Our brother,
Father Gerald Steinmetz, OFM, died peacefully on Sunday evening, October 17, 2021, at San Juan Diego Friary, Albuquerque, NM. He had retired there earlier this year. Even as he battled the effects of recurring illness, he participated in the life of the friary, and continued his service as a member of the Provincial Council of Our Lady of Guadalupe Province.
Fr. Gerry happily celebrated his 50th anniversary of priestly ordination earlier this year, with friars, family and friends in attendance. His ministry in the Southwest included service at St. Theresa, Grants, NM; Sacred Heart Cathedral, Gallup, NM; St. Francis, Gallup; Holy Family Parish, Albuquerque, NM; Jemez Pueblo; San Juan Bautista in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico; the Vicariate of Requena in Peru; and--most recently, the Pueblos of Acoma and Laguna, NM.
The friars will receive Fr. Gerry’s body at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, November 3, at Holy Family Church, Albuquerque. Visitation will continue until 10 a.m., when the funeral Mass will be celebrated. Burial will follow in the friars’ plot at Mount Calvary Cemetery, Albuquerque. A lunch will follow the committal service, at Holy Family.
For those wishing to honor Fr. Gerry’s memory, donations may be made to Southwest Franciscan Missions, PO Box 12395, Albuquerque, NM 87195.
May he rest from his labors, with the Lord, whom he loved and served!