Rest in peace, Bishop Estabrook

Catholic News Services reports on the death of Bishop Joseph W. Estabrook, a priest of the Diocese of Albany:

Auxiliary Bishop Joseph W. Estabrook of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services died Feb. 4 in Houston following a lengthy illness. He was 67 years old. A priest of the Diocese of Albany, N.Y., where he was born, he was ordained an auxiliary for the military archdiocese in July 2004. He had been a chaplain in the Navy since 1977, earning the rank of captain in 1995. He retired from the Navy in September 2004. His body was to be received the evening of Feb. 9, followed by prayer, at Good Shepherd Church in the Washington suburb of Alexandria, Va. A funeral Mass was to be celebrated at the church the next morning.

A Memorial Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. on Saturday, February 11, 2012 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany. Viewing hours will be held in Albany at the Cathedral on Saturday, February 11 from 9:30 a.m. until 11.a.m.. Interment will take place at Calvary Cemetery in Glenmont, New York following the Memorial Mass.

Bishop Howard Hubbard, who will be the principal celebrant of the Memorial Mass, said: “Bishop Estabrook was a man of solid spirituality and pastoral sensitivity, and his premature passing marks a real loss for the Church and for the military. As a priest of the Albany diocese, he ministered effectively both in parish work and as director of our diocesan office of family life. As a Navy chaplain, he blended a gentle disposition with moral strength; as a result, military men and women frequently sought him out at times of special stress. He also served as an effective retreat master for Navy personnel and their families, as well as a capable recruiter of military chaplains. My sympathy goes especially to Bishop Estabrook’s dear mother and his family, and my prayers accompany him as he goes to his reward in the peace of God’s presence.”

The homilist at Saturday’s Memorial Mass will be Rev. Richard Vosko, a nationally-recognized liturgical architect who is an Albany diocesan priest and a classmate of Bishop Estabrook.