September (Keepsake edition) - St. Augustine Catholic

Bishop Snyder 

September 2001

Wishing a long, happy and healthy retirement 

to 

Bishop John J. Snyder, D.D. 

from the 

Bishop Kenny High School Community 

With deepest gratitude for your many years of 

support of Catholic education in our diocese 

IFCA ST. AUGUSTINE CATHOLIC • SEPTEMBER 2001

contents page 

September 2001 

Keepsake Edition 

The St. Augustine Catholic is the official magazine of the Diocese of Saint 

Augustine, which embraces 17 counties spanning northeast and north central 

Florida from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean. The diocese covers 

11,032 square miles and serves 143,000 registered Catholics. 

3 Editor’s Note 

features 

14 Well Done, Good and 

Faithful Servent by Bill Tierney 

The list of Bishop Snyder’s accomplishments, his 

support of a host of programs and endeavors, bring 

real meaning to the phrase, “Well done, good and 

faithful servant.” 

16 The Pendant by Delores Leckey 

Bishop Snyder’s work to promote the role of 

women in the church. 

Page 8 

4 Bishop Snyder Remembers by Chelle Delaney 

His first homily. The gains we’ve made together. The relationships 

he has made and cherishes. 

8 Faith Leaders Remember Bishop Snyder 

by Natalie Cornell 

Baptist, Episcopalian, Methodist and Jewish leaders recall a man of deep 

friendship and faith. 

12 Women Religious Grateful to Bishop Snyder 

by Maureen Kelley, OP 

Several sisters tell how Bishop Snyder’s leadership supported their ministries. 

You’re Invited 

Reception Honoring Our Retiring Bishop 

John J. Snyder 

October 28 

4 to 7 p.m. 

Prime Osborn Convention Center, Jacksonville 

Open to the public 

Light refreshments will be served 

Join community leaders in thanking 

Bishop Snyder for his 22 years of service 

to the people of Northeast and Northcentral Florida. 

No invitations will be issued. All are welcome to attend. 

For more information, call 262-3200, ext. 399 . 

18 His Legacy: Stewardship 

by Francis Scholtz 

How Bishop Snyder’s efforts led to the establishment 

of the Stewardship Office and the Catholic Foundation. 

20 Bishop Snyder Enables 

the Disabled by Sister Rita Baum, SSJ 

Harbor House, camps for the disabled and the 

Disabilities Ministries were enabled by the bishop. 

22 Education: Shaping Leaders 

for Tomorrow by Patricia A. Tierney 

The children of our diocese know him well; and 

most can tell you: “He wanted to be a Cardinal, 

but he couldn’t pitch a curve ball.” 

24 His 21 Fruitful Years as 

Bishop of St. Augustine 

Focus on Community 

by Margo C. Pope 

St. Augustine Record Reporter Margo Pope shares 

insights from her June interview with Bishop Snyder. 

29 Photo Gallery 

From his toddling days in Flushing to a student 

seminarian to shepherding the faithful. 

On The Cover: 

(l to r, top to bottom) Rachel Danese, Ryan Bush, Lauren Bush, 

Melissa Mahoney, Victoria Carroll (upside down), Michelle 

Mahoney, Bishop Snyder, Stephen Racicot, Alyssa Sapin 

Photography by Terry Wilmot/Visual Impact 

Member of the 

Catholic Press 

Association 

32 Reflections about 

Bishop Snyder 

Personal reflections about Bishop Snyder from 

those who know him well. 

ST. AUGUSTINE CATHOLIC • KEEPSAKE EDITION 1

Cardinal William H. Keeler 

and all God s people in the Archdiocese of 

Baltimore congratulate and give thanks to 

the Lord for 

Bishop John J. Snyder 

on his 22 years of faithful service 

in Saint Augustine 

Basilica of the National Shrine 

of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary 

Cornerstone laid in 1806 by Bishop John Carroll 

The Mother Cathedral of the Catholic Church in the United States 

www.archbalt.org 

2 ST. AUGUSTINE CATHOLIC • SEPTEMBER 2001

editor’s notes 

Retired 

But Definitely Not Forgotten 

It has been bittersweet writing my column for this 

Kathleen Bagg-Morgan 

“Special Keepsake Edition” of the St. Augustine Catholic. 

This issue has been a real labor of love for Bishop Snyder and 

a tribute to his many accomplishments as Bishop of Saint Augustine for the past 22 years. 

From a selfish point of view, I will miss seeing his ever-glowing smile at the Catholic 

Center. But I also realize that he has earned the opportunity to explore other areas of 

interest and to relax from his ominous schedule of administering to the many needs of 

the diocese. It is also comforting to know that he will remain in the area and we will 

continue to see him. 

In August, I celebrated my 15th anniversary as Director of Communications for the 

diocese. It was Bishop Snyder who hired me and it doesn’t seem possible that we are now 

producing an issue of the St. Augustine Catholic on the occasion of his retirement. 

Bishop Snyder has always encouraged me to find new ways to communicate the Good 

News to the people of the diocese while at the same time challenging me to do it without 

increasing my budget! The St. Augustine Catholic was born 10 years ago and it was Bishop 

Snyder who encouraged me and the Communications Commission to take a leap of 

faith in producing a periodical that would inform, educate and hopefully inspire our 

readers as they continue their faith journey. 

He will be the first one to admit that he is not a technological guru, but he knows 

of its importance and he has always supported our efforts in finding the best and most 

effective ways to communicate the Gospel message that will hopefully bring people into 

a closer relationship with our Lord — a pledge he made when he was first installed as 

the eighth Bishop of Saint Augustine. 

Through his gifts as a great communicator, he has touched many lives and he has been 

truly a gifted spokesperson for the church in North Florida. The news media are always 

quick to tell me that they love Bishop Snyder and they have enjoyed interviewing him. 

He made my job in media relations much easier. 

Bishop Snyder never was one to use a computer or even voice mail for that matter! 

But I am told that he now has a computer where he will hopefully keep in touch via 

email with his many friends in the diocese and those he has met along the way in his 

work on both the local and national levels. And perhaps we will be able to talk him into 

writing for the magazine on occasion! 

Putting together this issue of the magazine was quite rewarding. I found out things 

about Bishop Snyder that I never knew. Inside you will find testimonials, kind thoughts 

and best wishes from many individuals who Bishop Snyder has touched over the years. 

They are truly an outpouring of gratitude for his strong leadership as our shepherd and 

faithful servant. This issue is a definite keepsake and I hope all of you will stay in touch 

with Bishop Snyder as he enjoys his years of retirement. 

I would also like to thank our advertisers and contributors for their kind support. 

Without them, this issue would not be possible. 

Thank you Bishop Snyder and may God continue to bless you with many happy 

and healthy years. 

Publisher Most Reverend John J. Snyder 

Editor 

Associate Editor 

Contributing Writer 

Advertising Manager 

Layout and Design 

Printer 

Diocesan Editorial 

Board 

Diocesan 

Communication 

Commission 


Chelle Delaney 

Natalie R. Cornell 

J. Michael Lenninger, APR 

Jennifer Holland 

Holland Creative Services 

Allied Printing, Inc. 


Sister Lucille Clynes, DW 

Chelle Delaney 

Msgr. James Heslin 

Patrick McKinney 

Father Victor Z. Narivelil, CMI 

Evelyn Tovar 

Art Marshall, chair 

Rev. Ralph Besendorfer, J.C.D. 

Mary Ann Christensen 

Dean Fiandaca 

John Halloran 

Msgr. R. Joseph James 

Patrick McKinney 

Kate Romano-Norton 

The St. Augustine Catholic Magazine 

is published bimonthly (six times a year) by the 

Diocese of Saint Augustine 

Office of Communications 

P.O. Box 24000 

Jacksonville, FL 32241-4000 

(904) 262-3200, ext. 110 

Fax: (904) 262-2398 

E-Mail: KTBAGG@aol.com 

Visit the 

St. Augustine Catholic 

magazine online at: 

www.StAugCatholic.org 

To learn more about the 


see our homepage at: 

www.dosaonline.com 

Kathleen Bagg-Morgan, editor 


Bishop Snyder 

Remembers 

Over the past several days, there have 

been more and more vacant places on 

the walls of the bishop’s office at the 

Catholic Center in the Mandarin 

neighborhood of Jacksonville. Pictures, 

mementos, gifts, recognitions of 

various sorts are being packed away. 

When the bishop pulls open one of the 

drawers of his desk, it is nearly empty. 

By Chelle Delaney 

Bishop John J. Snyder, 75, the 

eighth bishop of Saint Augustine, 

is winding down nearly 22 years as 

the pastoral leader of our diocese. Pope John 

Paul II accepted Bishop Snyder’s resignation 

in December 2000; in June 2001 the Holy 

Father appointed Msgr. Victor Galeone of 

the Archdiocese of Baltimore to be the new 

bishop of the Diocese of Saint Augustine. 

At the ordination and installation Mass on 

Aug. 21, Victor Galeone became the ninth 

bishop of Diocese of Saint Augustine. 

To make way for the new bishop, Bishop 

Snyder has said that he plans to be low key 

for a about a year. He doesn’t want to be 

a shadow to the new bishop. He does, 

however, plan “with great joy to attend 

the dedications of our new churches in 

the fall.” As the celebrating bishop who 

attended to the dedication rites, he often 

didn’t get a chance to see and appreciate 

all the architectural details or new features 

of a new church building or school. Now 

he’ll be able to investigate and enjoy it. 


“After that year,” he said, “we’ll see. I 

have every expectation that the bishopelect 

and I are going to relate very well.” 

He added that he hopes to keep in 

contact with the other bishops of the state 

of Florida with whom he’s served since his 

installation on Dec. 5, 1979. “We’ve had 

a very fine relationship,” Bishop Snyder 

said, “And they already have some plans 

to put me to work.” 

“‘Retirement,’” Bishop Snyder said, “doesn’t 

stop you from being a priest. If ‘retirement’ 

means letting go of administration and the 

power of a bishop, I’m very happy to be 

letting go. But to continue to be a priest 

and a bishop, that, to me, is a joy. 

“It is going to take a little while to 

figure out how I’m going to minister in the 

future. I would hope that my involvement 

in prison ministry and with people who 

have developmental disabilities would be 

two anchors for me as long as the Lord 

gives me good health.” 

Bishop Snyder remembers the first homily 

he gave when he came here in 1979. “I 

said that there was one priority, that was 

to proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord. And that 

all of our activities have to be a reflection 

of bringing the Gospel to people. 

“I hope that we have been faithful to 

those words in a variety of ways, whether 

it is through religious education in the 

schools and other parish and diocesan 

programs, marriage preparation, ministry 

to those with disabilities, or by reaching 

out to the elderly in housing such as San 

Jose Manor in Jacksonville.” 

He has seen gains in many areas. 

He’s seen it in a new relationship with 

other faiths. “We have learned,” he said, 

“the importance of relating to people of 

other faiths, trying to find a common 

ground, working together, having great 

respect for each other.” 

He’s seen it within the local church. “I 

have benefited by the greater utilization of 

the gifts and talents of women in our diocese, 

so that many are in positions of leadership.” 

He’s seen it in areas such as Cursillo and 

Charismatic Renewal. 

“I feel,” he said, “that the diocese has been 

blessed by the Cursillo movement. I made 

my first Cursillo in March of 1981 and 

I have visited the people at nearly every 

Cursillo since then. Cursillo has deepened 

the faith of so many of our people over 

the years. It has enabled people to open 

up in terms of their faith. 

“I find that particularly true of men 

because they can talk about their faith and 

share emotions with one another and it 

has been a source of strength for them. 

“I’m sure that, for others, the charismatic 

movement in the diocese has produced 

opportunities to pray in a different way 

that many people feel comfortable with.” 

Sharing the sacraments, proclaiming the 

Gospel and helping to deepen relationships 

with Christ are what gives a priest the most 

satisfaction. But administration and the 

fiscal health of the diocese is also important, 

Bishop Snyder said. So, he is quick to point 

out that, “The Catholic Foundation is a 

good resource. Most of the people who 

contribute are contributing through their 

parishes, so that will be a help to the parishes.” 

But not everyone is happy with what 

the bishop has done. For example, Bishop 

Snyder has been bitterly criticized for allowing 

the establishment of the Catholic Gay and 

Lesbian Ministry. A celebratory Mass two 

years ago launching the ministry and several 

subsequent meetings of the ministry have 

brought out protesters. Among some 

Catholics, it has caused a rift. 

Bishop Snyder has been firm. “I think 

what we have done is rooted in the Gospel,” 

he said. “We’ve reached out to families and 

to individuals who are struggling with 

these issues. We have to follow what is in 

Scripture, remembering how Jesus Christ 

Bishop Snyder greets parishioners after liturgy at the Cathedral-Basilica. 

“Retirement doesn’t stop 

you from being a priest.” 

—Bishop Snyder 


The Christ the King Vietnamese Community 

Would like to express 

our deepest gratitude toward 

Bishop Snyder 

for his shepherding care and extraordinary efforts on 

our behalf. May you enjoy a well-deserved retirement. 

