Notre Dame, Ind. – Rev. James Lawrence Rebeta, C.S.C., 79, died on June 29, 2026, at Holy Cross House after a short illness.
Fr. Rebeta was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on October 4, 1946, to James G. and Alice C. (Belock) Rebeta and is the eldest of four children. He graduated from Archbishop Stepinac High School in White Plains, N.Y., in 1964 before entering the Holy Cross Seminary at Stonehill College in Easton, Mass. After completing the novitiate in Bennington, Vt., he professed his First Vows on July 16, 1966, before returning to Stonehill College to complete his bachelor’s degree in philosophy in 1969. After graduation, he taught English at Notre Dame Boys High School in Fairfield, Conn., before earning a master’s degree in theology at the University of Notre Dame in 1972. He professed his Final Vows on February 11, 1972, and was ordained a Holy Cross priest on April 28, 1973.
After ordination, Fr. Rebeta was assigned as staff chaplain at St. John’s Hickey Memorial Hospital in Anderson, Ind., until 1977. In 1977, he began his Ph.D. studies in Clinical Psychology at The American University in Washington, DC; first earning a Master’s in Clinical Psychology in 1985 and then a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology in 1987. From 1987 to 1989, he worked as a guest researcher at the Addiction Research Center for the National Institute on Drug Abuse in Baltimore, Md., while assisting at King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., from 1988-1989. In 1989, he began a three-year postdoctoral fellowship in clinical neuropsychology at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, N.Y. In 1992, he accepted a faculty position at the Medical College of Cornell University in New York, where he taught medical students and consulted on cases for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry until 2024. While at Cornell University, he served as chaplain for the Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus in Rye, N.Y., offered Mass assistance at Stepinac High School (White Plains, N.Y.), St. Vito-Most Holy Trinity Parish (Mamaroneck, N.Y.), Marian Woods Assisted Living Facility (Hartsdale, N.Y.) and St. Augustine Parish (Larchmont, N.Y.). Beginning in 2024, he resided at Holy Cross House in Notre Dame, Ind., until his passing.
Fr. Rebeta was preceded in death by his parents, sisters Theresa M. Rebeta and Margaret M. Rebeta. He is survived by his brother Robert M. Rebeta (Cheryl), a niece and nephews.
Visitation will be held on July 13, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. at the Chapel of Mary located on the Stonehill College campus in North Easton, Mass., with a Funeral Mass following at 10:00 a.m. You may join us via livestream at https://www.youtube.com/live/3qpySQGAJek .
Burial will be in the Holy Cross Community Cemetery in Easton, Mass. Kane Funeral Home, Easton, is in charge of the arrangements.
Memorial contributions in support of the mission and ministries of the Congregation of Holy Cross can be made to: United States Province of Priests and Brothers, Office of Advancement, 500 Washington Street, North Easton, MA 02356-1299 or online at https://donate.holycrossusa.org.
