Rev. William W. Harnischfeger, M.D., Endowed Scholarship

Erin C. Pena ’19 Harnischfeger Scholar

At the age of 70, William Harnischfeger felt the call from God to become a Catholic priest. After 35 years of marriage and nearly 40 years as a physician, William, a widower and retired cardiologist, answered this call and entered the priesthood. Before his death, he included Ave Maria University in his estate plan. This simple but thoughtful act is fitting as another chapter of Fr. Harnischfeger’s incredible life story—one we are pleased to share.

As a young boy in Bad Soden, Germany, William W. Harnischfeger dreamed of growing up to be a seelenarzt, or a soul doctor. That feeling never left, but his dream of a medical education was quickly put on hold when World War II broke out and the German Army inducted him as a medic. While working as a medic, William faced many hardships—including the loss of two of his four brothers during the war, both on the same day.

He attributed many of his own near-death experiences to providence. He was nearly shot by a Russian soldier, involved in a bunker explosion that left him blind in one eye and with 54 pieces of shrapnel in his head, and, by a last-minute mix-up, he was prevented from boarding a Red Cross plane that was shot down, killing all on board.

Following the war, William pursued his dream of a medical degree and was accepted to the University of Heidelberg in 1950. In 1952 he immigrated to the United States and served a second internship and residency at Northwestern University’s Hospital in Evanston, Illinois. From there he began a fellowship in cardiology at the Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center in Chicago, where he met his wife Irene, who was a nurse. After his fellowship William served as a U.S. Navy doctor at Portsmouth Naval Hospital in Norfolk, Virginia, practiced diagnostic cardiology in Evanston, was an assistant professor of cardiology at Northwestern University, and practiced internal medicine and cardiology in Sun City, Arizona, until 1989.

After the death of Irene in 1990, William planned to become a permanent deacon but later moved to Milwaukee, where he entered Sacred Heart School of Theology. For William the transition from physician to priest was not difficult, nor did he see his two professions as incompatible. He recalled conversations with Irene in which they speculated what each might do should the other die. “We would sort of joke; she said she might become a nun, and I said then I would be a priest.” He knew the calling to his latest vocation would switch from treating bodies to ministering to souls. On October 8, 1993, his 70th birthday, he was ordained as a diocesan priest at St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church in Sun City.

“In 38 years, I have seen many critical situations. When you can say a patient was saved and without your help he would have died, that feeling surpasses all else. But now, as a priest, when I can stand at an altar and celebrate Mass and I become the mystical link between people of the Church and God, that feeling comes, is elevated to an even higher level.” —Rev. William W. Harnischfeger, M.D.

Fr. Harnischfeger passed away in 2013 at the age of 90. In May 2017, Ave Maria University received a $2.5 million estate gift for the creation of the Rev. William W. Harnischfeger, M.D., Endowed Scholarship. Fr. Harnischfeger’s legacy is alive at Ave Maria University and will continue to impact people throughout the world as our students graduate. During its inaugural year, the Rev. William W. Harnischfeger, M.D., Endowed Scholarship funded 19 students including Erin Pena, class of 2019. Throughout his own life, Rev. Harnischfeger touched the lives of many others—from family and friends to patients, parishioners, and students of Ave Maria University. That is quite a legacy.