January 27, 1952, and solemn vows on January 27, 1955. In 1954, he graduated from Villanova University with a BA degree in Philosophy and a minor in English. Patrick studied theology at Augustinian College, Washington, D.C. and was ordained to the priesthood on February 8, 1958 at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, D.C. In 1960, he received his M.S. in Physics and Mathematics from the Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.

In June 1958, Father Nowlan joined the faculty at Monsignor Bonner High School where he taught Physics and Mathematics until 1976, when he was appointed principal of St. Nicholas of Tolentine High School, Bronx, New York. In 1977, he was assigned to Malvern Preparatory School in Malvern, Pennsylvania, where he taught and was prior and treasurer in the community. In 1985, he was appointed Prior and Treasurer of the community at Our Mother of Good Counsel Parish in Bryn Mawr, Pa. He also served as chaplain to the patients at Bryn Mawr Hospital until 1994 when his health began to fail. As a result, he was assigned to the health care unit at Saint Thomas Monastery, Villanova, Pa.

During his religious priesthood Father Pat excelled as a student, teacher and counselor. In 1967, he authored, “A Laboratory Guide and Notebook for an Introductory Physical Science,” a publication that sold over 200,000 copies across the nation. He also planned an IPS Syllabus for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. He conducted several science workshops and, in 1971, delivered a paper at the Eastern Regional of the National Science Convention.

(A particular note: In 1929, Father Pat’s father conceived the popular cartoon, Buck Rogers, a science-fiction series that envisioned interplanetary space travel. Phil Nowlan popularized the idea of space travel to such a degree that engineers began to take it seriously.)

Father Pat, a quiet man with a subtle sense of humor, was dedicated to priestly ministry. His love for the Eucharist and devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary reinforced his commitment to service. A full teaching schedule and his continuing studies in science helped strengthen his religious calling to teach young students.

Father Patrick Nowlan died on January 27, 1995, the anniversary of his profession, in Saint Thomas Monastery, Villanova, Pa. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated in the Church of Our Mother of Good Counsel, Bryn Mawr, Pa., and the interment took place in the Augustinian section of Calvary Cemetery, West Conshohocken, Pa.