Bishop John J. Fitzpatrick
Bishop John J. Fitzpatrick dies in Brownsville, Texas.
We were saddened to hear that Bishop John J. Fitzpatrick died on Saturday, July 15, 2006, at his residence in Brownsville, Texas. Bishop Fitzpatrick served as bishop of the Brownsville Diocese from April of 1971 to November of 1991.
In January of 1998, Bishop John Fitzpatrick joined other Catholic Bishop Members of Pax Christi-USA to express his grave concerns to our then President Bill Clinton concerning the possible attack and US-led sanctions against the people of Iraq.
In May of 2001, Bishop Fitzpatrick also signed a resolution requesting that the United States Government close the School of the Americas, which was proven to have trained hundreds of graduates in methods of torture, execution, blackmail and false imprisonment and which trained nineteen of the twenty-six El Salvador military that murdered six Jesuit priests, a co-worker and her fifteen year old daughter, was responsible for two of the three that were cited in the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero, and for three of the five that raped and murdered four U.S. churchwomen.
Bishop Fitzpatrick was also very active in protecting the rights and dignity of immigrants entering into the United States from Mexico and South America and was also highly supportive of the United Farm Workers Union.
Fitzpatrick's body will be received at Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Brownsville at 10 a.m. on Monday, July 17, 2006.
A Mass for the repose of the soul will be celebrated, followed by a viewing until 7 p.m., followed by a vigil service.
The body will be transferred to St. Mary's Catholic Church on Tuesday and viewing will be from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., followed by another vigil service.
On Wednesday, viewing at St. Mary's will be from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. A funeral Mass will follow at 10 a.m. Burial will be at Buena Vista Cemetery in Brownsville.
Bishop John J. Fitzpatrick will long be remembered for his life work of serving Our Lord!
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From The Monitor
July 26, 2006
Grateful for Bishop Fitzpatrick
To the editor:
As I look at all the plaques along the bookcases in my chambers — plaques I have had the privilege to have bestowed on me over my 30 years as a lawyer — one has always stood out for me. It is the honor, I, always include in my resume, to the exclusion of some others as I have to decide which are the most important.
The award is the one I received from Bishop John J. Fitzpatrick on behalf of the Brownsville Diocese, for my work with refugees in the Valley back in the 1980s.
As I contemplate and reflect on the life of this wonderful man, what stands out is the courage, vision and leadership he exhibited in those trying times. He was led by compassion and humanity. Through his leadership, people like me were able to do our work alongside the wonderful nuns, who did the real work under the tutelage of Sister Juliana.
I believe Bishop Fitzpatrick’s tenure was the diocese’s finest hour. I strongly urge the current leadership of the diocese to reconsider and rename the shelter he established as the John Fitzpatrick-Oscar Romero Center. These are men who come along once in a lifetime. I am so grateful that Bishop John J. Fitzpatrick came along in mine.
Linda Reyna Yañez,
Justice, 13th Court of Appeals,
Edinburg
Thank you so much for sharing that with us, Judge...
~Kanickers
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