April 9, 1990
Father Vincent Eck
Father Eck was born one of eleven children (brothers Reinhard and Ivan also were ordained for the Diocese of Wichita) at Ost, KS on October 23, 1922. After attending St. Joseph School, Ost; St. Meinrad’s Seminary, St. Meinrad, IN; and Kenrick Seminary, St. Louis, MO he was ordained by Bishop Carroll at St. Joseph Parish in Ost on April 18, 1949. He was chaplain at Wichita Hospital, chaplain of the St. Joseph Home in El Dorado, and assistant at All Saints Parish in Wichita before becoming pastor of St. Paul Parish in Lyons. In 1961 he went to Christ the King Parish in Wichita and in 1985 he went to his last assignment in Colwich. Father Eck also served on the Diocesan Boundary Commission and was Director of Cemeteries. He died on April 9, 1990 after receiving the Sacrament of the Sick from his brother Father Reinhard Eck. Bishop Gerber was principal celebrant of Father Eck’s funeral Mass at Sacred Heart Parish in Colwich and he was buried in the St. Joseph Parish Cemetery in Ost. Father Victor Bieberle said, “Father Eck was a dedicated priest, one who enjoyed life, and who put his parish and his people first.” (The Catholic Advance, Apr. 12, 1990)