George Kinzie Fitzsimons
Encyclopedia
George Kinzie Fitzsimons (born September 4, 1928) is an American
prelate
of the Roman Catholic Church
. He served as Bishop of Salina
from 1984 to 2004.
, Missouri
, to George K. and Margaret Mary (née Donavan) Fitzsimons. He belonged to St. Francis Xavier Church as a child, and attended Rockhurst High School
and Rockhurst University
in Kansas City. After serving in the U.S. Air Force
(1950–1954) and briefly working in business
, he began his studies for the priesthood
at Conception Seminary
in Missouri. Fitzsimons was ordained
a priest by Bishop John Cody on March 18, 1961. He then served as an associate pastor
, high school
teacher
, college
chaplain
, chancellor
, and vicar general
in the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph
.
On May 20, 1975, Fitzsimons was appointed Auxiliary Bishop
of Kansas City-St. Joseph and Titular Bishop
of Pertusa by Pope Paul VI
. He received his episcopal consecration
on the following July 3 from Bishop Charles Herman Helmsing
, with Archbishop William Wakefield Baum and Bishop Joseph Vincent Sullivan
serving as co-consecrators
, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
in Kansas City. In addition to his duties as an auxiliary, he was pastor
of Christ the King Church in Kansas City from 1979 to 1984.
Fitzsimons was named the eighth Bishop of Salina
, Kansas
, on March 28, 1984. He was installed
by Archbishop Ignatius Jerome Strecker at Sacred Heart Cathedral
in Salina
on the following May 29. During his tenure, he established an Office of Lay
Ministry and Rural Life Commission, and initiated the RENEW parish
spiritual growth program. Marymount College
closed in 1989 because of financial difficulties. Due to a declining population and priest shortage
, he was also forced to merge several parishes but did erect St. Nicholas of Myra Church in Hays
and St. Thomas More Church in Manhattan
.
After reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75, Fitzsimons resigned as Bishop on October 21, 2004. He currently resides at St. Patrick Parish in Ogden
. In 2008 his lower left leg was amputated
due to a severe infection
; he now uses a prosthesis
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
prelate
Prelate
A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, which means "carry before", "be set above or over" or "prefer"; hence, a prelate is one set over others.-Related...
of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. He served as Bishop of Salina
Roman Catholic Diocese of Salina
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Salina is a Roman Catholic diocese covering thirty-one counties in Kansas. The episcopal see is in Salina, Kansas...
from 1984 to 2004.
Biography
George Fitzsimons was born in Kansas CityKansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, to George K. and Margaret Mary (née Donavan) Fitzsimons. He belonged to St. Francis Xavier Church as a child, and attended Rockhurst High School
Rockhurst High School
Rockhurst High School is a private, Roman Catholic, Jesuit, preparatory school for boys located in Kansas City, Missouri, USA, on the Missouri-Kansas border along State Line Road....
and Rockhurst University
Rockhurst University
Rockhurst University is a private, coeducational Jesuit university located in Kansas City, Missouri, founded in 1910 as Rockhurst College. The school adheres to the motto etched into the stone of the campus bell tower: "Learning, Leadership, and Service in the Jesuit Tradition." It is one of 28...
in Kansas City. After serving in the U.S. Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
(1950–1954) and briefly working in business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
, he began his studies for the priesthood
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
at Conception Seminary
Conception Abbey
Conception Abbey is a monastery of the Swiss-American Congregation of the Benedictine Confederation. The monastery, founded by the Swiss Engelberg Abbey in 1873 in northwest Missouri's Nodaway County, was raised to a conventual priory in 1876 and elevated to an abbey in 1881...
in Missouri. Fitzsimons was ordained
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
a priest by Bishop John Cody on March 18, 1961. He then served as an associate pastor
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
, high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
, college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
, chancellor
Chancellor (ecclesiastical)
Two quite distinct officials of some Christian churches have the title Chancellor.*In some churches, the Chancellor of a diocese is a lawyer who represents the church in legal matters....
, and vicar general
Vicar general
A vicar general is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ordinary executive power over the entire diocese and, thus, is the highest official in a diocese or other particular...
in the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph
Roman Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-Saint Joseph
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-Saint Joseph is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the state of Missouri in the United States, erected on September 10, 1880, as the Diocese of Kansas City, with territories taken from the Archdiocese of Saint Louis. ...
.
