John Joseph Fitzpatrick (October 12, 1918 – July 15, 2006) was a Canadian-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as an

auxiliary bishop An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions. ...

of the

Archdiocese of Miami The Archdiocese of Miami (, , ) is a Latin Church archdiocese of the Catholic Church in South Florida in the United States. It is the metropolitan see for the Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Miami, Ecclesiastical Province of Miami, which ...

in Florida from 1968 to 1971 and as the third

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

of the Diocese of Brownsville in Texas from 1971 to 1991. Fitzpatrick was described as a strong advocate for the poor and for refugees.

Biography

Early life

John Fitzpatrick was born in Trenton, Ontario, Canada on October 12, 1918. When he was age five, his family moved to

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

. He attended Catholic schools throughout high school. He went to Rome to study for the priesthood, but was forced to return to the United States due to its entry into World War II. After the war, Fitzpatrick returned to Rome to complete his studies.

Priesthood

Fitzpatrick was ordained a priest by Bishop John Aloysius Duffy for the Diocese of Buffalo on December 13, 1942, when he was 24 years old. After his ordination, he went to Florida to serve as a military chaplain. He was incardinated, or transferred, in 1948 to the Diocese of St Augustine in Florida, then in 1958 was incardinated again, this time to the Archdiocese of Miami.

Auxiliary Bishop of Miami

Fitzpatrick was appointed by

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI (born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding John XXII ...

as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Miami and

titular bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

of Cenae on June 24, 1968. On August 28, 1968, he was consecrated a bishop by Archbishop Coleman F. Carroll; his co-consecrators were Bishop Joseph Durick and Archbishop Joseph Bernardin.

Bishop of Brownsville

On April 27, 1971, Fitzpatrick was appointed by Paul VI as the third bishop of the Diocese of Brownsville. He was installed on May 27, 1971. In 1982, Fitzpatrick opened Casa Oscar Romero in Brownsville, named after the murdered Salvadorian archbishop, Oscar Arnulfo Romero. It served as a shelter for refugees coming across the Mexican border into the United States. He eventually closed the shelter after repeated complaints from federal judges that he was violating US immigration law. Fitzpatrick set up a different shelter and even opened his own garage to refugees. As bishop, he set up an extensive program to train lay people to assume roles within the diocese. He also established diocese radio and TV stations.

Retirement and legacy

On November 30, 1991, Pope John Paul II accepted Fitzpatrick's resignation as bishop of the Diocese of Brownsville. After the death of his replacement, Bishop

Enrique San Pedro Enrique San Pedro, S.J. (born Enrique San Pedro y Fonaguera) (March 9, 1926 - July 17, 1994) was a Cuban-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Brownsville in Texas from 1991 until his death ...

, in 1994, Fitzpatrick served as apostolic administrator for nearly a year until the appointment of Bishop Raymundo Peña in 1995. In May 1994, Fitzpatrick testified in court on behalf of Stacey Lynn Merkt, a Catholic lay worker accused of illegally bringing two

Salvadoran Salvadorans (), also known as Salvadorians, are citizens of El Salvador, a country in Central America. Most Salvadorans live in El Salvador, although there is also a significant Salvadoran diaspora, particularly in the United States, with smalle ...

refugees into the United States. He said that aiding refugees was in accordance with the laws of man and of God John Fitzpatrick died in Brownsville on July 15, 2006, at age 87.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami

Roman Catholic Diocese of Brownsville

Tyler Morning Telegraph obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzpatrick, John Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Galveston–Houston 1918 births 2006 deaths Canadian emigrants to the United States Religious leaders from Texas Religious leaders from Florida 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States