Archbishop Emeritus of Suva, George H. Pearce, SM died on Sunday, August 30.
He was 94.
Pearce was a member of the Society of Mary.
He was ordained a priest in 1947 by Archbishop Richard J. Cushing at Our Lady of Victories Church in Boston, Massachusetts.
He taught at the Marist Fathers’ Preparatory Seminary in Bedford, Massachusetts from 1947-48; and at St. Mary’s High School in Van Buren, Maine from 1948-1949.
From 1949 to 1967 he worked in the Samoa.
In February 1956, Pearce was appointed Vicar Apostolic of the Islands of Samoa and Tokelau and ordained a bishop on June 29, 1956 in Boston, Massachusetts.
In June 1966, Pearce was appointed the first Bishop of the Diocese of Apia (Samoa) and in June 1967, he was transferred to the Metropolitan See as Archbishop of Suva (Fiji Islands).
He also served also as administrator of the Diocese of Agana (Guam and the Marianas Islands) from 1969 to 1971.
He was the first President of the Pacific Conference of Catholic Bishops (CEPAC).
Archbishop Pearce participated in the four eight-week sessions of the Second Vatican Council in Rome from 1962-1965.
He was one of the last living Council Fathers.
In October 1969, he also participated in the first Extraordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in Rome.
While serving as Archbishop of Suva Pearce wanted to reinvigorate the work of evangelization among Fiji’s large Indian population.
He visited India and made contact with a religious congregation founded in India for evangelization – the Indian Mission Society.
Together they planned for a parish-based mission in Nadi Town with an associated Ashram.
His successor Archbishop Petero Mataca continued to offer the dream of an Archdiocesan Ashram strong support and under his direction the Ashram buildings were constructed and opened in 1977.
In April 1976, Pearce resigned as the Archbishop of Suva and returned to the United States.
From 1977 to 1979, he served as a member of the Core Group of Bethany House of Intercession at Warwick Neck, Rhode Island, and from 1979 to 1983, at its location at Hastings-on-Hudson, New York.
From 1983 until 1997 he was a personal assistant to Bishop Louis E. Gelineau and was in residence at the Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul in Providence, RI.
In recent years, he continued to help with Confirmations and other pontifical ceremonies in the Diocese of Providence.
He was very active in the charismatic and pro-life movements and on April 15, 1999, he received a pro-life award at the Pro-Life Conference held at the Inn at the Crossings in Warwick, Rhode Island.
In recent years he resided at Saint Antoine Residence, North Smithfield.
The Rite of Reception of his body will be celebrated on Friday, September 4 at the Cathedral of Saints Peter & Paul, Providence, Rhode Island, at 9:00AM.
Archbishop Pearce’s Funeral will take place at the Cathedral of Saints Peter & Paul, Providence, on Friday, September 4, 2015 at 11:00AM.
Source
- Supplied: Office of the Chancellor DIOCESE OF PROVIDENCE
- Image: medjugorje.ws
