Br. Jovian Alfred

Richard Joseph Moroni was born on January 23, 1914, one of four children to Joseph and Antonia Pesavento Moroni in Joliet, Illinois. He attended Sacred Heart Grade School and De La Salle High School in Joliet and after graduation in 1932 he entered the Novitiate at La Salle Institute in Glencoe, Missouri. There he received the habit of the Brothers in November of 1932 and the religious name of Brother Jovian Alfred. He completed his B.S. degree at St. Mary's College in Winona, Minnesota, and received his first teaching assignment to St. George High School in Evanston, Illinois, that same summer. Three years later he was assigned to Boys Town in Omaha, Nebraska, where he served for one year. In 1940 Brother J. Alfred was assigned to St. Mary's College in Winona where he taught and worked as treasurer and business manager for nine years. It was during his next assignment at Christian Brothers College High School in St. Louis, Missouri, that he taught and served as Business Manager and studied at St. Louis University to attain his M.S. in Accounting in 1954. Brother Alfred was assigned to Christian Brothers College in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1954 where he would, with the exception of two years he was on loan to the St. Louis District as Director of Finance, spend the remainder of his career and life as a Christian Brother. At CBC Brother Alfred served for forty-eight years as a teacher in the School of Business and at various times as treasurer, Vice President and Dean of the Business School. He was named Professor Emeritus upon his official retirement in 1992 but each day he went to his office to be available to help students in need of tutoring or advice. During his forty-eight year career at CBU he received its most prestigious honors: the Maurelian Medal for outstanding service to the school and a Lifetime Achievement award, only the fourth one given in the history of the school. His honors, awards, and plaques of gratitude and service fill five boxes in the archives. Brother Alfred was hospitalized in July of 2002 and the doctor told him he had only a limited time to live. In early August he asked permission of the Directors of Lambert Hall Brothers Community to be allowed to come home to Lambert Hall to die. He arrived home by ambulance about 4:00 p.m. on the 7th of August. At 6:00 p.m. that same day about 15 Brothers gathered in his room for a prayer service which they ended singing the traditional "Ecce Quam Bonum - Behold how good it is where Brothers dwell in unity." An hour later, "Alfie", as he was called by his Brothers, died at the age of 88 at home with his Brothers. His funeral Mass took place in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception where he often attended daily and Sunday Mass. Brother Alfred had been a De La Salle Christian Brother for seventy years.