Jul 3, 2019 12:57 PM

Father Patrick Fitzgerald, M.Afr. died June 26, 2019.

Born in Portsmouth, England, on July 22, 1925, his father died when he was a young child and his only brother, Ted, a second lieutenant in the British Army, was killed in Normandy in 1944. Father Pat entered the Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers) and was ordained a priest on May 31, 1951. Much of Father’s missionary activity was spent in Africa ministering to the priests and sisters who served there. In addition, in his 68 years of priesthood, he was the rector of both a major and a minor seminary, taught Latin and English literature, among other subjects, and worked in various parishes in the London area.

Coming to the United States on and off for the past 20 years, Father Pat served in Mary Immaculate parish in Bellport and Immaculate Conception parish in Westhampton Beach. Father brought the Fair Trade Movement to Long Island, and was a very concerned and dedicated advocate for the unborn. Father volunteered in the palliative care department at Southampton Hospital, and finally, the cause of the canonization of Father Vincent Capodanno, the young Navy chaplain who was killed during the Vietnam War, was of great concern to Father Pat.

He is survived by a cousin, Trish Bailey, and her daughters, Frances and Sarah, and husband, George; and three young cousins.

A wake will be held at the Church of the Immaculate Conception on Friday, July 5, from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. A funeral will held at the church on Saturday, July 6, at 10 a.m.

Memorial donations may be made to the food pantry at Immaculate Conception Parish, the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Mary Immaculate Parish, Sobornost For The World (Fair Trade), Birthright of Peconic, or the Father Vincent Capodanno Guild. Finally, it is Father Pat’s wish that in honor of the Portsmouth Football team, those attending his funeral feel free to wear royal blue, the color of his beloved team.