Fr. John (Frederick) Clarke of Jesus Mary was born on February 13, 1917, in Montreal, Canada to parents Hugo and Maria (nee O’Connor) Clarke. He entered Carmel and made his profession on September 21, 1937. He was ordained to the priesthood on May 18, 1944. During his years of priestly ministry, he served as Vicar of the Minor Seminary in Peterborough, New Hampshire, and Prior and Subprior of Holy Hill in Hubertus, Wisconsin. He was a successful retreat master, lecturer, and assistant for many Secular Order groups. He worked tirelessly through the final two decades of his life to translate French spiritual literature, especially the works of St. Therese of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face. “Father John Clarke's acclaimed translation of St. Therese’s Story of a Soul, first published in 1975 and now accepted as the standard throughout the English-speaking world, is a faithful and unaffected rendering of Therese’s own words, from the original manuscripts.” (The Carmelite Book Service)

Fr. John entered eternal life on February 15, 1985, and is buried at the Carmelite Cemetery in Hubertus, Wisconsin.