Fresno bishop passes away - Catholic Rural Life

Fresno bishop passes away

Catholic Rural Life • February 8, 2013

Fresno bishop passes away

Most Reverend John T. Steinbock, 1937-2010

Bishop John T. Steinbock, Fourth Bishop of the Diocese of Fresno, passed into eternal glory at 3:10 a.m. Sunday, December 5, 2010. He was surrounded by family, his pastor, and friends.
The bishop was laid to rest on Dec. 14, at St. Peter’s Cemetery in Fresno following a Mass of Burial at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, Fresno. Thousands of people turned out to view his body  in Fresno’s St. John’s Cathedral in the day leading up to the funeral.
Bishop Steinbock died after a four month battle with lung cancer.
As reported in a Catholic News Agency Article:
“In August 2010, the bishop announced his diagnosis of stage three cancer in his lungs and lymph nodes, and began receiving radiation treatment and chemotherapy. Although he responded well to the initial treatments, he complained of breathing difficulties and was subsequently diagnosed with blood clots in his lungs and legs in November.
 
During the previous month, he had written and distributed a letter in which he reflected on his disease and the theological meaning of suffering. ‘The Affliction of Cancer: An Essay on a Christian Perspective’ is available through the Diocese of Fresno’s website at www.dioceseoffresno.org.”
“We had a good celebration for Bishop Steinbock,” said Father Mike McAndrew, priest of the Diocese of Fresno and NCRLC contributor. “Actually, it was rather fun to see the reporters learning about the bishop in ways that many of them did not know before. I had one great comment from an African American journalist that was particularly gratifying. She is not Catholic and said, ‘We are all going to miss Bishop Steinbock. Father, he was not just your pastor. We of other faiths felt his love too.'”
The Diocese of Fresno asks for prayers for the repose of the soul of Bishop John Steinbock. A special edition of the Central California Catholic Life will be published in remembrance of Bishop John T. Steinbock in the coming weeks. A detailed account of the funeral can be read at the Fresno Bee, or watch a news clip of his funeral below.

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