Luther remembers former dean of chapel Rev. Paul Frederick Bosch
It is with gratitude and sadness that Martin Luther University College remembers Rev. Paul Frederick Bosch, our former colleague and friend who passed away in Lexington, Kentucky surrounded by his loving family on Saturday, January 21, 2023, his 92nd birthday.
Paul was a retired pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada who served as Lutheran Campus Ministry chaplain, Dean of Chapel and worship instructor on the Luther campus (then Waterloo Lutheran Seminary).
Born in Buffalo, NY, as the third of four children of Herbert and Ruth (née Krauss) Bosch, and the sixth generation of Lutheran pastors in the USA, he attended public schools in Buffalo. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Muhlenberg College (1952) and he received his BD from The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (1956). In 1956, he was ordained by the Central Pennsylvania Synod of the Lutheran Church in America as Assistant Pastor at St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Williamsport, PA, and in 1960 he was called as the first ordained Lutheran campus pastor at Syracuse University, NY, where he served for almost 20 years. He married Kathryn Stinar of Lakefield, MN in 1961.
On moving to Ontario, Paul and Kathy bought 157 Albert Street, a splendid Victorian farmhouse and one of the oldest residences in Waterloo (1836). In subsequent years they succeeded in having it placed on the Register of Historic Places in Ontario. During Paul’s years at WLS, Paul and Kathy hosted many students and events in their home. Today, the house has been renovated to offer wholistic services for Indigenous students at Laurier.
For six years, Paul served as Professor of Liturgics and Spirituality at WLS, teaching worship, pastoral practice, church architecture, church music and hymnody, and church drama. Paul was a significant influence in establishing in the Eastern Synod of the ELCIC an annual Spiritual Retreat for Pastors, and an annual Spiritual Retreat for laity. Upon his retirement, he was appointed as Luther’s first Emeritus dean of the chapel.
“We are grateful for the many ways Paul influenced our students and faculty. He taught so many to be thoughtful in their approach to worship through his instruction of liturgy as a vehicle of the gospel.” said Kristine Lund principal-dean at Luther. “Always a teacher, Paul was committed to equipping everyone to participate fully and creatively in worship. Even after retirement, Paul remained active in our community and we truly appreciate his many contributions, whether it was his teaching and general openness to conversation or his Art on the Wall submissions. Paul’s influence and teaching will continue to impact the church for many years to come.”
A memorial service celebrating the life of Paul Bosch will be held at Christ Lutheran Church, 445 Anndale Road, Waterloo, Ontario, at 2:00 p.m. ET, February 25, 2023; livestream on: https://www.facebook.com/christlutheranwaterloo/