Bro. Jim Fisher, SVD

“Jesus walked this earth as a Brother, therefore we as Brothers are called to walk this earth like Jesus did” (opening sentence to the Washington Statement on Brotherhood by the National Brothers Conference)

Bro. Jim Fisher, SVD (1954 - 1998) did walk this earth like Jesus did. Like Jesus, Jim was a carpenter and created beautiful items for family, friends and parishioners. Like Jesus, Jim enjoyed good food, drink and gatherings with people. Like Jesus, Jim treated everyone he met as an equal—as a brother—no matter their religion, economic status or race. Like Jesus, Jim broke open and shared the scriptures with his community and the people he served; and like Jesus, Jim took time off to be with his heavenly Father to discern God’s will.

Bro. Jim died in the rectory of St. Anselm Parish in Chicago, where he served the African American community with understanding, love and respect. All Divine Word Missionaries are called to be one with other cultures, to dialogue with those of other religions, the poor and the marginalized. Jim served with confidence, commitment and conviction within the African American community. This was evident whether he was teaching carpentry to teens in Lafayette, Louisiana; serving as Pastoral Administrator in Maurice, Louisiana, or being present as a Pastor Team member to the faith community of St. Anselm’s. Bro. Jim could also be found visiting the sick, the homebound, fixing a bicycle or just listening attentively to a story of someone from the community.

Bro. Jim was a man who believed in community and the need to share the joys and trials of apostolic ministry. Bro. Jim recognized the need to support and encourage one another while also sharing in setbacks that comes with ministering in a parish. Jim enjoyed life and enjoyed sharing that life in community and in parish ministry. This example is Bro. Jim Fisher’s legacy as a Divine Word Missionary, and one that we can all emulate.

Yes, Bro. Jim’s charism and passion for serving and being one within the African community lives on in the Brother Jim Fisher, SVD Center, which serves the neediest on Chicago’s South side. I hope more young men will reflect on and respond to God’s call, so that they may walk this earth like Jesus did—like Bro. Jim did. That way, more will work to take the Gospel message where it needs to be enfleshed, so that the reign of God is at hand.


About the Author: Bro. Bernie Spitzley, SVD, entered formation to become a Divine Word Missionary in 1968. He professed First Vows as a Divine Word Missionary in 1975 and graduated from Divine Word College in 1977 with a BA degree in Sociology. Bro. Bernie earned his MA in Sociology from Loyola University in Chicago in 1981 and professed Perpetual Vows as a Divine Word Missionary that same year. He served on the formation team at Divine Word College from 1981 to 1990 and was Dean of Students for six of those years. In 1990 he was assigned to Washington, DC to be the Director of Brother Formation for the Society’s Wendelin House. He also worked at NETWORK, a Catholic lobbyist organization. Since 1999, he has been serving at Our Lady of the Assumption Parish in Morant Bay, Jamaica, as the parish’s Social Development Director where overseas three local food and clothing distribution centers and has helped construct over 3000 homes for those in need. Bro. Bernie also started two bible-sharing communities as centers for primary evangelization.