sketch by Hans Holbein, c. 1532-34
Dear Friends,
In 1935, a young Salt Lake City bishop, James E. Kearney, attended the canonization of Cardinal John Fisher, bishop of Rochester, England. Two years later Kearney was appointed Bishop of Rochester, New York. Soon after his arrival he named Fisher the diocesan patron saint. Kearney then recruited the Basilian Fathers to lead a diocesan men’s college, now known as St. John Fisher University.
Beyond these Rochester connections, some facets of Fisher’s life and ministry speak to me as we celebrate his June 22 feast day. Fisher was an extraordinary leader in the English Reformation period. He had a lifelong affiliation with Cambridge University, as student, lecturer, and chancellor. He wrote and published responses to European theologians of the Protestant Reformation. He publicly engaged with contemporary writers and political leaders. Theologians and bishops who write and speak on today’s issues can look to him as a role model of respectful and rigorous conversation.
Fisher was a brilliant attorney and theologian and was not afraid to respond to royal requests for approval. Henry VIII announced his intended divorce from Catherine of Aragon. Citing law and theology, Fisher argued for the validity of their marriage. When Henry later declared himself Supreme Head of the Church of England, Fisher disapproved. Fisher was executed for his criticism of the king.
What impresses me is Fisher’s understanding of a bishop’s responsibility to engage with contemporary issues, leading believers in discerning just action. Today questions are raised about religious believers’ and leaders’ engagement in dialogue on social issues. Pope Leo XIV spoke on the Church’s mission during a recent trip to Spain (posted below). I believe he and John Fisher would agree.
In hope,
Susan Schantz SSJ
Pope Leo XIV's address to members of Spanish Parliament June 8, 2026:
…when the Church addresses anything concerning public life, she does so while respecting the proper mission of institutions and the legitimate responsibility of those who have received the mandate to legislate. She recognizes “the autonomy of earthly realities” and “the distinction between the ecclesial community and the political community”; and, precisely from this awareness, the Church offers a reflection born of the desire to serve the common good and to recall what makes human coexistence truly human (cf. Magnifica Humanitas, 18, 19, 22).