Your kindness shall never be forgotten! 

Most Sincerely, 

Christ the King Vietnamese Community 


eached out to the disenfranchised. He was 

criticized for it but he did not back off.” 

Bishop Snyder has been on dozens of 

committees with his fellow bishops on 

the United States Conference of Catholic 

Bishops, committees such as priestly life and 

ministry, the women’s committee — on 

which he served as chair, and many others. 

For example, Bishop Snyder served for 

six years on the executive board of Catholic 

Relief Services. He traveled to Haiti, Africa 

and Thailand. “It gave me an understanding 

of the third world and its suffering and 

what it means to share the good that has 

been entrusted to us.” 

Relieving third world debt and assisting 

those in deep poverty has been strongly 

supported by Bishop Snyder. “It’s human 

instinct to be concerned about what is mine, 

what is ours. We all suffer from stresses in 

that direction at any given moment. But 

it’s not really what the Gospel is about or 

what the church is about. If we turn inward, 

we are not truly Catholic. If we turn 

outward, we are really becoming Catholic.” 

How do people see him? Too tough? 

Too sensitive? Too open? Too inflexible? 

“In grammar school, the sisters said I 

was too sensitive. At a given moment, you 

might let something get under your skin, 

but for the most part I’ve been able to roll 

with some frustrations and disappointments. 

“Then again, you’ve got to bring these 

things to the Lord, because if you carry them 

by yourself, you’re going to go nuts. It’s 

important that you begin each day with the 

Lord and take each disappointment to the 

Lord. If you don’t, it’s a formula for disaster. 

“And speaking of being sensitive, hopefully 

I am sensitive to the struggles and needs 

of people everywhere. After all, a bishop 

is ordained a bishop for the whole church. 

He has a responsibility to think beyond 

his own immediate responsibility to the 

entire church throughout the world. 

“Working with your brother bishops,” he 

said, “you realize that Saint Augustine isn’t 

the whole world. It’s also been interesting 

to learn what the other bishops are coping 

with. I never came back from a meeting 

without thanking God for what we have 

here in our diocese. We have been blessed.” 

There has been scant criticism of plans 

for schools. In fact, most say the diocese 

During one of his visits to Rome, Bishop Snyder meets with Pope John Paul II. 

should have moved to build more schools 

sooner. “I think the growth of our Catholic 

schools in the last 10 years is a unique 

blessing for us,” Bishop Snyder said. 

Moreover, “if we didn’t supply the high 

schools as we’re doing, I think it would be 

a frustration for parents who are committed 

to a Catholic education and couldn’t get 

their children into one of our high schools.” 

Sacramental education is essential to the 

Catholic faith formation in parishes and in 

the schools. The availability and frequency 

of these sacramental gifts rely on the number 

of priests. So, it’s been with happiness 

that Bishop Snyder reports an increase in 

candidates for the priesthood. “There are 

promising signs that both people and 

families are much more open and supportive 

of the possibility of a vocation than they 

would have been five years ago, certainly 

10 years ago.” 

The greatest advance we’ve seen in 

the diocese? 

“I would say that the greatest advance 

made in the diocese is stewardship. I think 

that the whole attitude of being stewards 

of God’s gift is an on-going process for all 

of us. We should realize that God has to 

come first, that each one of us is called to 

share time, talent and treasure.” 

Thankfully, Bishop Snyder says his tenure 

as bishop was blessed with the gifts and 

dedication of many talented people. 

“While the bishop has the ultimate 

decision-making, the failure to use the 

gifts and talents and wisdom of the 

priests, religious and laity could be very 

detrimental to the life of the church.” 

Here in the diocese, he said, “Our priests 

and religious are really great co-workers. 

Working with them has been wonderful for 

me. After all, we’re all on the same journey.” 

How does Bishop Snyder feel about 

leaving his role as the pastoral leader of 

the diocese? 

“I leave with great gratitude to the 

people of the diocese, for their cooperation 

and support in so many endeavors. 

“I thank them for their deep faith and 

the way they warmly received me. 

“I cherish the relationships that have 

developed over these years and hope that 

they will continue for many years to come.” 

Bishop Snyder processes out of the 125th celebration 

commemorating the founding of the diocese in 1870. 


ECUMENICAL OUTREACH 

Faith Leaders Remember 

Bishop Snyder 

By Natalie Cornell 

Bishop John J. Snyder’s outreach 

to other faiths in the Diocese of 

Saint Augustine began the day 

he was installed as the eighth Bishop of 

Saint Augustine. 

Former Episcopal Bishop of Florida 

Frank Cerveny recalls how Bishop Snyder 

asked him to sit in the sanctuary with his 

brother Catholic bishops that day. At the 

sign of peace Bishop Snyder embraced 

first his family, then the Apostolic Nuncio 

and then him. Bishop Cerveny says, “We 

touched hearts at that moment and as a 

result our friendship began to blossom. I 

feel like a blood brother to Bishop Snyder 

— I have that love for him.” 

Shortly after Bishop Snyder’s installation 

in 1979, Rabbi Howard Greenstein, then 

the leader of Congregation Ahavath Chesed 

in Jacksonville, came to Bishop Cerveny’s 

office. He wanted to organize the religious 

leaders in the community so that they could 

address, as Rabbi Greenstein says, “issues 

that called for a religious voice.” Some of 

those issues included education, race relations, 

homelessness and violence. And he definitely 

wanted to involve the new Catholic bishop. 

The Interfaith Council of Jacksonville 

was a result of the three men — Bishop 

Cerveny, Rabbi Greenstein and Bishop 

Snyder — coming together. 

Rabbi Greenstein says of Bishop Snyder, 

“I have a very special place in my heart for 

him, not only because I revere him as a 

religious leader of impeccable character 

At Evensong to commemorate the signing of the Catholic-Lutheran document on the Joint Declaration on Justification, 

Retired Lutheran Bishop William B. Trexler. (l-r), Episcopal Bishop Stephen H. Jecko, and former Episcopal Bishop 

of Florida Frank Cerveny joined Bishop Snyder at the Cathedral-Basilica. 

and courage, but also as a very cherished 

personal friend.” 

Msgr. John J. Lenihan, who at that 

time was vicar general for the Diocese 

of Saint Augustine, says that other faith 

communities see Bishop Snyder “as a 

leader in the community. In fact, the 

Bishop was chosen to serve a term as 

President of the Interfaith Council.” 

This evaluation is borne out by others. 

Retired Lutheran Bishop William B. Trexler 

says Bishop Snyder is “a man of deep faith 

and humility.” He says, “When I think of 

Jack, I think of a person of very deep faith. 

He led the way in showing us how to talk 

to each other and pray together.” 

Bishop Trexler recalls a time when, as 

a pastor visiting Marywood, he ran into 

Bishop Snyder on the grounds and was 

greeted with a “Hello, Bill.” 

That made then-Pastor Trexler feel “very 

welcome.” Bishop Trexler attributes to 

Bishop Snyder’s memory for names to 

“his ability to center with you, when he 

was talking to you, and focus on you as 

if you were the only person in the room.” 

Glenn Kuhnel, Ph.D., diocesan liaison 

for Ecumenism and Interfaith Relations, 

says that the three bishops, Bishop Snyder, 

Bishop Cerveny and Bishop Trexler were 

“soul mates” who were “like-minded” in 

their understanding of social services and 


Rabbi Howard R. Greenstein 

The Interfaith Council of 

Jacksonville was a result of the 

three men - Bishop Cerveny, 

Rabbi Greenstein and Bishop 

Snyder - coming together. 

“striving for the visible unity of the church.” 

For example, Bishop Trexler relates how the 

three churches, the Lutheran, Episcopal and 

Roman Catholic, jointly plan pre-Lenten 

retreats at Marywood that all three bishops 

and about 60-80 of their clergy attend. 

Reverend Jack A. Snell, former pastor of 

the Hendricks Avenue Baptist Church in 

Jacksonville and now serving with his wife 

as coordinators of mission work in Asia, 

says, “I count Jack Snyder one of my dear 

friends.” Rev. Snell writes from Singapore, 

“While continuing to hold fast to his own 

faith, he has affirmed and embraced those 

of other traditions. His affable nature, his 

genuine love for people across all lines of 

rank, station, and belief, and his gentle 

servant spirit have not only elevated the 

dialogue among various faith traditions, 

but have engendered trust and acceptance 

at the highest level.” 

Bishop Snyder’s ecumenical ministry 

didn’t stop at the local level. As an episcopal 

representative of the National Conference 

Bishop 


The 200 members of 

the Catholic 

Lawyers Guild ask 

God’s 

Blessing 

For Your 

Retirement 

TO OUR FRIEND BISHOP SNYDER 

KNOW THAT WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR 

YOUR SUPPORT AND THAT OUR 

PRAYERS AND GOOD WISHES 

FOLLOW YOU ALWAYS 

ST. THOMAS MORE 

PATRONOFTHECATHOLIC LAWYER 

St. Pius V Church and School 

The Mother Church of African American 

Catholics in Jacksonville 


Episcopal Bishop Stephen H. Jecko 

of Catholic Bishops, he was, for 15 years, 

on the national committee for the Anglican- 

Roman Catholic U.S.A. dialogue (ARCUSA). 

Dr. Kuhnel says committee documents 

furthered the visible unity between the 

two churches. 

One outcome of the dialogue were 

mutual agreements for some shared ministry 

and social service. Dr. Kuhnel says,“These 

communions now share facilities and gather 

together for the common celebration of 

the Liturgy of the Hours.” 

There have also been moves to bring the 

Lutheran and Roman Catholic churches 

closer. Dr. Kuhnel cites the signing in 

Augsburg, Germany of the Joint Declaration 

on Justification, an event in the relationship 

between Roman Catholics and Lutherans. 

A combined Vespers Service with 

Lutherans and Catholics was celebrated 

at the Cathedral with Bishops Snyder and 

Trexler co-presiding. Dr. Kuhnel points 

to the importance of this event because it 

clarified one of the theological principles 

that had separated Catholics and Lutherans 

since the time of the Reformation. “We 

could come together as church in worship. 

The presence and spirit of Christ is what 

brought us together … this is a step toward 

feasting at the tables of the altar because 

we now share at the table of the Word,” 

Dr. Kuhnel says. 

Bishop Snyder’s ecumenical spirit 

continued to the next generation of leaders. 

Bishop Stephen H. Jecko, the present 

Episcopal Bishop of Florida says he 

and Bishop Snyder were friends before 

he became a bishop, when he served as 

Bishop Cerveny’s representative to the 

Lutheran-Anglican-Roman Catholic 

(LARC) dialogues. Bishop Jecko says that 

when he became bishop, John Snyder 

“offered to be a friend and confidant.” 

Since that time in 1994, the two have 

met at intervals of about six weeks. Bishop 

Jecko says Bishop Snyder “struggles deeply 

with the issues of the day in prayer and faith 

and is always a defender of the defenseless.” 

District Superintendent Thom Shafer of 

the United Methodist Church met Bishop 

Snyder about two years ago. Recently, along 

with Bishops Jecko and Trexler, Rev. Shafer 

The People of God 

at St. John, Interlachen, 

Wish Bishop John Snyder 

All the Best 

BISHOP SNYDER 

Congratulations 

and 

Best Wishes 

on your retirement. 

Thank you for your 

leadership, support 

and friendship. 

The staff of: 

The Mission of Nombre De Dios 

The Shrine of Our Lady of LaLeche 

The Shrine Gift Shop 

and 

Church Supplies 

Thank you 


For 22 years of service to the people 

of Saint Augustine Diocese 

From 

Father Joseph Maniangat 

and the parishioners of 

St. John the Evangelist Parish 

Holy Cross Catholic Mission 


Baptist Minister Jack Snell 

led a Cursillo Fourth Day event with Bishop 

Snyder. Remembering that day, Rev. Shafer 

says, “My biggest memory of Bishop Snyder 

on the Fourth Day celebration was how he 

wanted to include all of us.” He “wanted 

to receive people as friends and then as 

colleagues. His real interest is in people 

as the children of God.” 

Why is ecumenism important in 2001? 

Msgr. Lenihan says, “It’s part of the legacy 

of Vatican II. It’s not an option.” He says 

that ordinary Catholics had developed 

their own ecumenical relationships and 

what Bishop Snyder did was “… make us 

proud of that involvement by his actions. 

He has a unique ability to make people of all 

walks of life and denominations comfortable. 

He recognizes their human dignity.” 

Bishop Cerveny agrees that ecumenism 

is not an option. He says, referring to John 

17, that Jesus prayed we might all be one 

as He and the Father were one, “so that 

the world may believe,” and he adds that 

it is an “imperative of Jesus.” 

It is a command Bishop John Snyder 

has followed. The result has been deep 

friendships, communion among leaders, 

and blessings bountiful for the people 

of God. 

Like a true Shepherd 

He has led his flock 

St. Patrick Parish, 

Gainesville, is thankful 

for 22 years of pastoral care 

by Bishop John J. Snyder 

May God Bless you 

in your retirement years 


The late Catherine Reilly of Catholic Charities and women religious greet Bishop Snyder. 

