The Diocese of Rochester has announced the funeral arrangements for Bishop Emeritus Matthew Clark, who passed away Sunday.
A public visitation will be held from 3 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 29, at Sacred Heart Cathedral, 296 Flower City Park in Rochester. Evening Prayers will begin at 7 p.m.
Another public visitation will be held from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Monday, Jan. 30, at Sacred HeartCathedral. The funeral Mass will begin at noon. Burial in the Bishops Crypt at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery will immediately follow the funeral Mass.
Bishop Clark was 85 years old.
His death was announced in a letter released by his successor, Bishop Salvatore Matano. It reported that Clark died Sunday morning at the Sisters of St. Joseph of Rochester Motherhouse infirmary in Pittsford, where he had been living since June 2020. Clark had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2019, and Matano’s letter noted his death followed a period of declining health.
Obituary:Bishop Emeritus Matthew Clark dies at 85
Clark led Rochester’s Roman Catholic diocese for 33 years before he retired as bishop in September 2012.
Just 41 years old when he was installed before 10,000 rapt onlookers in the Community War Memorial arena in 1979, he was the second-youngest bishop in the United States.
He took an active role in community issues and consulted with government and business leaders. For a time, he was so well-known that he couldn’t walk down the street without being greeted every few paces by Catholics and non-Catholics alike.
His tenure reflected the tension over doctrine that has embroiled the American Catholic Church for many years. In the context of Catholicism, he was a progressive, and he clashed with the conservative hierarchy in the Vatican over things such as his advocacy for a greater role for women in the church, and for greater acceptance of gay and lesbian people.
Credit: Source link
