Black Catholic priest, beloved for joyful life sharing Jesus, mourned after unexpected passing

(OSV News) -- He was a priest whose wide smile could just light up a room and whose energetic self-giving to the people he served seemed limitless.

Those who knew Father Norman Fischer said the priest's easy ability to model the love of Christ and build bridges -- sometimes through a beaming selfie or a fist bump -- was legendary. So was his skill at mediating conflict, or inspiring a deep appreciation of cultural diversity. He was even known to break into a rap in the midst of a homily.

And now he's gone from this life.

On Sunday, July 14 -- at the age of just 50 -- Father Fischer's earthly journey came to an end.

Father Fischer had shepherded souls both as pastor of one of Kentucky's oldest Black Catholic parishes, St. Peter Claver in Lexington, and as chaplain at Lexington Catholic High School.

"He used his voice -- not only serving the people of the Diocese of Lexington, but serving the church in the United States, and specifically, serving the Black Catholic community," said Father Kareem Smith, pastor of St. Michael the Archangel in New York's Bronx borough. "This is a tremendous loss."

Father Smith served with Father Fischer on the board of the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus, and less than a year ago, Father Fischer was elected NBCCC president. With Father Fischer's passing, Father Smith -- previously vice president -- assumes the role of acting president until an election can be held.

"As the church at large struggles with vocations," said Father Smith, "the same is true of course in the Black Catholic community -- and to lose a priest of his age, only 50 years old, in an important ministry in his own diocese and of course nationally, is a tragedy."

There are 3 million Black Catholics in the U.S. today, but the percentage of priests is far lower than their share of the Catholic population -- a legacy of anti-Black racism within the U.S. church that once imposed substantial barriers to Black Catholics entering the priesthood and religious life. Today an estimated 250 Catholic priests in the U.S. are Black out of 34,000 diocesan and religious priests -- less than 1% of the total.

"I sort of grew up knowing the reality of segregation where people lived, but at the schools, everybody sort of got along," Father Fischer had told local media back in 2023. "I didn't even see a Black Catholic priest until like I was in high school. I cried. I didn't think they existed."

The Kentucky native was the first priest of Black-Filipino descent in the Diocese of Lexington.

"The state is pretty much lacking when it comes to Black priests -- and what Black priests offer to the Catholic Church," said Father Robert Boxie III, Catholic chaplain at Howard University and priest-in-residence at Washington's Immaculate Conception Parish. "There's so few of us -- and there's just so much work and so much need in the community."

Father Boxie also served with Father Fischer on the NBCCC's board, where he was preparing for an upcoming conference in Louisville, Kentucky, held jointly with the National Black Sisters' Conference, the National Association of Black Catholic Deacons, and the National Black Catholic Seminarians Association.

According to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' recent available data on African American clergy and religious, there are also 437 deacons, 75 men of African descent in seminary, 400 religious sisters and 50 religious brothers.

Father Boxie told OSV News Father Fischer was the kind of leader they needed at this critical juncture for Black clergy and religious in the U.S.

"Especially coming after the pandemic; especially coming out of all of the social issues that we are dealing with in this country right now -- trying to heal one another; trying to be there for one another; to support one another; encourage one another -- that's what he was bringing to the organization as president," said Father Boxie. "Just his very presence. He was just so joyful; so life-giving; so encouraging -- and this is exactly the person that we need right now. And he's no longer here."

"I had so much to learn from Father Norman," reflected Father Boxie. "I wanted to be like Father Norman in so many different ways."

Deacon James Weathers, who serves as parish life director at St. Peter Claver, recalled that Father Norman was a master of resolving conflict.

"He could deal with it in a way that he would have the person praying with him at the end," said Deacon Weathers, amused at the memory.

Father Norman not only healed divisions, Deacon Weathers said. Some people experienced personal healing after their encounters with the priest.

"He had healing ways," the deacon said. "There's been people that have had things happen to them -- some of them have had cancer; some of them have had just bad experiences happen in their life. And he -- through prayer and blessing them and anointing them -- sometimes, the illnesses would go away," explained Deacon Weathers. "So then people would say, 'Father Norman's got the healing power.'"

Father Fischer's witness also drew people to -- and sometimes, back to -- the church, because he joyfully insisted upon a welcoming spirit at St. Peter Claver.

"A lot of people that came through the RCIA program," Deacon Weathers said, referring to the church's catechumenate, "would say, 'You know, if it hadn't been for this church, I don't think I would have come back or would have joined.'"

The social stain of racism is, Father Boxie noted, still a struggle for Black Catholic priests in America.

"There have been challenges. Just being a Black priest in the Catholic Church in America, there's a lot that you've got to deal with," he said.

Nonetheless, Father Fischer "wasn't one who was going to dwell on that -- and that was not going to change how he was a priest, or his love of the church," said Father Boxie.

In the wake of nationwide protests following the murder of George Floyd involving several Minneapolis police officers, Father Fischer presented a Nov. 12, 2020, talk targeting racism.

"When one suffers, we all suffer," Father Fischer reminded his audience. "And just because you may not feel it, doesn't mean it's not suffering. It doesn't mean that someone's not feeling disenfranchised; or feel not heard; or feel like they don't have a voice -- when we, in fact, may be the ones who are silencing them by our silence."

St. Peter Claver parishioner Ned Benson, a Lexington attorney and close friend of Father Fischer, said the priest "was a person who was completely oriented to others. And by that, he lived a Christ life. And not only did he do that -- he did it with a smile on his face, a song on his lips, that was completely genuine and sincere."

While not labeling his intuition about Father Fischer prophetic, Benson admitted that "I've been worried that he is going to get hurt from living a life that is constantly on the go -- he's up early; he's up late; he's at the hospital; he's doing weddings; he's doing funerals; he's visiting homebound people. Literally, it's every day of every week of every year. And my concern is -- was -- that this would happen."

Father Fischer -- whose family had a history of heart ailments -- died on his way to help others at a Catholic Heart Workcamp in Wilmington, Delaware, where he was much beloved and remembered for setting a tone that made it easy for others to open their hearts to Jesus.

"I feel as if he's with me. That sounds trite, it sounds ... " Benson paused, reflecting. "You've heard of people wearing these bracelets, 'What would Jesus do?' ... and now, I feel -- it's more than a thought -- it's a feeling of, 'What would Norman do?' And I feel him there," shared Benson. "His death is a loss -- but there's an inspiration to me, personally, to come closer to a life that models what Jesus wants us to do. And for that, I'm grateful."

The grieving community has already held gatherings to remember Father Fischer.

"Let's give thanks for the gift of someone who was so gifted and brought out the gifts of everyone around him," said Lexington Bishop John E. Stowe, a Conventual Franciscan, on July 15 in his homily at St. Peter Claver Church. "Thank you Norman -- thank you, Jesus, for the gift of Norman."

Father Fischer's funeral Mass is set for July 29 at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Lexington.