Women Religious 

Grateful to Bishop Snyder 

By Maureen Kelley, OP 

The love and gratitude that the 

women religious in the Diocese 

of Saint Augustine feel for Bishop 

John J. Snyder today is not new. It has been 

the same since the day he arrived from 

Brooklyn, N.Y. No matter what sister is 

relating her unique story about her relationship 

with the bishop, or recalling a story 

about others, it is always one of gratitude 

for his knowing her by name, encouraging 

her, and showing his personal interest in her. 

Each Sister speaks of her appreciation. 

Of his knowledge and interest in the charism 

of her congregation, and his attitude for 

the presence of the charism she brings to 

the diocese. The sisters are grateful for his 

challenge to them to bring their separate 

charisms together in a unique way to serve 

the diocese. 

Bishop Snyder’s sincere relationship 

to the women religious extends from the 

oldest congregation in the diocese, the 

Sisters of St. Joseph, to the newest group 

in the diocese, the Cenacle Sisters, and 

to each individual sister. All feel his love 

and concern for them. 

This article cannot begin to tell all the 

stories of women religious, but the 

following are a sample of the love the sisters 

hold for him: 

As Sisters of St. Joseph the bishop has made us 

feel that we are truly his own sisters. When any 

one of us leaves the diocese to work in another 

diocese he always says that we are on loan — 

that we belong to him in Saint Augustine. He has 

a way of letting us know that we are special to 

him and the diocese. 

He has actively walked with us in our journeys, 

both personally and congregationally. He is open 

to listening with interest to what is going on in 

our congregation and with individual sisters. 

When asked, Bishop Snyder will offer opinions on 

particular issues or give us a broader perspective 

when necessary. He is able to share his joys and 

concerns about the diocese with us. 

— Ann Kuhn, SSJ 


When Bishop Snyder’s appointment to this diocese 

was announced, I wrote a welcoming letter urging him 

to “hurry home.” He responded saying, “You’ve warmed 

my day. See you soon. Thank you.” 

— Marie Rene Azar, SSJ 

He showed foresight in moving All Saints Nursing Home 

from Riverside to its present location near Sacred 

Heart. He has helped us renovate the O’Reilly House 

Museum because he values it as a storehouse of the 

history of this diocese. 

— Marie Therese Evrard, SSJ 

At our first meeting of the Sisters Council he asked 

us what we saw as our needs as women religious in 

the diocese. We shared the need of a place for retreat. 

What a joy when Marywood was opened. 

— Kathleen Power, SSJ 

Bishop Snyder’s pastoral ministry excludes no one. 

He is present to diverse groups. His vision is broad 

and encompassing. 

— Thomas Joseph, SSJ 

Every time I’m at Marywood I give thanks that Bishop 

Snyder has provided a diocesan retreat center for 

spiritual renewal. 

— Josephine O’Leary, RSM 

Sixteen years ago Bishop Snyder invited members of 

the Montfort communities to minister in the diocese. 

He was comfortable with the experimental model of 

this joint venture of two congregations. The goal was 

for religious men and women who share a common 

spirituality and heritage to live and work in collaboration, 

as members of a team. 

In working with bishop as director of Christian 

Formation, I appreciated his trust and confidence. 

In our relationship we spoke about being honest and 

speaking the truth about particular situations. I know 

Bishop Snyder as a person of prayer, which enables him 

to see the big picture. He always has a good word to 

say and takes a positive slant on a situation. 

— Lucy Clynes, DW 

Bishop Snyder has been supportive of the Sisters For 

Christian Community as we live our post-Vatican II 

call in the church and world. He has been a part of 

our international assemblies, addressing the sisters 

and sharing liturgy. 

— Mary Steves, SFCC 

When Bishop Snyder was new to the diocese, and was 

leaving after visiting the Daughters of Charity, Sister 

Gabriel Sullivan asked, “When will your chauffeur 

come?” Bishop replied, “He’s already here.” Sister 

asked, “Where?” “I’m the driver,” he responded. 

Sister had never before met a bishop who drove 

himself. Bishop Snyder is always down to earth. 

— Maureen Delahunt, DC 

Arriving in Florida, I knew a little about Bishop Snyder. 

I had seen him from time to time. At Christmas I 

received a card from “a” John Snyder. I had no idea 

who this was. We did have a Drew Snyder on the staff 

at the hospital. I spent some time sleuthing to find 

out if “John” was a nickname for Drew. I received only 

funny looks from these inquiries. I kept the card and 

would look at it from time to time. One day there was 

a notice on our community bulletin board announcing 

that Bishop John Snyder would come for our canonical 

visit. I went immediately to look at my card—there 

it was, the same writing! This time I noticed a cross 

below his name. I couldn’t believe it. I had never been 

in a diocese where the bishop knew your name, let 

alone sent you a Christmas card. I was touched by 

this personal gesture. 

—DeSales Wisniewski, DC 

The women religious are truly grateful 

to Bishop Snyder for his leadership and 

loving spirit. 

In the more than 20 years since our Holy Father appointed 

then-Auxiliary Bishop John J. Snyder of Brooklyn to serve as the 

Bishop of St. Augustine, he has maintained friendships with many 

of our clergy, Religious and laity, and they join me in asking 

Almighty God’s choicest blessing on him on his retirement. 

We know that the same qualities that endeared him to the 

faithful of our Diocese - personal holiness, pastoral sensitivity and 

genuine warmth - have been manifested among the People of God in St. Augustine, all 

for His greater glory. 

As he welcomes his successor, Bishop-elect Victor B. Galeone, we pray that Bishop 

Snyder’s days in retirement will be filled with joy and the peace of Christ. 

Most Reverend Thomas V. Daily, D.D. 

Bishop of Brooklyn 


Well done, good and 

faithful servant 

A diocese that has doubled in size, a retreat and spirituality center, an 

administrative center, a state-of-the- art nursing home, five residences and two 

community centers for low income seniors, many new parishes and more than 

twenty-five new churches, eight elementary schools, an ecumenical human 

service center, a thirty-five million dollar plus capital campaign which will provide 

two new high schools and land for future use, expansion of a present high school 

and elementary school for children with learning disabilities, as well as endowments 

for vocations and clergy, Christian formation, and inner city schools; these are 

only a few of the things that have been accomplished since Bishop John J. Snyder 

assumed leadership of the Diocese of Saint Augustine in late 1979. 

By Bill Tierney 

Dedication to the priests, deacons, 

and religious of the diocese as 

well as to the liturgical and 

sacramental needs of the faithful together 

with a host of new programs and ministries 

designed to foster justice and peace and the 

dissemination of Catholic Social Teaching, 

support of and respect for life, parish social 

ministry, services for the elderly, programs 

reaching out to minorities, to marginalized 

farm workers and their families, to those 

in need of advice and counsel relating 

to legalization, to those in danger of 

homelessness, to the unemployed, to 

prisoners and those leaving incarceration 

and in need of assistance to adjust to ‘life 

on the outside,’ outreach to those impacted 

by HIV/AIDS, to gay and lesbian Catholics 

and their families, a special ministry of love 

to those with disabilities, these initiatives, 

and many more, have also come about 

under the compassionate and enlightened 

leadership of Bishop Snyder. 

Strong support for programs of Catholic 

education and formation, development 

of the RCIA, the Ministry Formation 

Program, campus ministry and a host of 


other endeavors are examples of the growth 

and development of the formation of faith 

in the Catholic community under the 

compassionate and enlightened leadership 

of Bishop Snyder. 

With these and a myriad other similar 

and important achievements, including 

important developments in the fiscal 

and management aspects of diocesan 

administration, hundreds of trips across 

the 17 counties comprising the geographical 

boundaries of the diocese to administer 

the sacraments, carry out parish visits, 

dedicate churches and other parish and 

diocesan buildings and institutions, celebrate 

weddings and funerals, anniversaries of 

priests, religious, and married couples, 

one might think that Bishop Snyder is a 

dedicated and committed activist who 

hardly found time to breathe due to the 

pressures of his daily schedule. 

Not so. There is another side to the 

bishop’s life which energizes, grounds, and 

is foundational to his compassionate and 

enlightened leadership style. Early in his 

training for ordination to the priesthood, 

both in the minor seminary and later at 

the major Seminary of the Immaculate 

Conception in Huntington on Long Island, 

the seminarian John Snyder learned that the 

interior life, the life of prayer and solitude, 

the life of the sacraments, especially the 

Eucharist, meditation and sacred reading 

and contemplation, the life of discipleship 

to and incorporation in Christ, constitutes 

the foundation and the very soul of the 

apostolate, the active life of the priest and 

the bishop. It is the daily commitment to 

this interior life and the discipline it entails 

which has borne so much fruit in the 

bishop’s 50 year long compassionate 

pastoral ministry of outreach to people in 

need of real life signs of the love of God. 

In spite of all the apostolic achievements 

chronicled here, and those enumerated are 

merely a partial list of those which could 

be mentioned, Bishop Snyder will be 

best remembered for his pastoral and 

compassionate presence to the people of 

God in the church of Saint Augustine. 

Buildings and programs, growth and 

development, yes, of course. But even more 

important and of truly vital significance is his 

personal pastoral style. This is a holy man. 

The celebration of a Mass of Resurrection 

in a parish church in Virginia. Bishop Snyder 

has journeyed there to comfort a member 

of his staff and her family and to provide a 

pastoral and compassionate presence upon 

the death of a husband and father. 

A eucharistic celebration in the bishop’s 

chapel in the cathedral rectory, an annual 

gathering of family and close friends 

remembers a former secretary of the 

bishop on the anniversary of her death. 

These are but individual instances of a 

50-year pastoral ministry of reaching out 

to people in need. These are but examples 

of unnumbered and untold acts of personal 

consolation, kindness and compassion 

expressed in the ministry of Bishop Snyder; 

a ministry rooted in and enriched by his 

deep personal faith and his life of prayer 

and immersion in the Word. 

Bishop Snyder’s legacy to the church of 

Saint Augustine is rich and varied. He has 

accomplished so much in what is visible 

and lasting and terribly important. One 

suspects, however, that he has accomplished 

even more in that which lacks visibility but 

Bill Tierney with Bishop Snyder. 

which is cherished in the hearts and souls 

of those who have been deeply touched by 

his compassionate and Christ-like ministry. 

“Well done, good and faithful servant …” 

Bill Tierney is the director of the Catholic 

Charities Bureau for the Diocese of Saint 

Augustine. 


The Pendant 

By Delores Leckey 

As I write this remembrance of 

Bishop John J. Snyder, I am 

wearing a pewter pendant, a 

sculpted image of St. Thomas Becket, 

martyred in Canterbury cathedral in the 

12th century. George Carey, the current 

Archbishop of Canterbury, gave the pendant 

to Bishop Snyder in 1994 in gratitude for 

Bishop Snyder’s enduring commitment to 

the Anglican-Roman Catholic dialogue. 

The bishop, in turn, presented the pendant 

to me as a remembrance of our collaboration 

in the preparation of the United States 

bishops’ statement, Strengthening The Bonds 

of Peace. That gesture is so in keeping with 

the character of this extraordinary Christian 

— and bishop — John J. Snyder: Jack, to 

his many friends and colleagues who joyfully 

join him along the Christian way. 

During the 20 years that I served as the 

director of the United States Bishops’ 

Secretariat for Family, Laity, Women and 

Youth I came to know Bishop Snyder 

through his work on various national 

committees, including the Family Life 

Commission. It was clear to everyone that 

he was a man of great compassion, but 

I did not comprehend the extent of that 

compassion until his membership on the 

Bishops’ Committee on Women in Society 

and in the Church, and later his chairmanship 

of that committee, brought us into 

a close working relationship. 

In the late 1980s and early 1990s the 

concerns of women were largely focused 

on the development of a bishops’ pastoral 

letter on women which certainly raised the 

consciousness of church leaders, but which 

ultimately was not passed by the assembled 

bishops. At the same time the Committee on 

Women, attentive to what the nation had 

learned through the process of the pastoral, 

decided to speak to the difficult pastoral 

issues which women faced every day. A 

top priority was that of domestic violence. 

When Bishop Snyder, a member of the 

Committee on Women, heard the stories 

of fear and hopelessness from women of 

various ethnic groups you could tell that 

he was moved to action. He believed that 

the church could and should reach out 

to women who lived in such precarious 

situations. “We need to let women know 

that the church hears their cries and cares 

about them and their children in a truly 

active way.” He was totally supportive of 

having the Committee on Women join with 

the Committee on Marriage and Family in 

developing a statement on the topic. That 

is how When I Call For Help came to be. 

The two committees invited experts to 

testify: directors of shelters, counselors who 

specialize in support groups for women 

and rehabilitation groups for men, and of 

course, the first-hand stories of women and 

men. All of us, staff and bishops, wanted 

this document to go forward at the level 

of committee sponsorship so that a format 

that would speak to the people who needed 

it most would be possible. We wanted it 

brief, in clear unambiguous language, with 

a well-defined purpose. Bishop Snyder 

helped shape that purpose. “We need to 

say as directly and simply as possible that 

violence against women is never justified. 

