Fr. Joseph Miller, C.PP.S. of the Kansas City Province of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood died on March 16, 2021, at St. Francis Xavier parish in St. Joseph, Missouri. He was 70 years old.

Fr. Joe was born in Bellevue, Ohio on August 13, 1950, to Alfred and Agnes (Hay) Miller. He entered formation with the Society of the Precious Blood at Brunnerdale Seminary in Canton, Ohio in September 1964, graduated from St. Joseph’s College, Rennselaer, Indiana in 1973. Fr. Joe was definitively incorporated as a Missionary of the Precious Blood on April 15, 1976. He received his M.Div. in Theology from St. John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota in 1977, and was ordained to the priesthood on June 18, 1977, at Immaculate Conception Church, Bellevue, Ohio.

Fr. Joe’s served in parish ministry throughout his life in Missouri, Wisconsin, and Iowa. He also served as vocation director for the Kansas City Province for several years.  In 2016, Fr. Joe began his second term of service at St. Francis Xavier Church in St. Joseph, Missouri as pastor, in which role he served until his death.

Fr. Joe was known for his dedication and hard work wherever he served. He was always willing to go where needed, and many were familiar with his boundless energy and ever-present smile. He was a person of principle, empathetic but clear when speaking of the values by which he lived.

A Mass of Christian burial was held on Monday, March 22, 2021, at St. James Church in Liberty. Burial was at St. Charles Center in Carthagena, Ohio at a later date.