By Archbishop Thomas Wenski - The Archdiocese of Miami

Archbishop Thomas Wenski preached this homily at the funeral Mass for Monsignor James Fetscher, who died Aug. 16, 2025. The Mass was celebrated Aug. 28, 2025, at Saint Sebastian Catholic Parish in Fort Lauderdale.

Today, we lay to rest Monsignor James Fetscher, a gentle, humble, and zealous pastor of souls. We commend his soul to the mercy of God.

He was a priest for 57 years!  And he held many positions of responsibility in the Archdiocese, but he is most remembered by the parishioners of Saint Louis Parish in Pinecrest, where he served as their pastor for 28 years, and by the parishioners of Saint Sebastian here in Fort Lauderdale, where he served as pastor for 13 years.

He was a member of the first ordination class of Saint Vincent de Paul Seminary, and so his passing also represents the end of an era. He was ordained in 1968, that tumultuous and terrible year, it was the year of protests against authority, the year of the sexual revolution and drugs, the year of riots in our inner cities and on our university campuses; it was the year of the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy; it was the year of Humanae Vitae that saw many walk away from the Church and reject her teachings. Certainly, it was not an easy year to begin one’s ministry as a Catholic priest.

Yet, Father Jim survived 1968, and he faced the challenges of the Church in the years that followed the Second Vatican Council. He survived because he was a man of faith, he was a friend of Jesus, and that friendship was nurtured in prayer, which allowed him to live not for himself but for him who died and rose (cf. 4th Eucharistic Prayer). He had in spades what we want every priest to have: what we call “pastoral charity.” His people came first.

As a priest he gazed on Jesus Christ hidden under the appearance of the bread that he consecrated at Mass each day. And each day his friendship with Jesus grew. Now we pray that he sees this friend face-to-face.

 Msgr. Fetscher – or Father Jim - like all we priests - carried this awesome treasure, which is our priesthood, in vessels of clay. So, we commend his soul to Jesus, his friend, praying that in his Divine Mercy, he will forgive him whatever sins he may have committed through human weakness. We priests know our weakness, and so we are not shy in asking prayers for Fr. Jim, and when we die, we hope that you will pray for us.

To Father Jim’s siblings, to Annie, his devoted assistant here at St. Sebastian, to Jack Averill, his dear friend, who spent many hours with him at his bedside these past several weeks, we extend our condolences. Grief is a difficult cross to bear, but as you see, you do not bear that cross alone.

The Fetscher family moved to Florida from New York, where Jim was born. He grew up in Holy Family Parish in North Miami –Msgr. Rowan Rastatter was his pastor back then, and later he came to Lake Worth, where he was my pastor. Msgr. Rastatter played an important role in both of our vocations. 

Jim Fetscher was a Church builder – now he didn’t build church buildings, though he did build a school at St. Louis. But he didn’t build church buildings; he built church communities, communities of faith, hope, and love. Communities that were schools of prayer and hubs of service.

He will be long remembered. The Fetscher family was extremely generous in giving this man to the Church, and we are grateful. Father Fetscher and his ministry were truly a gift to this local Church and to this parish.

Well done, good and faithful servant!  Enter into the rest of the Kingdom.

Eternal rest, grant unto him, O Lord.  May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace. 

Amen.