{"id":256598,"date":"2025-09-26T17:17:08","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T17:17:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/256598\/"},"modified":"2025-09-26T17:17:08","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T17:17:08","slug":"bishop-herbert-bevard-beloved-longtime-philadelphia-priest-dies-at-79","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/256598\/","title":{"rendered":"Bishop Herbert Bevard, Beloved Longtime Philadelphia Priest, Dies at 79"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Bishop Herbert Bevard was ordained a priest in 1972 and consecrated bishop of the Diocese of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands in 2008.<\/p>\n

By Matthew Gambino \u2022 Posted September 26, 2025 <\/p>\n

Friends are remembering a former Philadelphia priest, Bishop Herbert A. Bevard, for his devotion to Jesus and Mary, and loving service to the people he served in the Philadelphia Archdiocese and the Diocese of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, of which he was retired.<\/p>\n

He died peacefully in Wilmington, N.C. where he resided on Saturday, Sept. 20. He was 79.<\/p>\n

The funeral Mass will be celebrated Friday, Sept. 26 at 2 p.m. at St. Athanasius Church in Philadelphia (watch the livestream here<\/a>). Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz, retired Archbishop of Louisville and a close friend of Bishop Bevard, will be the main celebrant of the Mass.<\/p>\n

Burial will follow in Oxford Cemetery in Oxford, Chester County.<\/p>\n

In a statement, Archbishop Nelson J. P\u00e9rez expressed sadness for the bishop\u2019s death.<\/p>\n

\u201cBishop Bevard relied on the grace of God and the maternal protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary as he provided ministry as a bishop and priest in a spirit of charity, humility, and joy,\u201d he said. (Read the full statement here.)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe gratitude and affection he held for the countless souls he touched, especially among his beloved former parishioners of Saint Athanasius Parish in Philadelphia, was reflected back to him with love.\u201d<\/p>\n

Archbishop P\u00e9rez extended prayerful condolences to the bishop\u2019s family and friends and to all the clergy, religious, and lay faithful in the Diocese of St. Thomas and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

\u201cMay God grant Bishop Bevard the gift of eternal life,\u201d he said, \u201cand may our Blessed Mother wrap her mantle of merciful consolation around all those who loved, admired, and respected him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Early conversion, lifelong friends<\/strong><\/p>\n

Herbert Armstrong Bevard was born in 1946 in Baltimore, Md., one of two sons of the late Charles Wright Bevard and Catherine Schafer Bevard. The family moved to Oxford, Chester County where he grew up and in which the seed of faith took root.<\/p>\n

Although the family was Protestant and young Herbert attended public school, by fifth grade he became drawn to the Catholic Church, beginning instruction to enter the Church and serving at the altar of Sacred Heart Church.<\/p>\n

He would return to Baltimore for high school, and after graduation he formally became Catholic. He attended Dickinson College near Carlisle, Pa. for two years before entering St. Charles Borromeo Seminary and formation as a priest.<\/p>\n

Entering the seminary with him in 1966 were young men with whom he would maintain lifelong friendships.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was one of God\u2019s own, (and) it\u2019s a terrible loss,\u201d said Father Joseph Dieckhaus, pastor emeritus of SS. Philip and James in Exton who will be the homilist for Bishop Bevard\u2019s funeral Mass. \u201cHe was a priest after the heart of Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n

He would be ordained in 1974 but Bishop Bevard, since he had two years of college, was ordained a priest of Philadelphia by Cardinal John Krol in 1972 in the Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul.<\/p>\n

Another early seminary classmate and member of the class of 1974 was perhaps Bishop Bevard\u2019s closest friend, Archbishop Joseph Kurtz.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was like a brother to me, and to my family. We were very close,\u201d said the archbishop.<\/p>\n

Bishop Bevard \u201cwas very much a people person,\u201d he said. \u201cThe person in front of him was the most important person. This showed especially in Philadelphia where he was pastor for 14 years. He loved people and attracted people to become Catholic.\u201d<\/p>\n

At St. Athanasius, a priest full of energy and joy<\/strong><\/p>\n

After pastoral service at several parishes, Bishop Bevard was named pastor of St. Athanasius Parish, which those who know and love the parish call St. A\u2019s, located in the West Oak Lane section of Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