Neither Scripture nor church tradition can 

or ought to be used to allow such behavior.” 

All the while, he and the other bishops 

insisted that we not write off the perpetrators. 

I learned a great deal during this project 

about the belief that bishops like Jack 

Snyder live by, namely that no one is 

beyond the arc of God’s grace. 

When I Call for Help was approved as a 

committee statement. However, during the 

November general assembly (where the 

pastoral letter on women was defeated) one 

bishop moved that the domestic violence 

statement receive some kind of general 

affirmation — which it did unanimously. 

This small but powerful document, in 

brochure form, has been translated into 

several languages and is used by many 

churches outside the Catholic community. 

Lawyers keep stacks of them at hand. One 

civil judge in Cleveland makes them available 

in the courtroom. They are often available 

in the backs of churches. Bishop Snyder’s 

commitment to this cause helped launch 

the church’s involvement in one of the most 

critical pastoral problems of our time. 

In June of 1994, the Bishops’ Committee 

on Women met in California. Bishop 

Snyder, who was then chairman of the 

committee, was in the final months of 

his term. Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, which 

forcefully restated the prohibition against 

women’s ordination, had been issued three 

weeks earlier. The committee felt that they 

should make a statement of some kind. 

To ignore a Vatican document of such 

significance regarding the role of women 

in the church would be irresponsible they 

said. The discussion moved in the direction 

of identifying all that was possible for 

women, acknowledging that ordination was 

off the table. But what about alternative 

modes of leadership? 

I remember a candid exchange of ideas 

and possibilities as the bishops probed the 

subject. The climate was decidedly one of 

emerging creativity, and there was excitement 

in the air. One could almost sense the Holy 

Spirit stirring the minds and spirits of 

those present. 

When the discussion was over, one bishop 

said he felt a lot better to have had a vehicle 

(i.e., the meeting) to hash through a maze 

of complicated thoughts and feelings. “This 


was an honest quest to understand,” he said. 

The next step was for the staff to prepare a 

draft statement, which the committee would 

discuss during a conference call. 

I had thought all along that this would 

be a committee statement (much like When 

I Call for Help). But one of the staff pointed 

out that the committee was grateful to be 

able to think about the subject in some kind 

of systematic way. Perhaps more bishops 

would welcome an opportunity to grapple 

with the complex issues around ordination, 

and therefore, he argued, it should be a 

statement of the entire Conference of 

Bishops. The committee agreed with him, 

and the chairman eagerly supported that 

option, knowing full well the difficulties 

that awaited us. 

One of the difficulties was the timing. 

This had to be accomplished quickly; it 

could not linger on, like the pastoral letter. 

Another difficulty was our need for an image, 

a conceit, some controlling metaphor that 

would give us direction and inspiration. 

Bishops and staff prayed about it, and two 

directions emerged from the prayer. 

The first was the guiding scripture, 

namely, Ephesians 4:3 which urges unity 

through the peace that binds us together. 

The statement’s title, Strengthening The 

Bonds of Peace was derived from that verse. 

The second direction was a study of the 

encyclical of Pope Paul VI, Ecclesiam Suam 

that lays out the principles of genuine 

dialogue. From Ephesians 4 and Ecclesiam 

Suam emerged the essentials of Strengthening 

The Bonds of Peace: putting away falsehood, 

speaking the truth, not giving in to anger, 

striving to be understood, respect for 

differences, and the recognition of our 

fundamental equality. 

Gaining passage of a document like 

Strengthening the Bonds of Peace was no 

easy task, but Bishop Snyder was particularly 

suited to the challenge. His own commitment, 

plus the respect his fellow bishops had 

(and have) for him provided the necessary 

momentum. The entire body of bishops 

approved the document, which broke some 

new ground. Feminism was not demonized 

and sexism was named, once and for all, 

as sinful. The document asks that the 

relationship between Holy Orders and 

jurisdiction be studied. New leadership 

roles for women are a stated goal. 

Vowed women religious and laywomen 

from all over the United States expressed 

their gratitude to Bishop Snyder for his 

courage and for his example of collaboration. 

He has given them hope, they say, that 

continued progress was possible. 

In T.S. Eliot’s classic play, Murder in the 

Cathedral, Thomas Becket (the Archbishop 

of Canterbury) preaches a Christmas sermon 

in anticipation of his own death. He says 

that saints are not made by accident. The 

saint (and the martyr) is one who has 

become the instrument of God, says Becket. 

And so it is with Bishop Snyder, “Jack,” 

who served as God’s instrument in promoting 

the role of women in the church. He humbly 

listened to their needs and responded 

without counting the cost. To this day, he 

continues as an advocate for the voiceless. 

Indeed, saints are not made by accident. 

Dolores R. Leckey is a Senior Fellow at 

Woodstock Theological Center, Washington, D.C. 

Bishop 


Blessings and 

good wishes on 

your retirement! 

We love you! 

Catholic Network of Volunteer Service (CNVS) 

working with Lay Volunteers and Missionaries 

and the Programs that sponsor them since 1963, 

salutes 


Bishop of Saint Augustine 

and Epispcopal Advisor to CNVS since 1997. 

With gratitude for all you have been and done for us, 

we ask God’s continued blessing for you 

upon your retirement! 

Ad Multos Annos! 

Sister Mary Victor 

and the Staff of 

Cathedral Parish School, 

St. Augustine 

1410 Q Street, NW 

Washington, DC 20009-3808 

800-543-5046 (toll-free) 

202-332-6000 (local) 

volunteer@cnvs.org 

www.cnvs.org 


Bishop Snyder is a man of prayer, 

vision, courage and compassion 

and I can testify that he relates to 

others with love, sensitivity and good humor. 

In 1980 Bishop Snyder convened a 

committee of priests and laity from across 

the diocese to plan for the financial future 

of the Diocese of Saint Augustine. After 

three years of meetings the committee 

recommended to Bishop Snyder that an 

Office of Stewardship be established and 

a Catholic Foundation be put in place to 

provide for the long-range financial stability 

of the diocese. 

Thanks to the efforts of a search 

committee I was chosen and officially 

opened the Stewardship Office on March 

17, 1986. My wife Barbara and I had been 

actively promoting sacrificial giving of 

treasure many years before the concept of 

stewardship was introduced to American 

Catholics. 

Bishop Snyder showed his willingness 

to take risks and, even though his first 

instinct was to have a massive fund drive, 

he embraced the idea that if the stewardship 

office helped parishes increase their offertory 

income, then the diocese would also benefit 

since the diocese is supported in part with 

a percentage of parish offertory income. 

And it’s not surprising that what had the 

most appeal for our bishop was that we 

would be encouraging people to be more 

generous to the parish and the poor out of 

a sense of gratitude. This faith dimension 

of giving was far different from giving for 

“needs” that has been our history. Now 

Bishop Snyder speaks of “my need to give 

in response to God’s many gifts to me.” 

The Catholic Foundation of the Diocese 

of Saint Augustine was established in 1987. 

That same year we began introducing 

“sacrificial giving”. 

The first 36 parishes experienced an 

average 41 percent increase in offertory 

income. The following year the Bishop’s 

Stewardship Appeal (BSA) was introduced 

to give our people an opportunity to support 

diocesan ministries by sharing one percent 

of their annual income with the diocese. 

From the very beginning and each of the 

succeeding 14 years, our good-natured, 

talented bishop has been featured on the 

BSA video. Through this media Bishop 

Snyder “appeared” to diocesan Catholics 

and, at weekend liturgies, encouraged the 

people to “take a step in faith” and increase 

their gift to the parish, diocese and the poor 

out of gratitude to a loving God who has 

given us everything. 

A Diocesan Education Task Force 

presented a huge challenge to Bishop 

Snyder in 1999 when they recommended 

that two new high schools were needed 

and called for immediate major renovation 

and expansion of the facilities at Saint Joseph 

Academy in St. Augustine. Diocesan staff 

brought forth other critical needs as well: 

an endowment for growing numbers of 

men in seminary education and formation, 

inner city schools, improved catechetical 

instruction and expansion of Morning 

Star School in Jacksonville. 

To his credit, Bishop Snyder convened 

all diocesan pastors to decide a course of 

By Francis Scholtz 

His Legacy: 

Stewardship 


action. After much thoughtful discussion 

it was decided that a feasibility study would 

help the diocese determine whether or not 

there was sufficient support for a major 

capital campaign. The feasibility study 

indicated that the diocese could expect to 

raise $30 million. 

The diocesan campaign “The Opportunity 

of a Lifetime for our children, our faith, our 

future” is now in its final stages. Close to 

$37 million has been raised — a marvelous 

testimony to thousands of Catholics who 

supported Bishop Snyder in this once-ina-lifetime 

effort. 

Bishop Snyder, knowing he was retiring, 

could have left this massive project to the 

next bishop of Saint Augustine. However, 

he felt this would not be in the best interest 

of our children and would not be fair to 

his successor so he wholeheartedly threw 

himself into the campaign. He attended 

meetings, many campaign gatherings, 

countless campaign receptions and luncheons 

and took on the task of making one more 

video for the campaign. Bishop Snyder 

was absolutely essential to the success of 

this huge endeavor and did everything he 

could to help. We must not forget the 

professional counsel, and the extraordinary 

commitment and leadership provided by the 

campaign’s three co-chairs, Robert Shircliff, 

Mary Hughes and John McLaughlin. Their 

dedication and hard work helped us to 

exceed our goal. 

Stewardship is still alive and well following 

the campaign. In this year’s Bishop’s Stewardship 

Appeal video he stated that “the most 

important heritage he would be leaving the 

diocese after shepherding it for 21 years 

was the introduction and promotion of 

stewardship and sacrificial giving. ” 

Bishop Snyder is a man of prayer, vision, 

courage and compassion who is loved by all 

who know him. It has been my privilege to 

have worked with him for the past 15years 

— what a blessing! 

Francis Scholtz recently retired as Director of the 

Office of Stewardship. 

Catholic Bishops of Florida gathered in front of the 

Cathedral- Bascilia, St. Augustine in 1998 for Bishop Snyder’s 

25th episcopal ordination. 

THE PASTOR, PRIESTS AND PARISHIONERS 

FROM THE CHURCH OF ST. PAUL IN JACKSONVILLE BEACH 

THANK YOU BISHOP SNYDER 

FOR YOUR MANY YEARS OF LOVING AND DEDICATED SERVICE 

OUR PRAYERS AND BEST WISHES ARE WITH YOU 

AS YOU BEGIN YOUR RETIREMENT YEARS 


Bishop Snyder 

Enables the 

Disabled 

By Sister Rita Baum, SSJ 

When the name of our new bishop was announced in 1979, I 

decided to ask (again) that a ministry with Catholics who are 

deaf become a program of the Diocese of Saint Augustine. I 

wrote to our new bishop in Brooklyn, recommending this. In 

just a few weeks after his installation, he phoned me to ask 

when we could meet and discuss my proposal. 

The only other time that I had 

met with a bishop was after I had 

made an appointment through 

his secretary. Bishop Snyder’s informality 

felt refreshing. This was the first of many 

steps I’ve seen him take to be very personal 

in ministry and to encourage fullness of 

life for persons with disabilities. 

Not only was he interested in a ministry 

for Catholics who are deaf, but also he 

wanted to expand the ministry to include all 

disabilities. It was his idea to hire someone 

else to do deaf ministry and I would move 

to Jacksonville (my home town) and direct 

a ministry to persons with disabilities. 

I protested at first because I didn’t know 

anything about mental retardation — the 

largest group of people with disabilities. 

He told me, “I’ll arrange for you to go to 

Brooklyn for a week and the staff there 

will show you what they’re doing.” 

In Brooklyn, diocesan staff members were 

eager to talk about their friend “Jack.” They 

treated me royally. They were pleased that 

he had sent me to learn from them. They 

showed me high-rise residences for the 

disabled, convents that had been turned 

into group homes, a camp that served 800 

children with disabilities, and an equal 

number of high school students trained 

to be their buddies in the summer. 

Bishop Snyder had been well prepared 

for this ministry while in Brooklyn. There, 

he had been invited each year to preside 

at confirmation for the special religious 

education classes. Here, he continued to 

encourage full participation by persons with 

disabilities, including having an altar server 

with a disability at all the confirmations and 

for most of the diocesan liturgical events. 

This has touched many hearts, not the least 

of which is that of the faithful server, Robert. 

When I returned from Brooklyn to 

Jacksonville, I wondered how we could 

duplicate in North Florida what I had seen 

there. Life seems slower in Florida, and very 

personal, and we were sparsely populated 

compared to Brooklyn. I was also fearful of 

attempting anything as big as I had seen. 

So the ministry began small, with a 

secretary and myself traveling from parish 

to parish, listening to pastors tell me what 

disability needs they had identified. Father 

Rene Robert served and continues to serve 

at the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind 

in St. Augustine — training interpreters 

so that the deaf ministry could spread 

throughout the diocese. A subsequent 

director of the disabilities ministry, Jack 

Green, developed Camp I Am Special, 

closely resembling the style of camp that 

we saw in Brooklyn. 

