The death of Birmingham’s Bishop Emeritus David Foley prompted tributes from those he served, including the EWTN Global Catholic Network, where he served as a board member and television show host.
rn“All of us at EWTN are saddened by the death of the Most Reverend David Foley who served the Diocese of Birmingham as Bishop for over a decade,” Michael P. Warsaw, Chairman of the Board and CEO of the Alabama-based EWTN Global Catholic Network, said April 18.
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rn“I had the privilege of first knowing Bishop Foley thirty years ago when he was a pastor in the Archdiocese of Washington,” Warsaw continued. “Throughout his life and wherever his service to the Church took him, he was always known for his keen intellect, pastoral sensitivity and powerful preaching.”
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rn“May God reward him for his life of service to the Church, and may he rest in peace,” he said.
Bishop Foley, who according to news reports had been fighting cancer, passed away Tuesday evening at the St. John Vianney Residence for Priests at the age of 88.
Foley served as Bishop of Birmingham from 1994 until his retirement in 2005. The Diocese of Birmingham said the bishop had a very active retirement.
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rn“Bishop Foley’s retirement was in name only: he never stopped being a priest, which was the true love of his life. He would spend Christmas and Thanksgiving at prisons, celebrate Mass for any priest for any reason in any parish at any time, and would regularly help with confirmations,” the diocese said in a statement.
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rn“Always humble, he quietly continued his ministry, which included visiting the sick at hospitals each week and celebrating Mass once a week for the elderly unable to travel,” said the diocese. “He lived a full and happy life as a priest, setting an example to all on how to live fearlessly following Christ.”
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rnBishop Foley and Mother Mary Angelica of the Annunciation, foundress of EWTN Global Catholic Network, had been friends. Warsaw noted that Bishop Foley served on the EWTN Board of Governors.
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rn“He also took great joy in hosting ‘Pillars of Faith,’ a weekly live call-in television program that examined the Catechism of the Catholic Church from cover to cover,” said Warsaw.
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rn“Despite their occasional disagreements, when Mother Angelica suffered her stroke and brain hemorrhage in 2001, Bishop Foley was one of the first to be at her bedside and he remained a frequent visitor to pray for her,” Warsaw continued. “He never wavered in his respect for all that Mother had accomplished and was always supportive of the Network she founded.”
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rnBorn in 1930, Foley was ordained a priest May 26, 1956 by Washington Archbishop Patrick O’Boyle in Saint Matthew’s Cathedral in Washington, D.C. He served in various parishes for 30 years.
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rnIn 1986, he was ordained an auxiliary bishop for the Diocese of Richmond, Virginia. He was installed as the third Bishop of Birmingham in 1994. He stepped down in 2005 upon reaching 75 years of age, but served as administrator of the Diocese of Birmingham until Bishop Robert Baker was installed as bishop in 2007.
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rnBishop Foley’s body will be received at Birmingham’s Cathedral of Saint Paul on Sunday at 2 p.m., followed by hourly prayers until 6:30 p.m. A rosary will be held at 4 p.m. Bishop Baker will preside over a Vesper service at 6:30 p.m., at which Abbot Cletus Meagher of St. Bernard Abbey will preach.
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rnBishop Foley’s Mass of Christian Burial will take place at the cathedral on Monday April 23 at 11 a.m. Archbishop Thomas Rodi of Mobile will preside at the Mass. Burial will take place in the cathedral’s courtyard.
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rnMemorial contributions are requested to be sent to the Birmingham diocese’s Seminarian Education Fund.
