Fr. Stephen Fitzhenry, O.P.

Father Stephen Fitzhenry, O.P., passed away on Friday afternoon, July 5, 2024, at the age of 93, at Mohun Health Care Center in Columbus, Ohio, shortly after the brethren prayed the rosary at his bedside. At the rosary’s conclusion, his last words were joining to sing the end of the Salve Regina, “O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria.”

John Thomas Fitzhenry was born in Cleveland, OH on October 21, 1930, the son of Patrick and Sara (née Coyne) Fitzhenry. His parents were from Ireland and his father was a steelworker. John was baptized at St. Catherine’s Church in Cleveland on November 2, 1930, went to parochial schools and graduated from Holy Name High School in 1948. He followed the pre-ecclesiastical course at Providence College from 1949-51 and then entered the Dominican novitiate at St. Stephen Priory in Dover, MA, receiving the religious named Stephen. He belonged to the first class of novices to live in the recently acquired house in Dover before the new wing was added, and they occupied every inch of space, from the attic to the cellar.

Father Fitzhenry was professed on August 26, 1952, then studied philosophy at St. Rose Priory in Springfield, KY, and St. Joseph Priory in Somerset, OH. He was solemnly professed in 1955 and then studied theology at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC from 1955-59. On June 5, 1958, he was ordained a priest at St. Dominic Church in Washington, DC, by Most Reverend Amleto Cardinal Cicognani then Apostolic Delegate to the United States.

After completing a licentiate in sacred theology in Washington, Father Fitzhenry’s first assignment was to St. Dominic Priory in Youngstown, OH, in June 1959, where he did parochial and high school ministry.

In September 1960, he was assigned to the Dominican Mission in Pakistan, which had begun only four years earlier. It was a time of rapid building, beginning in the city of Bahawalpur in the Punjab. Dominican sisters from Sparkill, NY had joined the mission, and already a church, two rectories, two schools, a hospital and living quarters for lay workers had been built, and the mission extended into new settlements in the surrounding Thal desert. A parish had been given to the Order in the port city of Karachi. Father Fitzhenry was involved in every aspect of the mission, including as Novice Master for the first generation of native friars. While in Pakistan he served in various locations including Jhelum, Bahawalpur, and Multan. In November 1972, he was appointed Vicar Provincial of the Vicariate and served for eight years. During his term, Father Fitzhenry also served as the President of the Association of Religious Superiors of Men and Women.

He remained in Pakistan for twenty years, until in 1980 he returned to the United States to be Master of Novices at St. Stephen Priory in Dover, MA. In August of 1982, he was assigned to the Priory of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC, and was appointed Master of Students. In June of 1984, he was assigned to St. Gertrude Priory in Cincinnati, OH, after being appointed Master of Novices again by the Provincial Chapter which moved the novitiate from Dover to Cincinnati.

Father Fitzhenry moved to Charlottesville, VA in 1988, to become pastor and superior at St. Thomas Aquinas University Parish. He built a new church to accommodate the growing congregation, and remained as pastor and superior until 1996.

After a sabbatical in Ireland, Father Fitzhenry was assigned to St. Stephen Priory in Dover to participate in the preaching ministries of the community and serve as Director of Continuing Education for the Province. During this time, he participated in continuing formation programs for recently ordained priests.

At the beginning of 2005, Father Fitzhenry moved to Columbus to be chaplain to the Motherhouse of the Sisters of St. Mary of the Springs until 2009 when he became chaplain to the adjacent Mohun Health Care Center. In 2014, he became a resident at the Mohun Health Care Center of the Dominican Sisters.

The funeral will take place this Tuesday, July 9, at 10:00 a.m. at Saint Patrick’s Church in Columbus. Very Rev. Allen Moran will be the presider, and Fr. Walter Wagner will be the homilist. Burial will follow at St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Somerset, OH.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Fr. Stephen Fitzhenry, O.P., please visit our floral store.