By Matthew Gambino • Posted September 26, 2025

Friends are remembering a former Philadelphia priest, Bishop Herbert A. Bevard, for his devotion to Jesus and Mary, and loving service to the people he served in the Philadelphia Archdiocese and the Diocese of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, of which he was retired.

He died peacefully in Wilmington, N.C. where he resided on Saturday, Sept. 20. He was 79.

The funeral Mass will be celebrated Friday, Sept. 26 at 2 p.m. at St. Athanasius Church in Philadelphia (watch the livestream here). Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz, retired Archbishop of Louisville and a close friend of Bishop Bevard, will be the main celebrant of the Mass.

Burial will follow in Oxford Cemetery in Oxford, Chester County.

In a statement, Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez expressed sadness for the bishop’s death.

“Bishop Bevard relied on the grace of God and the maternal protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary as he provided ministry as a bishop and priest in a spirit of charity, humility, and joy,” he said. (Read the full statement here.)

“The gratitude and affection he held for the countless souls he touched, especially among his beloved former parishioners of Saint Athanasius Parish in Philadelphia, was reflected back to him with love.”

Archbishop Pérez extended prayerful condolences to the bishop’s family and friends and to all the clergy, religious, and lay faithful in the Diocese of St. Thomas and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

“May God grant Bishop Bevard the gift of eternal life,” he said, “and may our Blessed Mother wrap her mantle of merciful consolation around all those who loved, admired, and respected him.”

Early conversion, lifelong friends

Herbert Armstrong Bevard was born in 1946 in Baltimore, Md., one of two sons of the late Charles Wright Bevard and Catherine Schafer Bevard. The family moved to Oxford, Chester County where he grew up and in which the seed of faith took root.

Although the family was Protestant and young Herbert attended public school, by fifth grade he became drawn to the Catholic Church, beginning instruction to enter the Church and serving at the altar of Sacred Heart Church.

He would return to Baltimore for high school, and after graduation he formally became Catholic. He attended Dickinson College near Carlisle, Pa. for two years before entering St. Charles Borromeo Seminary and formation as a priest.

Entering the seminary with him in 1966 were young men with whom he would maintain lifelong friendships.

“He was one of God’s own, (and) it’s a terrible loss,” said Father Joseph Dieckhaus, pastor emeritus of SS. Philip and James in Exton who will be the homilist for Bishop Bevard’s funeral Mass. “He was a priest after the heart of Christ.”

He would be ordained in 1974 but Bishop Bevard, since he had two years of college, was ordained a priest of Philadelphia by Cardinal John Krol in 1972 in the Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul.

Another early seminary classmate and member of the class of 1974 was perhaps Bishop Bevard’s closest friend, Archbishop Joseph Kurtz.

“He was like a brother to me, and to my family. We were very close,” said the archbishop.

Bishop Bevard “was very much a people person,” he said. “The person in front of him was the most important person. This showed especially in Philadelphia where he was pastor for 14 years. He loved people and attracted people to become Catholic.”

At St. Athanasius, a priest full of energy and joy

After pastoral service at several parishes, Bishop Bevard was named pastor of St. Athanasius Parish, which those who know and love the parish call St. A’s, located in the West Oak Lane section of Philadelphia.

He dove into his assignment, personally beautifying and gardening the parish grounds, one his hobbies.

For those tasks, a priest friend gave him a riding mower that included a snow-plow attachment, which Father Bevard used to clear the church sidewalks and schoolyard of snow.

Guessing that parishioners who received visits for holy Communion could not clear their sidewalks, he drove the tractor to them and cleared the snow. If a neighbor, Catholic or not, asked for help, he’d clear theirs too.

When he arrived at the parish, the upper church had been closed for 20 years, recalls Louise Frasier, a parishioner of St. A’s for 52 years. One late night she noticed lights on in the church, so her husband walked over to investigate. He found Father Bevard on his knees scrubbing the floor.

“He was determined to reopen that church, and he did,” she said. “He repaired the church and added an elevator too.”

