Remembering Fr. Kyle Fisher, C.Ss.R.
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April 1, 2022Fr. Kyle Fisher, C.Ss.R., who served the poor and minorities in parish ministry for more than five decades, died at St. Clement Mission Community in Liguori on March 28. A natural leader who championed all of those he served, Fr. Kyle left a lasting legacy as a beloved priest, mentor and friend.
Kyle George was Mildred and Leonard Fisher’s fifth child, born on December 4, 1937 in Wichita, KS. He was one of 10 children in the family – eight boys and two girls – who grew up in a modest home near St. Joseph Catholic Parish. The Redemptorists had staffed the church for nearly 20 years, and family life in those days revolved around parish activities. The Fisher children attended the Perpetual Help novenas on Tuesdays and were educated at the parish school by the Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
In eighth grade, Kyle followed his older brothers – former Redemptorist priests Delbert and Leonard – to St. Joseph Preparatory College in Kirkwood, MO.
Young Kyle enjoyed the Redemptorist seminary system and excelled in sports, particularly basketball and hockey. He entered the novitiate at Mount St. Clement’s College in DeSoto, MO in 1957 and professed temporary vows on August 2, 1958. He proceeded to theological studies at Immaculate Conception Seminary in Oconomowoc, and professed perpetual vows on September 2, 1961. He was ordained to the priesthood on July 2, 1963.
While his classmates completed Tirocinium at St. Alphonsus “Rock” Church in 1964, newly ordained Fr. Kyle returned to Mount St. Clement’s College to serve as assistant novice master. Two years later, an uncontrollable fire raged through the building and destroyed the property. The Redemptorists finished the year at Villa Redeemer in Glenview, IL, and relocated the novitiate to Blessed John Neumann House in Clinton, IA the next year.
Fr. Kyle returned to St. Alphonsus “Rock” Church in St. Louis as a parish priest in 1967, and was elected local vicar of the community two years later. In addition to sacramental responsibilities, he taught religion and served as chaplain of the all-girls high school.
He also earned a Master’s degree in Urban Affairs at St. Louis University during this time. His energy and enthusiasm for ministry was impressive; he was only 34 years old in 1972 when he was appointed local superior and pastor. It was very rare for such a young priest to serve in such a responsible position in those days, but Fr. Kyle was well suited for leadership. He was always open to discussion, but his beliefs weren’t easily changed.
When racial tensions ran high in the 1970s, Fr. Kyle effectively handled the transition of parish leadership from the white parishioners who had fled to the suburbs to the Black parishioners who actually lived in the neighborhood. During his tenure, declining enrollment forced the closure of the high school. He was at the helm when the school and the convent were later demolished.
In 1978, Fr. Kyle was assigned at Holy Redeemer Parish, a large multicultural inner-city parish in Detroit. He went to Mexico to learn the Spanish language to better serve the Hispanic community. Twelve years later, he was appointed pastor of Our Lady of Peace Parish in Greeley, CO and its three mission stations. The church was built to accommodate 350 parishioners, but the parish community numbered more than 4,000. He was elected local superior of the community two years later, and served in those positions until the Redemptorists returned the parish to the Archdiocese of Denver in 1999.
That same year, Fr. Kyle was appointed local superior and pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Denver. It was in such a bad state that many believed that the church was closed. Fr. Kyle led a major renovation of the historical property, and was at the helm when the Redemptorists returned the parish to the Archdiocese of Denver in 2005.
At the age of 68, Fr. Kyle was assigned at St. Alphonsus “Rock” Church to serve Hispanics in St. Louis, Warrenton, MO and Cahokia, IL. He was appointed local superior of the community in August of 2007, the same month that lightning struck the steeple of the historic church and grew into a five-alarm fire that destroyed the roof and much of the church interior. Fr. Kyle assisted Br. Terry Burke in overseeing a major renovation that returned the magnificent church to its original splendor.
Although he officially retired in 2008, he remained in residence and focused on producing an in-depth history of St. Alphonsus “Rock” Church. He was involved in planning the 150th jubilee of the Congregation receiving the original Icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help at St. Alphonsus “Rock” Church, where the weekly Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help began in North America. He was proud to welcome Cardinal Joseph Tobin and delegations from every ministry site in the Denver Province to the celebration on June 27, 2016.
Health issues necessitated his move to the St. Clement Redemptorist Mission Community in Liguori in 2018. Despite his health challenges, Fr. Kyle maintained his independent spirit and wry sense of humor, and was a welcome addition to the community.
A Memorial Mass will be celebrated at 10:00 am on April 5 at the St. Clement Chapel in Liguori. Those unable to attend may participate via livestream at: https://www.facebook.com/gan.nguyen.
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace.
(Br. Terry Burke , C.Ss.R. contributed to this article.)