Walsall: Archbishop Fitzgerald, Nuncio to Egypt celebrates golden anniversary

Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, centre, with L-R: Fr Paul Hannon, Archbishop Bernard Longley; Archbishop Kevin McDonald, Bishop Philip Pargeter

Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, SMA, Apostolic Nuncio to Egypt, celebrated a special Mass of Thanksgiving at St Mary's the Mount, Walsall, his hometown, on Saturday 23 July, to mark the 50th anniversary of his Ordination to the Priesthood in 1961.

Canon Peter Taylor, parish priest of forty years this year, welcomed Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald and everyone present at the start of the joyful celebration.

Warm tributes were paid to Archbishop Fitzgerald, distinguished member of the Society of Missionaries of Africa, the White Fathers, by three of the concelebrants.

Archbishop Bernard Longley, the Archbishop of Birmingham, who spoke before the final blessing, welcomed Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald "back home".

Michael Louis Fitzgerald was born on 17 August 1937 in Walsall in the Archdiocese of Birmingham. This was where he grew up, and where his parents both worked as GPs. The family attended Mass at their local parish church of St Patrick and Michael Fitzgerald attended the local grammar school, Queen Mary's. He started at the White Fathers junior seminary, St Columba's College, overlooking the River Tweed and Dryburgh Abbey on the border of Scotland on 22 April 1950.

He was ordained to the priesthood by Cardinal William Godfrey at Whetstone in north London on 3 February 1961. Fr Fitzgerald was appointed Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue on 22 January 1987. He was ordained a bishop by Blessed John Paul II in Rome on 6 January 1992 and then appointed President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue on 1 October 2002.

Pope Benedict XVI appointed him as Apostolic Nuncio to the Arab Republic of Egypt, and Titular Archbishop of Nepte, on 15 February 2006.

Archbishop Kevin McDonald, Emeritus Archbishop of Southwark, a colleague in the Roman Curia working at the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, spoke about the important contribution Archbishop Fitzgerald made first as Secretary, and then as President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.

In his homily, Fr Paul Hannon, the Provincial of the White Fathers, said: "We are celebrating Michael's Golden Jubilee and, with Michael, we give thanks to God for his 50 years of faithful and dedicated service in the Church, as a missionary priest and as a teacher.

"He has 'remained' faithful and true to his missionary vocation all these years. The final phase of his training before he was ordained was done in Carthage, Tunisia, and it was here that the seeds of Michael's deep interest in the Muslim world and in the Arabic language and Arab culture were sown.

"For the first seven years of his priestly life, Michael pursued studies in theology at the Gregorian University in Rome, and in Arabic at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. This time of study and learning would point him along a path both fascinating and difficult - a journey of encounter and dialogue with those of other faiths and more especially with the Muslims; a journey which would last fifty years."

Fr Hannon continued: "Much more might be said about Michael's publications, his articles, his talks and conferences - all in the line of promoting and fostering better understanding between Christians and adherents to other faiths."

The Provincial concluded: "Let us pray for Archbishop Michael as he continues his apostolic duties in Cairo, in his continuing work of Encounter and Dialogue with Muslims and his task of promoting good and lasting relations with the other Christian churches present in Egypt. May he continue to be, like St Bridget, a reconciler, a promoter of understanding, an instrument of the Lord's peace in a land still in turmoil, still settling down after the tumultuous events of the Arab spring. May he remain a truly faithful servant and disciple and may he enjoy many more years."

Earlier in his homily Fr Hannon said: "Next year, 2012, is not only the year of the London Olympic Games, it will be the centenary of the White Fathers' presence in Great Britain - and there have been many changes over the years. What had been the Province of Great Britain became in 2008, the British Sector, of the new 'Province of Europe of the White Fathers, the Missionaries of Africa'. Ten former provinces became one Province, with a provincial residing in Brussels and a Sector Delegate in each of the ten sectors of the Province - a Province which stretches from Ireland in the West to Poland in the East.".

Other concelebrants included Bishop Philip Pargeter, retired Auxiliary Bishop of Birmingham; Fr Michael Leadbeater, Dean of the Walsall Deanery, newly-appointed parish priest of Aldridge, West Midlands; Fr Francis Nolan, former Archivist of the Society based in Rome, now living at White Fathers' house in Sutton Coldfield, and other members of the Society of Missionaries of Africa.

Among Archbishop Fitzgerald's family and friends who filled the church were his sister Bernadette, now living in Sydney, Australia, and relatives from Ireland.

During a splendid buffet lunch held in the church hall after Mass, Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, welcomed and thanked many of his guests by name, including his now over ninety-year old nurse Norah.

It was a delightful, emotional and memorable occasion in the life of Archdiocese of Birmingham and the Society of Missionaries of Africa.

Postscript - on a personal note I started at the White Fathers Junior Seminary, St Columba's College, on 11 September 1959, more than nine years after Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald arrived.