The Irish standard., 1915-03-20
DEATH OF RT. REV. JOSEPH j.
FOX, BISHOP OF GREEN BAY.

Win many people, too, all over the
country mourns the demise in the
prime of life, of the Right Rev. Joseph
]. Fox. After an operation in the
Alexian Brothers Hospital, Chicago.
the bishop rallied and seemed to be on
the road to recovery when to the sur
prise of physicians and grief of watch.
ing relatives and friends he began to
sink and expired on Tuesday, March
14th,
The remains of Bishop Fox arrived
in Green Bay, March 16, and were
met by the clergy and members of all
the Catholic societies of the city, De
Pere and other points in Brown county.
Wisconsin.
Badges were worn by the society
members and each order had it's flag
and banner bearers at the head of it's
delegation. With the societies acting
as an escort the remains were taken
to st. Francis Xavier's cathedral to
lay in state.
The funeral was held Thursday
morning. The services were conducted
at 10 o'clock at the cathedral.
The bishop is survived by three sis
tiers and two brothers, also a number
of nieces and nephews. The sisters
and brothers are Mother Cecilia of
Racine, Peter Fox of Chicago, An
thony Fox of Seattle, Mrs. A. A. Wink
of Green Bay, Mrs. P. S. Young of
Chicago.
The nieces and nephews are Father
Raymond Fox of Seymour, Alfred
Erne, Walter, Gertrude and Frances
Fox of Chicago, Marie and Celia
Reitz of Chicago, Clifford and Evelyn
Fox of San Francisco, Anna, A. M.
and William Fox of Seattle, Joseph
Madeline, Mary Louise and Arnold
Wink of Green Bay, Lucille Young OF
Chicago and Otto Beck of St. Louis.
He was chiefly responsible for the
building of the fine institution known
as st. Joseph's orphanage.
While he served the diocese as it's
bishop, he saw the number of priests
increase from 161 to 221, the number
of parish schools increase from "a
to $50, the number of parishes having
resident pastors increase from 1876 to
$50. The population of the diocese was
1880 when he assumed the episcopal
chair and it now exceeds $4,000. The
number of children attending the Cath
olic schools, colleges and academies in
the diocese has increased from 14,300
to 1860.
Bishop Fox was native of Wiscon-
sin. He was born Aug. 2, 1855, in Green
Bay, his parents being Mr.. and Mrs.
Paul Fox. When boy he attended the
school of st. Francis Xavier's cathedral
the church of which he was the head
during the last years of his life. He
pursued his advanced classical studies
at the st. Francis seminary, Milwaukee.
He studied theology at Louvain, Bel
GUM, and was ordained to the priest
hood June Z, 1879. His first pastoral
work was done at New Franken in
Brown county, Wis. For three years
he was in charge of st. Johns church
in Green Bay, and in 1883 he was ap-
pointed pastor of the church of Our
Lady Of Lourdes at Marinette. That
was the only Catholic church in Mar
'inette at that time, and during II years
of service there the young priest exert
ed great influence in the spiritual de-
velopment of the city.
In 1894 while Archbishop Messmer
was bishop of the Green Bay diocese,
Father Fox was appointed vicar gen.
eral by him. He succeeded the bishop
when he was appointed to the head of
the Milwaukee see ten years later, in
1904. While vicar general he was ap-
pointed a domestic prelate with the
title of monsignore, and he was the
first to receive that honor in the do
cese of Green Bay.
Archbishop Messmer of Milwaukee.
came to Green Bay to officiate at the
requiem mass for Bishop Fox. The
archbishop and bishop were intimate
friends.
Tribute to Bishop Fox from the Green
Bay Gazette.-A Bereaved Diocese.
The news of the death of the Rt.
Rev. j. j. Fox, bishop of this Roman
Catholic diocese, at Chicago this
morning came as a terrible shock to
all, who had been in hopes that he
would recover after his operation at
the Alexian Brothers Hospital last
week. Disease had gained too strong
hold, however, and all that science
and skill could do was unavailing, and
his weakened condition was unable to
Withstand the shock.
Few men have been so loved in this
city and diocese as has the departed
prelate, his personal character, his
devotion and piety, having drawn men
to him, and the loss to the city and
world is great. The mourning for him
is deep and sincere, and only the belief
that he is relieved from further pain
and has been taken to better world