Gilberto Fernandez
Encyclopedia
Gilberto Fernández was the Auxiliary Bishop
Auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...

 of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami
The Archdiocese of Miami is a particular church of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States of America. Its ecclesiastic territory includes Broward, Miami-Dade, and Monroe counties in the U.S. state of Florida. The archdiocese is the metropolitan see for the Ecclesiastical Province of Miami,...

.

Priesthood at the Archdiocese of Havana

Bishop Fernández was born in Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...

, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...

. He studied at the Buen Pastor Seminary in Havana, and was ordained for the Archdiocese of Havana on May 17, 1959. He served in four parishes in the Havana area as the Assistant Pastor for El Salvador Church in Cerro, Havana (1959 to 1960), as the Administrator to St. Peter's Church in Batabano
Batabano
Batabano is the name of the Caribbean Carnival held in the Cayman Islands. It is an annual event held in May. There are two parades held during this time in Grand Cayman: one for adults and one for children...

, Havana (1960 to 1961), as the Administrator of the Cathedral of Havana (1961 to 1962) and as the Pastor to El Cerro Church, Havana (1962 to 1966), before coming to Miami in July 1967.

Priesthood at the Archdiocese of Miami

In Miami he served as Assistant Pastor at St. Ann's Mission in Naranja (September, 1967 to October, 1969), as the Administrator, Our Lady Queen of Peace in Delray Beach (October, 1969 to September, 1971), as Assistant Pastor at St. Patrick Church, Miami Beach (September, 1971 to June, 1974), as Pastor, Sacred Heart Church in Homestead
Homestead, Florida
Homestead is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States nestled between Biscayne National Park to the east and Everglades National Park to the west. Homestead is primarily a Miami suburb and a major agricultural area....

 (June, 1974 to May, 1979), as the Pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Miami (May, 1979 to April, 1988), as the Pastor at San Pablo Church in Marathon (April, 1988 to December, 1989), as Pastor at St. Kevin Church in Miami (December, 1989 to June, 1996) and as the Spiritual Director, St. John Vianney Seminary, Miami (June, 1996 to June, 1997).

Auxiliary Bishop of Archdiocese of Miami

He was appointed as an Auxiliary Bishop of Miami and the Titular Bishop of Hirina on June 23, 1997, and was ordained a Bishop on September 3, 1997. His Principal Consecrator was the then- Archbishop of Miami, John Clement Favalora. His Co-Consecrators were Archbishop Edward Anthony McCarthy and Auxiliary Bishop Agustin Roman
Agustin Roman
Agustin Roman is the retired Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Miami.His parents were Rosendo Román and Juana M. Rodríguez...

, all of Miami. Auxiliary Bishop Fernández resigned as Auxiliary Bishop because of health reasons on December 10, 2002. At the time, he did not disclose what they were, but asked the people of South Florida "to help me with your prayers, and I will help you also with mine." At the time of his death, news reports said he had suffered from Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...

. Auxiliary Bishop Fernández, 76, died, after a long illness, on Friday, September 30, 2011. The current Archbishop of Miami, Thomas G. Wenski, celebrated a Funeral Mass on Monday, October 3, 2011 for him. Those who worked with the late Bishop said they will remember him as being humble, gentle and "a true Christian gentleman." Archbishop Wenski called him his "twin," referring to the fact that they were ordained together as Auxiliary Bishops of Miami on September 3, 1997, by the now-retired Archbishop Favalora. He retired after just a few short years as a Bishop, "but his long illness was a cross that he embraced and offered" for the Miami Archdiocese, the Archbishop said in a statement. "We trust that he will continue to pray for us as we now entrust his soul to the Lord. May he rest in peace." The Funeral Mass was celebrated at St. Mary Cathedral, followed by burial in the priests section of Our Lady of Mercy Cemetery in Miami.

His Family

His parents were Jose Fernández and Consuelo Villar. His siblings are Msgr. Orlando Fernández (1926–2000), and Father Nelson Fernández, both of the Archdiocese of Miami; another brother, Fausto Fernández, is administrator of Marian Towers, an archdiocesan apartment complex for low-income elderly; Sister Lilia Fernández is a Sisters of St. Joseph
Sisters of St. Joseph
The title Sisters of St. Joseph applies to several Roman Catholic religious congregations of women. The largest and oldest of these was founded in Le Puy-en-Velay, France...

 of St. Augustine
St. Augustine
-People:* Augustine of Hippo or Augustine of Hippo , father of the Latin church* Augustine of Canterbury , first Archbishop of Canterbury* Augustine Webster, an English Catholic martyr.-Places:*St. Augustine, Florida, United States...

 who ministers at Mercy Hospital
Mercy Hospital
-Australia:* Werribee Mercy Hospital - Werribee, Victoria* Mercy Hospital for Women, Melbourne - Heidelberg, Victoria* Mercy Hospital, Western Australia - Mount Lawley, Western Australia-New Zealand:* Mercy Hospital - Auckland...

 in Coconut Grove; two other sisters, Ondina and Teresita, live in Miami and another brother, Miguel Angel Fernández, lives in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

with his wife and two daughters.
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