Patrick
Joseph
Fleming
was born
on
September
23, 1912
in
Belfast,
Ireland,
son of the
late
Samuel
Fleming
and Mary
McVeety.
He is
survived
by his
brother,
James,
nephews
and
nieces.
His
brother,
John, and
his
sisters,
Mary (Coogan),
Anna
(Hayden)
and
Margaret,
predeceased
him.
Early
Education
Pat
attended
primary
school at
St. Mary,
Star of
the Sea,
in
Brooklyn,
NY. He
graduated
from
Bishop
Loughlin
High
School in
1931.
Pat
studied at
Columbia
University
College of
Pharmacy
from 1931
to 1934,
earning a
Pharmaceutical
Graduate
degree in
1934. Pat
attended
St.
John’s
College in
Brooklyn
from
1934-1935.
Vincentian
Formation
Pat
began his
studies
for the
priesthood
at St.
Joseph’s
College in
Princeton,
NJ in
1935,
earning
his A.B.
in 1938.
Novitiate
From
1938-1940,
Pat and
his class
made their
novitiate
at St.
Vincent’s
Seminary,
Germantown,
pronouncing
vows on
June 17,
1940.
Mary
Immaculate
Seminary
Pat
moved to
Mary
Immaculate
Seminary,
Northampton,
PA after
vows to
continue
his
theological
studies.
Ordination
to the
priesthood
with his
18
classmates
followed
on May 29,
1943 in
the
Cathedral
of SS.
Peter and
Paul at
the hands
of Dennis
Cardinal
Dougherty.
Father
Pat spent
the summer
after
ordination
as curate
in St.
Vincent’s
Parish,
Philadelphia.
In
September
he was
assigned
to St.
John’s
Preparatory
School in
Brooklyn,
NY, where
he taught
Biology.
St.
Joseph’s,
Princeton
In
1948
Father Pat
was
transferred
to St.
Joseph’s
College,
Princeton,
NJ, where
he taught
many
classes of
seminarians
History,
Biology,
Chemistry
and the
Physical
Sciences
over a
period of
twenty
years. He
also
taught
Religion,
and was
Acting
Dean -
Principal
of the
High
School.
During
these
years,
Father Pat
studied
Biology at
St.
John’s
University,
earning
his B.S.
in 1945
and his
M.S. in
1948.
St.
John
Vianney,
Miami
In
1968,
Father Pat
moved to
St. John
Vianney
Seminary,
Miami, FL,
where he
continued
to teach
Biology
and
Chemistry.
He also
serve as
Spiritual
Director
of the
College
Department
and
Principal
of the
High
School
Department.
In
1975,
Father Pat
was
missioned
to St.
Vincent’s
Seminary
in
Germantown,
where he
served as
Acting
Assistant
Superior.
Vocation
Ministry
In
1976,
Father Pat
returned
to St.
Joseph’s
Preparatory
Seminary,
Princeton
as
Associate
Vocation
Director.
During
these
years, as
one
confrere
remembers:
"With
his
boisterous
voice and
wide
smile, he
spoke
about how
God might
be calling
some of us
students
to become
priests
and
religious.
In a very
nonchalant
way, he
invited us
to ‘Come
and See’
how the
CMs lived,
worked and
played.
That took
me to the
workshop
in
Princeton
where I
met so
many of
you who
confirmed
for me
that God
was indeed
calling me
to the
priesthood
and, more
specifically,
the
Community."
Another
confrere
recalls
that
"My
family
often
talked
about his
'home
visit'
when I was
applying
for the
seminary."
Vocation
work also
involved
Father Pat
in
speaking
frequently
at
Vincentian
Vocation
Club
breakfasts.
"Rumor
has it
that the
men in the
audience
always
knew the
real punch
lines of
the jokes
he had
'cleaned
up'."
Chaplain
In
1983 he
returned
to St.
Vincent’s
Seminary
in
Germantown,
where he
served as
sub-Assistant
Superior,
and
Chaplain
to St.
Catherine’s
Infirmary.
In
1990,
Father Pat
was
missioned
to
Loudonville,
NY where
he served
as
Chaplain
to the
Daughters
of Charity
at their
Provincial
House in
Menands,
NY.
In
1994
Father Pat
returned
to St.
Vincent’s
Seminary,
Philadelphia,
serving in
General
Ministry.
St.
Catherine’s
Infirmary
He
entered
St.
Catherine’s
Infirmary
in
October,
1994. As
the years
progressed,
Father
Pat’s
health had
its ups
and downs.
He
retained
his
cheerful
spirit,
love for
Ireland
and things
Irish. He
was always
happy to
receive
many
visitors
and
friends.
During
the month
of May,
2002, he
grew
weaker,
showing
signs that
he was
slipping
away from
us and on
his way to
heaven.
God called
him home
on Tuesday
morning,
June 11,
2002. As
one
confrere
put it:
"I’m
sure
heaven is
ringing
with his
laughter!"
And
another
confrere:
"I
will miss
his wide
Irish
smile, his
boisterousness,
his
amazing
energy,
his
kindness,
and his
unrelenting
efforts to
extend an
invitation
to others
to
consider a
possible
vocation
to the
priesthood
and/or
religious
life."
And still
another
confrere:
"We
can
certainly
use his
hearty
laughter
and
optimism
today".
Wake/Viewing
and
Funeral
Family
and
Confreres
gathered
on Friday,
June 14th
to pray
for Father
Pat. At
the
evening
Wake, they
prayed the
Rosary and
a Vigil
for the
Deceased.
During the
latter,
both
family and
confreres
shared
their
remembrances
of Pat
Fleming, a
wonderful
person
whose life
enriched
both his
family and
all those
to whom he
ministered
as a
Vincentian
priest.
On
Saturday,
June 15th,
a Funeral
Mass was
held in
Mary’s
Central
Shrine at
10:30 AM.
Father
Thomas F.
McKenna,
CM,
Provincial
Superior,
was
principal
celebrant,
assisted
by Father
Pat’s
classmates,
Frs. John
McDonnell,
and Joe
O’Donnell,
and about
twenty
confrere
concelebrants.
Father
John
Hodnett,
who had
known Pat
at
Princeton,
preached
the
homily.
After
lunch at
St.
Vincent’s
Seminary,
family and
confreres
traveled
to St.
Joseph’s
Seminary,
Princeton,
where
Father Pat
was laid
to rest in
the
cemetery
with his
Vincentian
confreres.
"May
this
worthy
servant
now rest
from his
many
labors in
God’s
eternal
care!"
Courtsey
of William
Sheldon,
C.M.