For many years certain parents requested 

a Catholic residence for their sons and 

daughters with disabilities. As awareness 

grew, support grew for funding this needed 

service. Our bishop paved the way by 

allowing the former St. Mary’s Home, 

located next to Christ the King Parish, 

to become a residential property known as 

Harbor House. It quickly grew to include 

four homes, a workshop and an extended 

family of friends that reached beyond the 

boundaries of the diocese. 

When issues were raised relating to the 

philosophy of Harbor House, it was Bishop 

Snyder who suggested that the Board of 

Directors spend a year in prayer, to study 


and discern whether it was best for the 

homes to join the international community 

of L’Arche. A year later he encouraged 

their separation (structurally) from the 

diocese so it could become a L’Arche 

Harbor House community assuring a 

continuity of philosophy and spirit. 

When Marywood was designed, Bishop 

Snyder made sure it was fully accessible 

which meant providing additional financial 

support. Even today, it is one of the few 

fully accessible retreat centers in the country. 

Someone who uses a wheelchair can feel 

at home there and even enjoy the beautiful 

view of the St. Johns River from a dock 

that stretches out over the water for several 

hundred feet. 

From the beginning, word spread 

nationally that persons with disabilities had 

a home in the heart of Bishop Snyder. He 

was invited to serve on national boards that 

represented all areas of disabilities. He not 

only participated actively on these boards, but 

also spoke on their behalf to other bishops 

and influenced the growth of disabilities 

ministries in dioceses throughout the country. 

In addition to administrative roles, there 

are numerous personal stories, and here 

are just a few. 

At an early Faith and Sharing Retreat at 

Camp St. John, a retreatant with Downs 

Syndrome was feeling sad because Bishop 

Snyder had not said “Good Night” to her. 

When he heard this, he excused himself 

from a group of friends to join her in the 

chapel. She was sitting cross-legged on the 

floor. He sat likewise beside her. She, so 

comforted by his presence, put her head 

on his shoulder and fell asleep. When the 

bishop tells this story he closes with “There 

I was with a lovely woman asleep in my 

arms that even my mother would approve.” 

On another occasion, he was vested and 

ready for the entrance procession at the 

Cathedral. Regina, blind and in a clown 

costume for a scriptural interpretation, told 

him that she had gotten left behind and 

had no one to guide her. He suggested she 

take his arm and walk in with him. She 

asked, “What will people think when they 

see you coming in with a clown?” He 

responded, “Regina, if you could see how 

I’m dressed, you’d wonder which of us is 

the clown!” 

On another occasion, Bishop Snyder was 

presiding at a liturgy and a person with a 

mental handicap followed everyone up for 

communion although she wasn’t Catholic. 

The Eucharistic minister said to her, “This 

is the Body of Christ.” She paused for a 

moment, and then responded, “Well ain’t 

that something!” Then she received as she’d 

seen others do. On the way back to her 

seat, she told her acquaintances, “That’s the 

nicest man up there — he just gave me the 

Body of Christ.” The event was shared with 

the bishop following Mass, and he said, “If 

only we would all receive with such faith!” 

We have been blessed with a leader who 

lives the words of Jesus, “The last shall be 

first.” And “The least among you will be 

the greatest.” 

Sister of St. Joseph Rita Baum now lives at 

Nazareth Homes for persons with mental 

handicaps in Boca Raton, Florida. 

Best Wishes to 

Bishop John Snyder on His Retirement 

For all you have done 

and for all you have given 

in the name of Jesus — 

Thank You. 

From Rev. Dan Cody, Pastor, and 

the entire St. Joseph’s Parish Community 


Education: 

Shaping Leaders 

for Tomorrow 

By Patricia A. Tierney 

Looking through the Bishop Kenny 

yearbook over the years, one 

person’s picture appears on many 

of the pages that parents dedicate to their 

children. That person is Bishop John Snyder 

and the pictures were taken at various 

confirmations. In restaurants, airports, 

graduations and other events, young adults 

come up to him and say: “Hi, Bishop. You 

confirmed me!” 

Throughout his 22 years with us, Bishop 

Snyder has become so much a part of the 

church in Northeast Florida, a bishop who 

has faithfully served God’s people and has 

taught all of us by his word and example. 

He has done this with grace, dignity and 

an incredible sense of humor. 

In the recent edition of the newsletter 

published by the Diocesan Advisory Board of 

Education, our school children reflected on 

Bishop Snyder: the man, priest, and bishop. 

One story, related by two students from 

two different schools, has become a part of 

the lore surrounding our bishop. Someone 

once asked him if he had any great ambition 

to become anyone other than who he was. 

He hesitated and said: “Well, I always wanted 

to be a Cardinal!” Bishop Snyder then said: 

“But I never had a good enough curve ball!” 

From another school, a child reported: 

“When I became a Catholic, I went to one 

of your Masses. It was great. Your clothes 

were awesome. I had never seen a hat like 

yours.” At an annual “Bishop’s Day” at 

Bishop Kenny, after liturgy, seniors are 

invited to a cookout. One senior was 

overheard saying: “I waited four years for 

this day.” A second grader said that he 

was impressed with his attire. “The bishop 

wore this large silver cross on a chain in 

the middle of his chest. I think he wears 

it underneath his shirt when he’s not 

wearing his official bishop’s outfit.” 

Bishop Snyder is known for his terrific 

memory, especially names. A seventh grader 

wrote: “I once served at a confirmation 

Mass for him. He was very nice and asked 

me my name and age. Two years later when 

I served again, he remembered my name 

and even figured out how old I was then.” 

What has emerged over the years is a 

bishop who knows his flock, who is 

comfortable with people and a man who can 

relate to the young very well. The children 

caught his warm personality and spirituality. 

His holiness comes from his love for the 

Eucharist and the Word of God. A child 

wrote: “You remind me of Jesus because you 

always care for the poor.” Another said: “My 

best memory of you is when you came to 

my house when my brother was hurt and 

you blessed him with holy oils.” 

I have tried to capture the spirit of a man 

who spent so much of his time, along with 

a myriad of other duties, serving the youth of 

our diocese — supporting religious education 

programs, visiting our Catholic schools, 

showing up at Search retreats, countless 


confirmations (homilies that are still 

remembered), youth days, Camp I am 

Special, Faith and Sharing, and so many 

other events. He has also supported the 

Alliance for Catholic Education, a teacher 

program sponsored by the University of 

Notre Dame which has sent teachers to 

our diocese for the past eight years. 

Recently, the Catholic school community 

wanted to honor Bishop Snyder. The Bishop 

John J. Snyder, “Peace in Christ Award” will 

be given annually to an eighth grader and 

senior in each school. Students are selected 

based on their faith, commitment to service 

and humility, qualities that Bishop Snyder 

models in his everyday life. 

Our schools are strong because of his 

leadership and our students have witnessed, 

first hand, a man for others. Five benchmarks 

characterize his vision and support of 

Catholic education in the Diocese of 

Saint Augustine which has positioned 

our schools as we have entered into the 

twenty-first century. 

1) The Task Force on Elementary Schools, 

established in 1991, set in motion the 

building of new schools as well as the 

2) Diocesan Advisory Board of Education. 

DABE has been an invaluable asset as it 

has dealt with issues such as salaries, school 

board training, finances, and technology; 

3) Guardian of Dreams: assistance to St. Pius 

V and Holy Rosary schools that educate 

lower income children; 4) the Task Force 

on Secondary Schools, out of which came 

the recommendation to build a high school 

on the westside of Jacksonville and gradually 

grew into the 5) The Opportunity of a 

Lifetime capital campaign. His last year 

has been spent tirelessly going out to raise 

funds for Catholic education, namely, two 

new high schools, expansion and renovation 

of St. Joseph Academy and Morning Star 

School and endowments for priestly 

formation, Christian Formation and 

the Guardian of Dreams. Bishop John J. 

Snyder High School will be a testimony 

to this campaign and to his generous 

service. The mascot for this new school 

is appropriately named “the Cardinals.” 

He came from Brooklyn 22 years ago, 

knowing very few here. However, it didn’t 

take very long to get to know him. The 

tree might have grown up in Brooklyn, 

but it has born so much fruit with us and 

he truly became and remains “our dear, 

beloved bishop.” 

Patricia Tierney is superintendent of Catholic 

Schools for the Diocese of Saint Augustine. 

Assumption Parish 

Jacksonville, Florida 

Extends Warmest Gratitude 

to our retired Shepherd 


and offers assurance of 

continued prayers. 

CHARISMATIC RENEWAL CENTER 

Thank you, Bishop Snyder, for your 

faithfulness to our faithfulness 

in spreading the Gospel 

“It is not enough to discover Christ – 

you must bring Him to Others!” 

—Pope John Paul II 


On Tuesday, June 26, Most Reverend 

John J. Snyder, bishop of the Diocese 

of Saint Augustine, formally 

announced his successor. 

Bishop Snyder submitted his letter 

of retirement to Pope John Paul II 

last October at the mandatory age 

of 75. He became bishop on Dec. 5, 1979. 

He served as the diocesan administrator 

of more than 143,000 Northeast Florida 

Catholics until his successor was ordained 

and installed on August 21. 

Seated in the living room of the Cathedral 

Parish rectory on Treasury Street in June, 

he described himself as relaxed and ready 

for his successor. Bishop Snyder lives in 

the rectory in St. Augustine and commutes 

to the Catholic Center in Jacksonville. 

He will move to Casa San Pedro, the new 

priest retirement center on the St. Johns River 

near the diocesan retreat center, Marywood. 

“My predecessor, Bishop (Paul) Tanner 

said that he would be leaving for Palm Beach 

immediately after I was installed and he 

did,’’ Bishop Snyder said. 

21 Fruitful Years 

As Bishop of St. Augustine 

By Margo C. Pope 


Bishop Snyder wants to stay close by. “You 

can be sure if it wasn’t a good experience, 

I wouldn’t be staying around,’’ he said. 

Meanwhile, he’s focused on fundraising. 

Last year, he launched a $30 million capital 

campaign entitled The Opportunity of a 

Lifetime, to provide for Catholic education 

into the 21st century. Since, the campaign 

has closed in on that goal and there’s a 

new goal: $45 million. By all indications, 

it will be met, he believes. 

Starting the campaign when he did, he 

says, frees his successor from having to do 

so at the beginning of his tenure. 

Bishop Snyder says he plans to get out 

of his successor’s way for the first year and 

do some traveling and visiting family and 

friends. Later, he plans to maintain some 

involvement with the prison ministry and 

other special care ministries. 

He also wants to learn how to use a 

computer. “But you must remember, when 

you are talking computers, you are dealing 

with the consummate illiterate.’’ 

Marywood, Casa San Pedro and the 

Catholic Center are among several buildings 

Bishop Snyder oversaw from construction 

forward. He’s also opened new churches 

and broken ground for school additions, 

including St. Joseph Academy. Recently, 

he broke ground for the new Bishop 

John J. Snyder High School located on 

Jacksonville’s Westside near Chafee Road 

and 103rd Street. 

Bishop Snyder’s tenure hasn’t all been 

about fundraising, though. 

In his first few months in the diocese, 

he looked at ways to strengthen the faith 

community and establish greater bonds 

between the church and the laity. 

He brought in two programs initially 

to do this: Emmaus for priests and Renew 

for the laity. 

“In Pre-Vatican II, people had a deep 

faith but it was a private faith,’’ Bishop 

Snyder said. “After Vatican II, we were 

encouraged to be among the people, to 

lead by example. Renew focuses on small 

groups coming together. Then there was 

the Cursillo program, Marriage Encounter, 

and through these programs, people began 

to open up to one another, to realize we 

are not making the journey alone.” 

“I would hope that we as a diocese 

have grown closer to Jesus Christ,’’ he 

said, in retrospect. 

continued on page 27 

Tenure focused on 

community 

By Margo C. Pope 

The Most Rev. John J. Snyder, 

bishop of the Diocese of Saint 

Augustine, has enhanced the role of the 

laity in the church’s leadership by creating 

the Ministry Formation Program. 

The program brings lay people together 

from all backgrounds in a commitment 

of three years of study. 

Bishop Snyder said the program helps 

give the laity its rightful role in the church 

as leaders. “They have to know that this 

is their church … When you have a voice, 

you have the sense it is your church.’’ 

Father Timothy Lindenfelser, associate 

pastor at the cathedral, has been one of 

the bishop’s masters of ceremonies for 

many years. He has observed this regular 

contact with the laity. Part of his job has 

been to travel with Bishop Snyder to 

events throughout the diocese. 

“Frequently on our travels around 

the diocese he would insist on making 

detours to visit someone who was sick 

in the hospital or to visit one of the 

many construction sites throughout the 

diocese,’’ Lindenfelser said. “We would 

even stop off at Marywood and Camp 

St. John to visit a group of retreatants. 

Most of our conversations in the car 

would not be about the latest gossip of 

the church, but about the extraordinary 

faith lives of our people and how devoted 

they are to following the Lord and how 

strong their faith is during the good 

times and the difficult times. 

“He would frequently read to me 

the confirmation letters children wrote 

to him and they would give both of 

us great joy and hope for the future,’’ 

Lindenfelser said. 