Although sad with the realization that the same church will host her beloved pastor’s funeral Mass, she said, “I never saw someone so full of energy and happiness and joy. He wanted to meet everyone he could. He was a joy to have as a priest.”

Parishioner Janice Thomas called him a “warm, humble man of God,” from whom she took instruction upon becoming Catholic in 1999.

“I was attracted to his humility in explaining God’s love,” she said. “(Through) the Catechism, he taught me so much about my faith.” Despite doubts or struggles she’s had, Bishop Bevard’s example of living one’s Catholic faith is the reason she remains Catholic. “I had to stay,” she said.

Called to be bishop in U.S. Virgin Islands

In 2008, Pope Benedict XVI called the beloved pastor away from West Oak Lane to follow in the line of the Apostles as Bishop of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The current pastor of St. A’s observes that “people were very devoted to him. He was a model of the faith in how he lived,” said Father Joseph Okonski, also a son of the parish.

Because Bishop Bevard was a convert to Catholicism, he showed “phenomenal” commitment to instructing them and welcoming them into the Church, according to Father Okonski.

“He could speak to them, he could draw them in,” he said. “He gave no apology for the faith, (saying) ‘This is the fullness of the faith. Embrace it,’ and they did.”

Having become close to Bishop Bevard at the parish, Father Okonski remembers the bishop saying “the happiest years of his priesthood were at St. A’s. (It) was on the verge of closing, but he renovated the church and rejuvenated the parish.”

But the Church was calling him to a new mission field in the Virgin Islands.

“He hated to leave St. Athanasius,” said Archbishop Kurtz, but “as a bishop, he took the same approach as a priest: to do God’s will as best he could.

“He was a dynamo,” he added. “He loved to fix up churches and schools, expand charities. Most of all, he loved the people.”

A love for the ocean and a greater love for people

While he often traveled back to the Philadelphia area to preach in archdiocesan parishes and raise money for vital social and education ministries for the poor people of his diocese, the setting allowed Bishop Bevard to indulge in his lifelong love for tropical water.

“Nobody loved the ocean like him,” recalled Archbishop Kurtz. “Swimming, body surfing, scuba diving. He was playful. You had to watch you didn’t get dunked.”

His assignment to the Virgin Islands “was made to order,” said Father Dieckhaus, who learned to scuba dive at the bishop’s urging. “I didn’t have a choice!” he said.

Bishop Bevard “enjoyed instructing people to explore that land under water,” he said. More broadly, the bishop “loved when other people were enjoying themselves,” said Archbishop Kurtz.

Other interests of Bishop Bevard included enjoying opera, studying the French language, and traveling, especially as he led parishioners on tours of European cities and on cruises.

“Nothing was too good for his people,” said Father Okonski, and “nothing was too good for God.”

The bishop so loved flowers that he gained a reputation for filling churches with them, believing that “you can’t have too many flowers or candles in church,” said Father Okonski.

Pouring out his heart for God’s people

With all his energetic service, Bishop Bevard remained a devout, prayerful man.

“He was very devotional and loved our religion, especially Mary,” said his priestly ordination classmate, Msgr. Patrick Sweeney, pastor emeritus of Holy Family Parish in the city’s Manayunk section. “He demonstrated that love in his ministry. He was an exemplary priest and an ideal bishop. He represented the Church perfectly.”

As a priest, “he poured his heart into God’s people to help them draw closer to (God), and as a bishop, he was humbled, and he wore (the office) humbly,” said Father Dieckhaus. “He had a great love for the Lord through the Mother of God.”

Divine love and affection for people remain the indelible marks of Bishop Bevard for those who knew and loved him.

St. Athanasius parishioner Janice Thomas recalled how once when she was hospitalized with an asthma attack and recovering at home, her pastor called to check in on her. Assessing her need, he drove to a pharmacy, picked up her medications, and brought them to her.

In Bishop Bevard’s passing, “the world has lost a great light,” she said. “He’s resting and no longer suffering.”

Bishop Bevard “loved his people, and they loved him,” said Father Okonski.