On May 20, 1975, Fitzsimons was appointed Auxiliary Bishop
Auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...
of Kansas City-St. Joseph and Titular Bishop
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 Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches is that he be ordained for a specific place...
of Pertusa by Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
. He received his episcopal consecration
Bishop (Catholic Church)
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
on the following July 3 from Bishop Charles Herman Helmsing
Charles Herman Helmsing
The Most Reverend Charles Herman Helmsing was an American Roman Catholic bishop.- History :...
, with Archbishop William Wakefield Baum and Bishop Joseph Vincent Sullivan
Joseph Vincent Sullivan
Joseph Vincent Sullivan was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Baton Rouge from 1974 until his death in 1982.-Biography:...
serving as co-consecrators
Consecrator
Consecrator is a term used in the Roman Catholic Church to designate a bishop who ordains a priest to the episcopal state. The term is often used in Eastern Rite Churches and in Anglican communities. The term "Principal Consecrator" is used to designate the primary bishop who ordains a new bishop...
, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception may refer to:In Benin:*Basilique de l’Immaculée Conception, OuidahIn Burkina Faso:*Ouagadougou CathedralIn Canada:*Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception...
in Kansas City. In addition to his duties as an auxiliary, he was pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
of Christ the King Church in Kansas City from 1979 to 1984.
Fitzsimons was named the eighth Bishop of Salina
Roman Catholic Diocese of Salina
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Salina is a Roman Catholic diocese covering thirty-one counties in Kansas. The episcopal see is in Salina, Kansas...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, on March 28, 1984. He was installed
Enthronement
An enthronement is a ceremony of inauguration, involving a person—usually a monarch or religious leader—being formally seated for the first time upon their throne. This ritual is generally distinguished from a coronation because there is no crown or other regalia that is physically...
by Archbishop Ignatius Jerome Strecker at Sacred Heart Cathedral
Sacred Heart Cathedral (Salina, Kansas)
Sacred Heart Cathedral in Salina, Kansas, United States is the cathedral parish for the Catholic Diocese of Salina. It is the second cathedral for the diocese after Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Concordia, Kansas when the See was located there.-History:...
in Salina
Salina, Kansas
Salina is a city in and the county seat of Saline County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 47,707. Located in one of the world's largest wheat-producing areas, Salina is a regional trade center for north-central Kansas...
on the following May 29. During his tenure, he established an Office of Lay
Laity
In religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...
Ministry and Rural Life Commission, and initiated the RENEW parish
Parish (Catholic Church)
In the Roman Catholic Church, a parish is the lowest ecclesiastical geographical subdivision: from ecclesiastical province to diocese to deanery to parish.-Requirements:A parish needs two things under common law to become a parish...
spiritual growth program. Marymount College
Marymount College (Kansas)
Marymount College was a four-year liberal arts college located in Salina, Kansas. Originally opened in 1922 as a women's college, Marymount was the first Catholic liberal arts college to open in the state....
closed in 1989 because of financial difficulties. Due to a declining population and priest shortage
Priest shortage
A priest shortage is the situation of a reduced number of priests in religions, especially the Roman Catholic Church.In 2008, 49,631 parishes in the world had no resident priest pastor. While the number of Catholics in the world nearly doubled between 1970 and 2008, growing from 653 Million to...
, he was also forced to merge several parishes but did erect St. Nicholas of Myra Church in Hays
Hays, Kansas
Hays is a city in and the county seat of Ellis County, Kansas, United States. The largest city in northwestern Kansas, it is the economic and cultural center of the region. It is also a college town, home to Fort Hays State University...
and St. Thomas More Church in Manhattan
Manhattan, Kansas
Manhattan is a city located in the northeastern part of the state of Kansas in the United States, at the junction of the Kansas River and Big Blue River. It is the county seat of Riley County and the city extends into Pottawatomie County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 52,281...
.
After reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75, Fitzsimons resigned as Bishop on October 21, 2004. He currently resides at St. Patrick Parish in Ogden
Ogden, Kansas
Ogden is a city in Riley County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 2,087. It is part of the Manhattan, Kansas Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
. In 2008 his lower left leg was amputated
Amputation
Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma, prolonged constriction, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on individuals as a preventative surgery for...
due to a severe infection
Infection
An infection is the colonization of a host organism by parasite species. Infecting parasites seek to use the host's resources to reproduce, often resulting in disease...
; he now uses a prosthesis
Prosthesis
In medicine, a prosthesis, prosthetic, or prosthetic limb is an artificial device extension that replaces a missing body part. It is part of the field of biomechatronics, the science of using mechanical devices with human muscle, skeleton, and nervous systems to assist or enhance motor control...
.