Another area that has received his 

keen attention has been the ministry 

to the disabled which holds camps 

during the summer. 

The camps recruit young people to 

work with the disabled youths and Bishop 


Zardon Bello, Remi Blaszkowski, 

Richard Brady, Dung Bui, 

Angel Corrales, Ronnie Custorio, 

Joseph Fetter, 

Rouville Fisher, 

Michael Gagnon, 

Jhon Guarnizo, 

Jan Ligeza, 

Chris Ligouri, 

Diego Lopera, 

Joseph McDonnell, 

Richard Perko, Beau Porter, 

Wil Stead, Ruben Suarez, 

Peter Tomczak, Jason Trull, 

Matthew West, and Adrian Wojcik 

Warmest Best Wishes To 

BISHOP 

JOHN J. SNYDER 

Bishop Snyder 

The Seminarians of the 


thank you for your 

leadership and support 

Vocations Office 

Father John Tetlow 

Bishop 


The Religious 

of the 

Diocese of 

Saint Augustine 

are filled with 

gratitude for 

your leadership, 

your friendship 

and your love. 

✮✭ 

We are thankful for 

Your 22 years of Leadership 

Our Prayers Go 

with you 

DIOCESAN STAFF 

DIOCESE OF SAINT AUGUSTINE 


“I always wanted to be 

a Cardinal but I couldn’t 

hit a curve ball.” 

—Bishop Snyder 

Snyder said that, too, has had an effect. 

Some of the young workers end up 

majoring in special education. 

The camps, he said, give the parents 

of the campers a break, too. 

In his almost 22 years as bishop in 

the diocese, Bishop Snyder also has 

enhanced Catholic social welfare services, 

expanded the Catholic school system, 

provided greater access to the church at 

large, built new churches, and participated 

in the recruitment of not only young 

future priests but older ones having a 

late vocation. 

Reaching out into the community, 

Bishop Snyder has been ministering to 

prisoners. He recently made one of his 

regular trips to Union Correctional 

Institute and says that he hopes to do 

more with the prison ministry in his 

retirement. 

On the lighter side, he enjoys his 

visits with elementary school children. 

“When I go out to speak to students, 

they ask me, ‘Do you want to be Pope?’ 

and I say, ‘no.’ Then they ask, ‘Do you 

want to be a Cardinal?’ and then I say, 

‘I always wanted to be a Cardinal but 

I couldn’t hit a curve ball.’’’ 

Bishop Snyder was referring to his 

support for the St. Louis Cardinals 

baseball team when he was young. 

Last spring, during the annual 

Diocesan Scouting Awards, Bishop 

Snyder found out how much his stories 

remains with some people. “After the 

ceremony, this little third grader came 

up to me and said, ‘so, you couldn’t 

hit a curve ball?’ ’’ 

Father D. Terrence Morgan, pastor of 

the Cathedral-Basilica, said Bishop Snyder’s 

leadership begins with his prayer model. 

“Prayer is the center of his life, even though 

he does not come off as a Holy Joe (or Holy 

Jack, I guess). Because I live with him, I 

know how much time he spends in front 

of the Blessed Sacrament, laying his life 

before our Lord and ceaselessly seeking 

the intercession of the Blessed Mother.’’ 

In the last two years, Bishop Snyder has 

stepped out and welcomed gays and lesbians 

into the church. 

They’re Catholics, too, he said. By 

reaching out, Bishop Snyder said he has 

also been able to meet some of the parents. 

“They’ll tell you, ’he didn’t choose to be 

that way,’ and they are so appreciative of 

what we do.” 

A gathering two years ago at Assumption 

Parish in Jacksonville, sanctioned by Bishop 

Snyder, drew criticism. 

“You know you’re vulnerable,’’ he said 

explaining that Jesus Christ, too, was 

vulnerable and ended up being crucified. 

“So, I’m in pretty good company. 

continued on page 28 


“You get six or eight letters but then 

you think, there are 143,000 others who 

aren’t writing letters.’’ 

Bishop Snyder is a quiet leader, says the 

Rev. Milton E. Jordan, executive director 

of The Papal Foundation in Philadelphia. 

Father Jordan has observed him at work 

on the National Conference of Catholic 

Bishops and has heard from others of his 

work for Catholic Relief Services. “He 

is a behind-the-scenes type of guy.’’ 

Father Jordan lived at the cathedral 

rectory from 1984-85 while a doctoral 

student at the University of Florida. “I 

always have admired the man. In the year 

I was there, every morning, he would be 

kneeling in his chapel for an hour in prayer. 

And that was after he had been riding his 

stationary bicycle for an hour. He was an 

incredible role model for me.’’ 

Bishop Snyder supports ecumenism 

and was honored by the then National 

Council of Christian and Jews (now 

National Conference for Community 

and Justice). “I would hope that my 

successor will continue to foster that 

kind of leadership,’’ he said. “It is so 

vitally important to work together.’’ 

The Most Reverend Robert J. Baker, 

bishop of the Diocese of Charleston, S.C., 

was Cathedral pastor for 13 years and 

observed Bishops Snyder’s role within 

the church and outside of it first hand. 

“I benefited personally and pastorally 

from the experience, not knowing then 

that this would happen to me (being a 

bishop),’’ said Bishop Baker whose diocese 

covers South Carolina which is only about 

three percent Catholic. 

“He is even tempered even in stressful 

situations and he deals with you in a wise 

and caring manner. His energy is something 

I wish I had a small portion of.’’ 

Pope John Paul II appointed Bishop 

Snyder bishop on Oct. 2, 1979. He was an 

auxiliary bishop in the Diocese of Brooklyn 

before that. He was installed as the diocese’s 

eighth bishop in the Cathedral-Basilica of 

St. Augustine on Dec. 5, 1979. 

Stories by Margo C. Pope. Reprinted with 

permission from The St. Augustine Record. 

T h a n k s a n d 

b l e s s i n g s 

Bishop 


for 22 years of outstanding 

leadership and ministry, to 

the people of your diocese 

and the Church! 

from 

Bishop John F. Kinney, 

Bishop George H. Speltz, 

and the people of the 

Diocese of 

Saint Cloud, MN 

Bishop 


We Are 

Grateful 

The People 

and Priests 

of 

St. Catherine 

Parish, 

Orange Park 


T hrough the Years 

Photo Gallery 

Early days at the Seminary of Immaculate Conception, Huntington, Long Island. 

Bishop Jack and his older brother. 

Scenes from Bishop Snyder’s student days at Cathedral Prep in Brooklyn (above and below). 

Looking for a handout on the streets of Flushing. 


Parents, Katherine Walsh and John Joseph Snyder. 

A rising basketball star at Cathedral Prep! 

Introducing a baby to the life of Christ through baptism. 

Bishop Snyder concelebrates Mass with Bishop Francis J. Mugavero of Brooklyn. 

Bishop Snyder (second from left) and other religious leaders march for peace. 

Gracias 

Bishop 

Juan Snyder 

Por su ministerio, 

su amistad y su apoyo 

Southeast Regional Office 

for Hispanic Ministry, Inc. 


The bishop and his disciples. 

“Uncle Jack” with his nieces and nephews. 

Below: Celebrating the Eucharist at the 125th anniversary of the Diocese of Saint Augustine. 

Remembering those who served: The late Gail Adey Acebal and Bishop Paul 

Tanner at the dedication of the Catholic Center. 

Prayers 

and good 

wishes to 

Most Reverend 


Bishop of 

Saint Augustine, 

Florida 

from 

Rev. Anthony G. Sebra 

and 

Sacred Heart Parish, 

Jacksonville 

Best Wishes 

Bishop 


From 

The Saint S 

Augustine Diocese 

Catholic Campaign for f 

HumanH 

Development elopment Committee 

Rev. . Edward d Rooney 

Diocesan Director 

“A A hand up, , not a hand out” 

“If you y 

want peace, 

work for justice” 

Pope Paul P 

VI 


Reflections 

about Bishop Snyder 

From a Former Cathedral Pastor 

Most Reverend Robert J. Baker 

Bishop of Charleston 

n the 13 years 

II resided at the 

Cathedral rectory 

with Bishop John 

Snyder, while I was 

pastor of Cathedral- 

Basilica Parish in 

St. Augustine, I 

personally witnessed 

a bishop living out 

the motto he had 

chosen for his episcopacy. Bishop Snyder’s 

Coat of Arms was displayed on a banner in 

his chapel in the Cathedral rectory. On it 

is the words: Peace in Christ. 

His own spiritual life, deeply rooted 

in daily prayer, and his daily regimen of 

exercise, both of which he began early 

in the day, promoted in him a peaceful 

composure that was truly remarkable. The 

ever-present smile on his face that was a 

perennial characteristic of him reflected 

on inner peace that he possessed. Truly 

that was a grace he was given and a gift 

he projected onto others — to those who 

had the good fortune of knowing him, 

those working in collaboration with him, 

or those being served by him. 

The daily strains and stresses of episcopal 

ministry seemed not to weigh on him too 

heavily. As a man of peace he welcomed the 

daily challenges of ministry to his people as 

Bishop of the Diocese of Saint Augustine. 

I am sure his pastoral experience of many 

years assisting bishops in the Diocese of 

Brooklyn as Secretary to Bishops and as 

Vicar General figured as well into his 

preparedness for ministry as shepherd 

of the Saint Augustine Diocese. 

It was a joy to reside with Bishop Snyder 

those 13 years. Dinner with him at the 

rectory as well as dining out with him and 

the priests of the rectory and the area on 

Sunday nights was always an uplifting 

experience. 

He would consistently generate a 

positive point of view to what others might 

see as a dismal situation. Bishop Snyder’s 

priests always enjoyed his company. 

He had a way also of encouraging the 

best in an individual and drawing it out. 

I never felt cramped or confined in my 

role as pastor of Cathedral parish with the 

bishop close by. I knew where he stood, and 

I presume he knew where I was coming 

from. There was mutual respect, which 

enabled our working relationship to be 

what I considered a healthy one. 

There were areas of my responsibility as 

pastor of the Cathedral parish that connected 

the parish with diocesan events constantly, 

but I feel we were able to blend those 

situations harmoniously all those years so 

that the Cathedral was able to serve well 

the parish and the diocese. 

Potential situations of conflict were 

always quickly resolved, so that the peace 

of Christ reigned. Bishop Snyder’s peacefilled 

personality was the principal factor 

that gave rise to this upbeat pastoral 

approach at Cathedral parish. 

I also witnessed personally Bishop Snyder’s 

strong social conscience. Early on he enlisted 

my help in drawing up what I considered 


God’s Blessing 

For Your Retirement 

a major document, the Letter to Christians 

in Florida, an ecumenical statement by 

religious leaders of Christian churches in 

the State of Florida on the thorny issue 

of capital punishment. This is, I believe, 

the only document of its kind on capital 

punishment in our country. Bishop Snyder 

was the bishop who had the idea for it 

and brought the idea to reality. 

I was amazed that religious leaders of 

other denominations could get together 

and find a common meeting-ground with 

our Catholic bishops on this issue. That 

they did so was a compliment to Bishop 

Snyder’s leadership and his ecumenical 

sensitivity. I see what happened in Florida 

as a challenge to bishops in other areas of 

the country to work collaboratively with 

religious leaders on areas of mutual interest 

such as capital punishment. 

Bishop Snyder’s social conscience led him 

to strong stands on the issue of peace. He 

was a great advocate of the United States 

Bishops’ Peace Pastoral. And Bishop Snyder 

supported people who did not sit idly by 

watching from the sidelines as the threat 

of nuclear proliferation grew. As a bishop 

he was a strong proponent of peace. Once 

again he lived out his Episcopal motto 

“Peace in Christ.” 

I am especially grateful that Bishop Snyder 

allowed me the latitude to experiment with 

The Faithful of Corpus Christi Parish, St. Augustine 

Fr. William C. Mooney, Pastor 


a social agenda while in St. Augustine, 

enlisting community support and the 

support of other churches to meet the needs 

of transients in the community who were 

drifting in off I-95 and coming to our 

collective church rectory doors or offices. 

He gave me the green light to 

collaborate with others in establishing 

St. Francis House in St. Augustine, as I 

had previously done with other churches 

in Gainesville. The existence of both of 

these charitable endeavors today is the 

result of Bishop Snyder’s continuing 

concern for the needy. At a time when 

federal and state governments were cutting 

back on institutions for the mentally and 

emotionally challenged and the needy, the 

church was called upon to take up the slack. 

St. Francis House and the St. Vincent 

de Paul Farm were two efforts that arose 

in the St. Augustine area to assist the 

community in meeting the social challenges 

of the Gospel. Bishop Snyder graciously 

gave his blessings to these efforts. 

One could go on and on in listing the 

ways Bishop Snyder served our diocese in 

joy, in hope, in peace, and in love. I present 

just these few examples as a modest way of 

giving tribute to his ministry and to say 

thanks for his friendship, his example, 

and his support. I now rely heavily on 

his witness of episcopal leadership for 

my own meager efforts in attempting to 

lead and guide the people of God in the 

Diocese of Charleston. 