He dove into his assignment, personally beautifying and gardening the parish grounds, one his hobbies.<\/p>\n

For those tasks, a priest friend gave him a riding mower that included a snow-plow attachment, which Father Bevard used to clear the church sidewalks and schoolyard of snow.<\/p>\n

Guessing that parishioners who received visits for holy Communion could not clear their sidewalks, he drove the tractor to them and cleared the snow. If a neighbor, Catholic or not, asked for help, he\u2019d clear theirs too.<\/p>\n

When he arrived at the parish, the upper church had been closed for 20 years, recalls Louise Frasier, a parishioner of St. A\u2019s for 52 years. One late night she noticed lights on in the church, so her husband walked over to investigate. He found Father Bevard on his knees scrubbing the floor.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was determined to reopen that church, and he did,\u201d she said. \u201cHe repaired the church and added an elevator too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although sad with the realization that the same church will host her beloved pastor\u2019s funeral Mass, she said, \u201cI never saw someone so full of energy and happiness and joy. He wanted to meet everyone he could. He was a joy to have as a priest.\u201d<\/p>\n

Parishioner Janice Thomas called him a \u201cwarm, humble man of God,\u201d from whom she took instruction upon becoming Catholic in 1999.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was attracted to his humility in explaining God\u2019s love,\u201d she said. \u201c(Through) the Catechism, he taught me so much about my faith.\u201d Despite doubts or struggles she\u2019s had, Bishop Bevard\u2019s example of living one\u2019s Catholic faith is the reason she remains Catholic. \u201cI had to stay,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Called to be bishop in U.S. Virgin Islands<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2008, Pope Benedict XVI called the beloved pastor away from West Oak Lane to follow in the line of the Apostles as Bishop of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands.<\/p>\n

The current pastor of St. A\u2019s observes that \u201cpeople were very devoted to him. He was a model of the faith in how he lived,\u201d said Father Joseph Okonski, also a son of the parish.<\/p>\n

Because Bishop Bevard was a convert to Catholicism, he showed \u201cphenomenal\u201d commitment to instructing them and welcoming them into the Church, according to Father Okonski.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe could speak to them, he could draw them in,\u201d he said. \u201cHe gave no apology for the faith, (saying) \u2018This is the fullness of the faith. Embrace it,\u2019 and they did.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having become close to Bishop Bevard at the parish, Father Okonski remembers the bishop saying \u201cthe happiest years of his priesthood were at St. A\u2019s. (It) was on the verge of closing, but he renovated the church and rejuvenated the parish.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the Church was calling him to a new mission field in the Virgin Islands.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe hated to leave St. Athanasius,\u201d said Archbishop Kurtz, but \u201cas a bishop, he took the same approach as a priest: to do God\u2019s will as best he could.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was a dynamo,\u201d he added. \u201cHe loved to fix up churches and schools, expand charities. Most of all, he loved the people.\u201d<\/p>\n

A love for the ocean and a greater love for people<\/strong><\/p>\n

While he often traveled back to the Philadelphia area to preach in archdiocesan parishes and raise money for vital social and education ministries for the poor people of his diocese, the setting allowed Bishop Bevard to indulge in his lifelong love for tropical water.<\/p>\n

\u201cNobody loved the ocean like him,\u201d recalled Archbishop Kurtz. \u201cSwimming, body surfing, scuba diving. He was playful. You had to watch you didn\u2019t get dunked.\u201d<\/p>\n

His assignment to the Virgin Islands \u201cwas made to order,\u201d said Father Dieckhaus, who learned to scuba dive at the bishop\u2019s urging. \u201cI didn\u2019t have a choice!\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Bishop Bevard \u201cenjoyed instructing people to explore that land under water,\u201d he said. More broadly, the bishop \u201cloved when other people were enjoying themselves,\u201d said Archbishop Kurtz.<\/p>\n

Other interests of Bishop Bevard included enjoying opera, studying the French language, and traveling, especially as he led parishioners on tours of European cities and on cruises.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing was too good for his people,\u201d said Father Okonski, and \u201cnothing was too good for God.\u201d<\/p>\n

The bishop so loved flowers that he gained a reputation for filling churches with them, believing that \u201cyou can\u2019t have too many flowers or candles in church,\u201d said Father Okonski.<\/p>\n