Remember Fitz

A EULOGY IN MEMORY OF JOHN (“FITZ”) FITZGERALD 

 

Thomas G. Muldoon

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church

San Francisco, California

March 9, 2024 

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Hi, I'm Tom Muldoon

 

On behalf of all of Fitz' friends we want to thank Sara and Mary Kay and Joe Cuilann for being first responders and to offer our condolences to them and all of Fitz' family. You are in our hearts.

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And what a joy to celebrate with these women from Sophia. I'd say "It's about time" but it's been about time for a really long time.

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In 1956, 68 years ago, Dwight Eisenhower was in his first term as president and a group of young men showed up at the newly opened Notre Dame High School for Boys in Niles, Illinois. Fitz and I were among them. Our relationship was transactional at first. After a few years it matured into friendship and over the next decade or so blossomed into Brotherly Love. He was my dearest friend, my touchstone, my conscience. He was such a great source and had marvelous insight on lots of issues: the Church, Notre Dame, politics, music, theater. I even took my then girlfriend, Patty to Washington to meet him. Actually it was to get his sign off before I proposed to her. Hegave her the seal of approval and we got married later that year and we still are.

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I know everyone here has favorite memories of Fitz. Allow me to share a few of mine.

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In 1984, Fitz had been ordained for 15 years. At that point every priest in the congregation was given a sabbatical. They could pursue whatever interest was important to them. Many of them went to study in world capitals, like Rome or Paris or up the road here in Berkeley. These sabbaticals cost a lot of money. However Fitz had a different idea. For his sabbatical, he wanted to learn more about the poor and how to care for them. So he asked the Provincial for $100, the cost of a Greyhound Bus pass which would give a year's worth of travel. He set off on those buses totravel the country searching for the best solutions to care for the poor. His template was the Houses of Hospitality founded by Dorothy Day. On many of those nights, he slept on the street.

 

He finally settled on Phoenix because its warm climate attracted lots of homeless folks and the city provided no resources to care for them. So he and his friend, Mike Baxter founded Andre Houseproviding food and

 

shelter for those most in need. They had to scrounge around for funds but they made it a working enterprise with loads of volunteers. My wife and I visited him there and with our sons helped work the food line.

 

Whenever I see a Greyhound Bus, I think of Fitz. Whenever I see someone asleep on the street, I think of Fitz.

 

He may not have been the greatest of us, but he surely devoted his life to the least of us.

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Fitz was a great story teller, relating all the experiences he had in his ministry. I'm sure many of youwere on mailing list for his Christmas letters and we eagerly awaited their arrival. Here's one of myfavorite stories from the 2009 letter.

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Fitz had been supporting Ab Mikva, a Chicago congressman who had asked Fitz to say the grace prayer at a fundraising dinner. Senator Ted Kennedy was also in attendance. When he learned that Fitz was from Notre Dame he told him a story about sailing as a young man with his father off Hyannisport. Also aboard was Fr. John Cavanaugh, a future president of Notre Dame who grabbed Teddy by the shoulders and said, "Don't ever forget that you have had the good fortune to be born into the two greatest institutions in the world -       the Roman Catholic Church and theDemocratic Party." Hearty laughter ensued from both the Senator and Fitz.

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Those letters contained lots of stories like this: Stories of redemption, joy, humor and sometimes sorrow.

Fitz was family. He officiated at my sister's wedding. She died a few years after that and everyyear Fitz would send an email noting the anniversary of her death. He was present at the weddings of my sons and he has met my grandchildren.

 

Any remembrance of Fitz has to include music. When we were together in the seminary, a bunch of us would gather around his piano and sing show tunes. Many years later he and the Broadway Babies entertained the guests at Loaves and Fishes celebrations at the Oakland Newman Center. Nearly every email I got from him described his attendance at the San Francisco Symphony with Michael Tilson Thomas or his standing for hours reveling in an opera.

 

He kept up a longstanding correspondence with the opera star, Leontine Price. He reveled in the music of Judy Garland, Barbara Cooke, Judy Collins and Audra McDonald.

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There's a famous line in the musical, "42nd Street". Jerry Ohrbach's character proclaims that thetwo greatest words in the English language were "Musical Comedy"! Fitz agreed. He loved Broadway. He would come to New York and see 6 or 7 different shows in 5 days and maybe squeeze in a performance at the Metropolitan Opera. They should have awarded him a Tony for simple endurance.

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Let me conclude by revisiting a musical. "Wicked" was not one of Fitz' favorites but a few years ago, Itold him that one of it's songs perfectly summed up my feelings for him. It's from that famous duetbetween Glinda and Elfaba.

 

Don't worry, I'm not going to sing it but let me give you a snippet of the lyrics:

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I've heard it said,

That people come into our lives for a reason

Bringing something we must learn.

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And we are led to those

Who help us most to grow if we let them.

And we help them in return.

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Well, I don't know if I believe that's true

But I know I'm who I am today

Because I knew you.

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So much of me

Is made of what I learned from you.

You'll be with me like a handprint on my heart.

Who can say if I've beenchanged for the better

 

But because I knew you...

 

Because I knew you..

 

I have been changed for good.

 

Love you, Fitz