Rev. Ralph L. Besendorfer J.C.D. 

Judicial Vicar 

lthough Msgr. Snyder was present 

Aat my ordination to the priesthood 

in 1959, as secretary to the Bishop of 

Brooklyn, we became friends three years 

later when I was appointed to the diocesan 

Chancery-Tribunal. A group of us, diocesan 

workers, lived across from the bishop’s 

residence and decided to invite our 

“neighbors” for dinner. We had to borrow 

the “good china” and silverware from the 

sisters of St. Joseph convent. During the 

conversation we explained how a group 

of us went bowling on Monday nights. 

Bishop McEntegart suggested, “Why don’t 

you join them Jack?” From that night on, 

the bishop no longer had Monday evening 

appointments and would usually wait up 

till Msgr. Snyder would come home to 

find out who won. Usually it was Msgr. 

Snyder who took home the money and 

even won a trophy for a 250+ game. 

Six years later, Father Tim Divine and I 

were invited to live at the bishop’s 

residence with Bishop Mugavero and 

Msgr. Snyder. It was the fall of 1969, the 

year the Met’s won the pennant. We 

cajoled the bishop into taking us to the 

opening game of the World Series. It was 

in Baltimore. It was the only game the 

Met’s lost. Even though Bishop Snyder 

was a Cardinals fan, he gradually warmed 

up to the Mets. 

In 1972 when Bishop Snyder was 

announced the new Auxiliary Bishop 

of Brooklyn, we all rejoiced. I had been 

out at a lengthy dinner meeting and had 

been “rejoicing” a bit too much. That 

evening I pledged my loyalty to him, and 

to this day he says that was the only time 

I made sense. Little did we realize at that 

time that we would work together for 

another 25 years. 

There are so many stories that could be 

told, but like the Gospel says “These are 

told that you may believe” that Bishop 

Snyder has filled his humanity with the 

Spirit of Love and tried to lead others 

along the path of life. 

The Priests, Staff, Parish 

and School Thank You for 

Your Many Years of 

Dedicated Service. We 

Wish You Peace, Joy and 

The Love of Jesus Christ in 

Your Retirement. 

J ACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 



May God continue to favor you with good health and 

many blessings in your retirement years 

With Love & Gratitude 

From 

Your Christ the King Family 

Christ the King Catholic Church 

A Total Stewardship Parish 

Awarded An ‘Excellent Catholic Parish’ in the United States by Paulist Press 2001 

742 Arlington Road 

Jacksonville, Florida 32211 


Father James R. Boddie, Jr. 

Pastor, St. Pius V Parish 

ishop John 

BJ. Snyder 

has always been a 

holy, understanding 

bishop and a great 

friend. His humility 

and sincerity has 

always been 

genuine. 

When Bishop 

Snyder became 

bishop of Saint Augustine, St. Pius V Parish 

and Catholic school were among the first 

parishes he visited. St. Pius V from that 

time to present recognized the great sincerity 

and holiness of Bishop Snyder. He has 

always felt at home at St. Pius V. 

Bishop Snyder has always been very 

supportive of me in my various ministries 

in the diocese. He recognized the uniqueness 

of me being the first African-American 

ordained to the priesthood in the Diocese 

of Saint Augustine and in the State of 

Florida and he has always affirmed me 

in that uniqueness to minister to all the 

people of God in the diocese. 

TRUST THE 

EXPERTS 

For All of Your 

Printing Needs 

Bishop Snyder has always had a deep 

respect for all cultures and races in the 

diocese. He always called forth the 

reconciliation and the working together 

of all the people of God in the diocese. 

Bishop Snyder lived by example regarding 

the issues of equality, peace and justice. 

He lived what he preached. H reached out 

to the poor, outcast and those in prison 

and the victims of crime. 

He has been and will always be my 

brother in Christ and my good friend. 

As Bishop Snyder begins his retirement, 

I know that he will not be idle, for he has 

a great love for the Lord Jesus, the church 

and the people of God. The Lord still has 

work for him to do in his retirement years. 

Thank you, Bishop Snyder for 22 years of 

shepherding the Diocese of Saint Augustine. 

Deacon Jim Casapulla 

Pastoral Associate, St. Elizabeth Ann 

Seton Parish, Palm Coast 

hen I came to the Diocese of 

WSaint Augustine in April 1991, I 

met Bishop Snyder for the first time and 

immediately knew that I was in the presence 

of a prayerful and Christ-centered servant 

of God. He welcomed me and assured me 

that although there was no formal Diaconate 

Program in place in the diocese, the deacons 

who were here (from other places like 

myself), were enjoying not only faculties 

to serve but that the need was overwhelming 

and that he was supportive of ministry of 

permanent deacons. 

Needless to say that over the past ten 

years, I and all of the permanent deacons 

who were here and those who have since 

come, have been richly blessed with Bishop 

Snyder’s leadership, his example, his 

hospitality, his gift of enabling, and his 

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constant support of both of our vocations 

as married permanent deacons. 

We have answered his invitations on 

the diocesan level, in service in some 

agencies and on some diocesan boards, 

we have functioned in different parishes 

throughout the diocese in response to his 

request to serve, and we have always felt 

included because Bishop Snyder made it 

a point to be sure that we come to the 

yearly retreat, that we have a presence at 

diocesan liturgical events, and that we 

were recognized in the diocesan 

publications and media. 

He was always a brother and a friend, 

accessible and easy to speak to and had a 

deep concern for our ministry. He also had 

a sincere graciousness for our wives and 

the ministry we shared with them in our 

vocations of marriage. He never failed 

to ask about them or when with them, 

ALWAYS knew their name! 

It is truly sad that our shepherd, Bishop 

John, leaves the diocesan chair, but our 

spirits are uplifted because his health is 

good and his choice to remain here in the 

diocese during his retirement means that 

these relationships we’ve forged with him 

can continue to be shared for many years 

to come. 

Mary Flanagan 

Lay Minister of Spirituality at 

St. Augustine Parish and Catholic 

Student Center, Gainesville 

have to 

Iadmit that 

I was disposed to 

like Bishop Snyder 

even before I met 

him because the 

first glimpse I had 

of him was in a 

newspaper photo 

showing him sitting 

with a group of 

kindergartners on one of those little 

chairs, all wearing Burger King crowns. 

Bishop Snyder has been very supportive 

of my work and me as a career lay minister, 

as he has with so many other people I know. 

Initially, his leadership and personal manner 

encouraged me to consider working within 

the church, something I was just having 

glimmers of when he came to the diocese. 

Professional lay ministry wasn’t very 

prominent in the church at that time, at 

least not in the South as far as I could tell, 

but the North American bishops had been 

encouraging lay ministry and Bishop Snyder 

was no exception. Early on, in my work 

as a counselor at St. Augustine Parish and 

Catholic Student Center in Gainesville, I 

decided to focus my work more particularly 

in the area of spirituality. Because my 

education to that point was in psychology 

and mental health counseling, I felt I 

needed to return to graduate school to 

study Catholic theology and spirituality. 

I applied to Weston Jesuit School of 

Theology in Cambridge, Mass., asking also 

for financial aid. They requested that I also 

look for funding from my diocese, which 

I did through a letter to Bishop Snyder 

outlining my background and goals. Happily 

for me, he approved funding for my tuition 

and also for some Spanish language study 

I later undertook. I have used all of those 

studies in my work at St. Augustine’s and 

in various ways within the diocese. 

Bishop Snyder continued to impress me 

in many ways. I appreciated the justice 

issues he supported. He was particularly 

encouraging on women’s issues, listening 

seriously to the concerns of many of our 

women parishioners who felt disenfranchised 

within the church . Along with the other 

Florida bishops, he publicized the ways in 

which women and their dependent children 

May God Bless You, 

Bishop Snyder, 

as you continue to use 

your many gifts 

in the service of 

His Kingdom 

during your 

retirement years. 

History of The Church in Florida 

at St. Matthew’s Church 

Rev. Luke McLoughlin, 

Pastor, and the Staff of 

the Parish and school at 

St. Matthew parish, 

Jacksonville 


were disproportionately affected by poverty. 

I noticed too that, from the moment he 

came to the diocese, he began including 

lay people from various parts of the diocese 

on committees and task forces. I remember 

being on a spiritual renewal committee 

that researched various renewal programs 

in order to implement one for our diocese. 

Part of that work included a conference 

in Miami for the Southern province—a 

great conference but a long van trip to 

Miami. Bishop Snyder rode right along 

with us and worked as diligently as anyone, 

attending all the meetings and accepting 

all our remarks for consideration. In forming 

this image of him early on in my ministry, 

I have never doubted that he would be 

available to our parishioners and groups 

unfailingly when I have encouraged them 

to contact him with their concerns and 

he always has been. 

I am very reluctant to see him retire but 

he certainly deserves long years of relaxation. 

I am deeply indebted to him for the 

inspiration and leadership he has given me 

for so many years. 

Ann and Bob Funkhouser 

Marriage Preparation ministers, St. 

Augustine Church and Catholic Student 

Center, Gainesville 

M 

y first conscious memory of 

you is being greeted by name at 

the open house of the Catholic Center. 

Obviously I had met you before! I 

remember being shocked that you knew 

the names of Bob and I, and our friend, 

Jeff Atwater, who later became a son-inlaw. 

I was totally in awe of your memory 

when I left to return to Gainesville that 

day, and continue to be in awe today. 

'Well done, 

good and faithful 

servant' 


thank you for 22 years of 

dedicated service to the 

Church in Florida 

and the 

Diocese of St. Augustine 

Archbishop John C. Favalora, 

Archbishop 

Emeritus 

Edward A. 

McCarthy, 

Auxiliary Bishops 

Agustín Román, 

Gilberto Fernández and 

Thomas Wenski, 

and the people of the 

Archdiocese of Miami 


What drew me closest to my brothers was the delight of 

chatting and laughing together, 

of showing our affection for one another 

by kindly services; of reading together from 

books that spoke of pleasant things; 

of joking amicably, disputing now and then 

but without resentment, as one is 

wont to do with himself; of awakening 

by rare contest the pleasure of being one 

in mind; of longing for the absent one; 

and of tasting joy at his return 

We loved each other with all our hearts, 

and these marks of our friendship, shown 

in our faces, by our voices, in our eyes, 

and a thousand other ways, were among us 

like ardent flames that fused our souls together 

and of many made but one. 

St. Augustine, “Confessions” 

With great warmth and affection, your priest housemates 

at 35 Treasury Street, the rectory staff, and your friends 

the Cathedral Parishioners wish you all the best, 

Bishop Snyder, in your retirement. Don’t be a stranger! 

Cathedral Basilica of Saint Augustine 

Always your home, Bishop Jack! 


On another occasion, we brought our 

pre-school Lutheran grandson, Brenden, 

to the dedication of Marywood. He quietly 

listened to all that was happening and when 

the festivities were over, he declared, “I like 

that man with the red hat!” Of course, we 

brought him over to meet you, and you 

bent down to talk with him. Brenden is 

now 16 and working his first job during 

the summer in Charlotte, N.C., where he 

lives with his family. 

In the late 1980s, there was the Woman’s 

Conference that a group of us put on at 

St. Augustine Parish. You graciously 

attended, heard our stories, and shared 

your story with us. It was a blessing to all 

of the women that you spent the entire 

day with us, participating along with us 

in all of the group activities. I felt that for 

the first time, my story had been heard. 

In the early 1990s, Bob and I appealed 

to you for financial help to attend the PREP 

(Prevention and Relationship Enhancement 

Program) training in Denver. You kindly 

funded a piece of that endeavor. The 

knowledge gleaned from that training 

continues to help us immeasurably in 

our ministry to engaged and married 

couples today. 

Perhaps my favorite memories are the 

dinners shared with you at St. Augustine’s 

rectory or Hurley Hall after a confirmation. 

It has been an opportunity to see you 

relax and just be. I’m grateful for those 

opportunities and trust that even though 

you will no longer be at the helm of the 

diocese you will continue to come on 

occasion to share a meal with all of us 

at the Catholic Student Center. 

Bob and I pray that the Lord will bless 

you abundantly as you travel down this 

new path on the journey of life. 

Dr. Michael Gannon 

Distinguished Service Professor 

Emeritus of History, University 

of Florida, Gainesville 

hen Bishop John J. Snyder was 

Winstalled as eighth Bishop of 

Saint Augustine, December 1979, he 

preached a homily that exactly presaged 

what his episcopal ministry here would be: 

devoted pastoral care of God’s people. He 

especially reached out beyond the Catholic 

communion to identify God’s people as all 

people. And at the close of those remarks he 

identified himself as a shepherd: “I listen,” 

he said, “as Jesus commands ‘Feed my 

sheep.’ I accept that commission to lead, 

to nourish, to walk with you, not as my 

flock, but as ’Jesus’ flock. You are entrusted 

to me not as my possession, but as His.” 

For 22 years Bishop Snyder has reached 

past the parish to the parishioners — past 

the institutions to individual souls. In the 

quiet ways of a shepherd he has held out 

his crosier to the poor and the homeless, 

to those who are in prison, and to those 

with disabilities. One of the first actions 

he took, as bishop of the diocese was the 

establishment of an office for persons with 

disabilities. Another of his driving interests 

Thank you, 

Bishop Snyder, 

for twenty-two 

years of service 

to the people 

of the 

Diocese of 

Saint Augustine. 

Bishop Robert J. Baker 

and 

The Diocese of Charleston 

extend prayers and gratitude to 


for his loving and devoted service to the Clergy, Religious, and 

Laity of the Diocese of St. Augustine for the past 22 years. 

Nombre de Dios 

House of Prayer 

at the Mission 

34 Ocean Avenue 

St. Augustine, Florida 32086 

Thank you, Bishop Snyder, for all you have done and been for all 

of us! 


that support to benefit your parish, a Catholic 

school or other ministry such as Catholic 

Charities in our diocese!) 

There’s more... 

Some things ARE forever! 

A charitable gift annuity gives forever ... 

first by providing fixed payments to you for life 

then by providing income for your church perpetually. 

Here’s how it works... 

• You transfer an asset (usually cash or appreciated 

securities) to the Catholic Foundation. 

• The Catholic Foundation gives you a signed agreement 

guaranteeing specific payments each year to you (and/or 

a person you designate) for life. 

• At the end of the contract, the residual gift goes into the 

Foundation’s general funds where it will support Christ’s 

work throughout our diocese (and YES, you may restrict 

• The transaction is easy to execute. 

• You receive an immediate charitable contribution 

deduction. 

• You also save on future taxes (some of your payment 

is tax free). 

• You have no management fees or responsibilities, and no 

investment worries about “the market.” 

• You can defer the start date of your payments to get even 

higher pay rates and boost your retirement income. 

Here are a few examples of the return rates 

One-life Agreement:* Two-life Agreement:* 

Age Rate Age Rate 

55 6.0% 65/60 6.2% 

65 6.7% 70/65 6.4% 

70 7.2% 75/70 6.8% 

75 7.9% 80/75 7.3% 

80 8.9% 85/80 8.1% 

82 9.4% 90/85 9.2% 

For a personal illustration (without obligation), please 

contact our Planned Giving Office. You may use the 

coupon below to request information or call: 

904-262-3200, ext. 166, or 1-800-775-4659, ext. 166. 

*Rates effective July 1, 2001 

Please send additional information on the Charitable Gift Annuity. 

Iam already aware of the benefits of a Charitable Gift Annuity and I would 

like an illustration for: 

a one-life agreement: beneficiary birthdate: _________ 

a two-life agreement: beneficiaries’ birthdates: ________ and ________ 

Please return to: 

Ms. Denis M. Plumb 

Catholic Foundation 

P.O. Box 24000 


Name_____________________________________ 

Phone_______________ 

Address_________________________________________________________ 

City_____________________________ State___________Zip____________ 

THE CATHOLIC FOUNDATION OF THE DIOCESE OF ST. AUGUSTINE, INC.

has been the religious formation and 

academic education of children. 

Many of Bishop Snyder’s efforts to make 

people’s lives physically easier and spiritually 

fulfilled have carried over onto the national 

and international forums. On committees 

of the United States Catholic Conference 

he has worked on behalf of handicapped 

and mentally retarded persons across the 

country. With Catholic Relief Services 

he traveled to Ethiopia in 1987 to study 

what might be done to assist that country’s 

impoverished populations. In Washington, 

D.C. he delivered a powerful address at 

the National Cathedral in furtherance of 

ecumenical cooperation with members 

of the Anglican Communion. And, for a 

period of three years ending in 1995, he 

was the American Bishops’ leading voice 

in the promotion of women’s roles in 

society and the church. 

Now age alone requires that he pass his 

shepherd’s staff to the hands of another. 

As he does so, a grateful diocese says bema 

fecisti — well done! And ad multos annos 

— many more years! 

As a historian, I salute him for being 

one of Florida’s truly great bishops. May 

there be more like him! 

Brother Anthony Gemmato, OCD 

ith respect to our Carmelite 

WCommunity, we would have to 

say that our relationship with the Most 

Reverend Bishop John J. Snyder has been, 

first of all, a great privilege based on mutual 

respect and cordiality. It has been an honor 

to serve under him as shepherd of this 

diocese and we wish him God speed. 

Fran Gullman 

Star Trekking for Diocesan Council of Catholic Women. 

Diocesan Council of Catholic Women 

ishop Snyder, 

Bthe women 

of the Saint 

Augustine 

Diocesan Council 

of Catholic Women, 

want to thank you 

for all that you have 

done for us for the 

past 22 years. Your 

support has meant 

a lot to all of us. 

Throughout this time 

we have put you through many different 

experiences, your first induction into 

DCCW past presidents’ night at our 

convention was a fashion show with you 

as a model, you good-naturedly walked 

down the runway to the delight of your 

new flock. Things got better from there 

— each year at convention you were a 

lion tamer, cowboy, Hawaiian dancer, a 

person from outer space, and even Elvis 

— to name a few, and you always dressed 

up, participated with enthusiasm, and 

charmed us all. 

Your words of wisdom at the Bishop’s 

banquet challenged us to work for peace 

and justice. We are pleased to have assisted 

you in furthering your special interests by 

annually celebrating long-term marriages 

at the Anniversary Celebrations, celebrating 

special persons at Camp I Am Special and 

at our annual fashion show, and celebrating 

life by sponsoring Born Free to help mothers 

in difficult situations. We recognize and 

appreciate your serving as liaison and 

Episcopal Moderator to the National 




1979-2000 

The Office of Educational Services thanks 

you for twenty-one years of support and 

encouragement of Catholic Schools in the 

Diocese of St. Augustine. You have inspired all 

of us to follow Jesus’ command: 

“Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; 

for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” 

Matthew 19:14 

Patricia A. Tierney and Office of Educational Services Staff 

Community of Catholic Schools and Diocesan Advisory Board of Education 

Prayerful Best Wishes to 


on his retirement. 

May God grant him 

health, happiness 

and many years of 

continued service. 

From 

Fathers Keith Brennan and 

Patrick Murphy, S.J., 

Parish and School Staff 

and the Faithful of 

Blessed Trinity Parish, 

Jacksonville 


Council of Catholic Women. Women all 

over the country recognize your sensitivity 

to women’s issues. 

It has been my special privilege to have 

worked with you and it was a very special 

privilege to be able to walk down the runway 

as your partner in the last fashion show 

you would participate in as our bishop. 

May Our Lady of Good Counsel, 

the patroness of the Council of Catholic 

Women, intercede for you and may 

God bless you as you have blessed us. 

Msgr. Vincent Haut 

Vicar General and pastor, 

St. Catherine Parish, Orange Park 

have been 

IBishop 

Snyder’s vicar 

general for a long 

time. Before I had 

this job, Msgr. John 

Lenihan used the 

same office —the 

one right next to 

the bishop. 

We both often heard the 

same question, “What does 

the Vicar General do?” I 

don’t know how Msgr. 

Lenihan responded but 

my usual answer was, 

“Whatever the bishop 

wants.” 

Over these years 

of doing what John J. 

Snyder wanted me to do 

I’ve learned much from 

him and gained a deep 

regard for his strong faith 

and wide-ranging love. 

He has taught me 

much about being a priest 

and a friend. He’s taught me about paying 

attention to everyone and about speaking 

out for the weak. He gave me space to 

blossom. He groans at my jokes and rolls 

his eyes sometimes at my suggestions, but 

he has always loved me as he loves the 

people of the Diocese of Saint Augustine. 

That’s what the bishop wants. He wants 

us to love each other and the poor. You 

don’t have to have an office at the Catholic 

Center to do that. 


May we express our gratitude 

for your years of guidance, 

leadership, and example. 

We wish you continued health 

and blessings on your retirement. 

Harris, Guidi, Rosner & Mordecai, P.A. 

Attorneys at Law 

1837 Hendricks Avenue 

Jacksonville, FL 32207 

904 - 398-9002 

(l to r), Bob Shircliff, Bishop Snyder, John McLaughlin, Mary Hughes 

Mary Hughes 

Co-Chair “Opportunity of a Lifetime” 

campaign 

s I reflect on what has become a 

Aloving and respected friendship 

with Bishop Snyder, I am reminded of my 

first impressions of his stewardship of the 

diocese. Six short years ago, as the new 

director of the Koch Foundation, it was 

not unusual to receive visits from pastors 

requesting funds for what was always 

described as the most essential and 

innovative evangelization effort ever 

proposed. The monologue usually ended 

with the admonition, “the bishop wants 

it funded!” Needless to say, I had to inform 

my visitor that in the foundation world 

there is an axiom, “What the Bishop 

wants, the Bishop doesn’t necessarily 

get!” What he did get however was my 

continuing support and advocacy for 

programs spreading the Good News 

within our diocese. 

My respect and love has grown 

exponentially since agreeing to serve 

as a co-chair of “The Opportunity of 

a Lifetime” capital campaign. The success 

of our campaign in the Gainesville deanery 

is directly related to Bishop Snyder’s 

leadership. During the past year, after a 

full day’s work, he traveled to Gainesville 

over 30 times for home receptions, training 

sessions, and major donor visits. His untiring 

efforts and ability to put the needs of others 

ahead of his own demonstrated to our 

community what is meant by the Servant 

Leader, a Follower of the Gentle Jesus. 

The Catholic Community of Gainesville 

is the better for their enthusiastic support 

of “The Opportunity of a Lifetime.” We 

will never forget the home receptions when 

the evening ended with Bishop Snyder 


gathering our host families for a special 

blessing. The Bishop did get our pledges, 

we made our goal but more importantly 

he will always have our love and devotion. 

Upon reflection, I have become a believer; 

“What the Bishop wants, the Bishop gets!” 

Father Roland Julien 

Dean of the Gainesville Deanery 

Member of the College of Consultors 

ishop Snyder 

Bis a very 

pastoral bishop — 

very close and very 

concerned about 

every priest, parish 

and parishioner. 

One very caring 

thing he does is to 

put a personal note 

and personally sign 

a card to every priest and me at Christmas. 

He also does the same for the anniversary 

of our priestly ordination. I am sure he 

knows and understands that we are all 

ministering together and as he supports 

my priesthood, he is also strengthening 

his own. 

Best wishes to 


for service, example 


Diocese of Oakland 

Bishop 

John S. Cummins 

44 ST. AUGUSTINE CATHOLIC • SEPTEMBER 2001 

Dedication of the St. Francis Garden outside the Bishop Tanner Chapel at Bishop Kenny High School. 

Through the many decisions he makes 

each day, I know Bishop Snyder relies 

greatly on the advice and input from the 

priests, his diocesan staff and his presbyteral 

council. The “buck stops here,” but for 

some important decisions, he asks the four 

deans of the diocese to go back to the priests 

in their respective deaneries so he can get 

a sense of how all the priests feel about 

an issue. 

He has done this on a number of 

occasions. I especially feel proud about 

his decision to go ahead with plans for 

two new Catholic high schools and a 

number of other educational needs in 

the diocese. It was a brave step on his part, 

but one which was needed for many years. 

He was soon to retire and could have just 

coasted to an easy retirement. When he 

asked the priests of the diocese about what 

should be done they were all in favor of 

“The Opportunity of a Lifetime” capital 

campaign. It meant all of us had to work 

a little harder, including Bishop Snyder, 

but we knew it was something that needed 

to be done. Thank you, Bishop Snyder. 

Dottie Klein 

Former Director of L’Arche Harbor House 

Dottie Klein and Harbor House Core Member Andy Doyle. 

ishop Snyder taught me that the 

Bmost precious gifts in community 

are humility and the beauty of differences. 

I learned this on the diocese’s first Faith 

and Sharing Retreat in 1982 when more 

than 60 individuals — men and women, 

young and old, clergy and religious, 

disabled and able-bodied — came together 

to share faith and unity as the Body of 

Christ. I saw him, in shorts and sandals like 

all the other retreat-ants, live the mission of 

Faith and Sharing and L’Arche — Christ’s 

love is revealed when individual gifts are 

accepted and nurtured. 

I have always regarded Bishop Snyder as 

our shepherd who knows each of his sheep 

by name and who tends his flock lovingly 

with pastoral care, but I have now come to 

view him as the father in the parable of the 

Prodigal Son. Henri Nouwen wrote: “The 

father of the prodigal son is not concerned 

about himself. His children are his only 

concern, to them he wants to give himself 

completely, and for them he wants to pour 

out all of himself.” 

Bishop Snyder has poured out himself 

completely, supporting the community of 

Harbor House since our beginning by: 

❖challenging us to a year of prayer over 

our desire to be a L’Arche community; 

❖believing in our mission during times 

of joy and of pain; 

❖being a faithful presence at our 

community events; 

❖inspiring successful fundraising by 

his personal giving; and 

❖blessing us with his love, compassion 


Bishop Snyder became my hero when 

he proclaimed at a diocesan event that 

“our diocese needs L’Arche.” He knows

that our church needs the prophetic voice 

of the mentally poor, for they reveal what 

is most precious in each one of us — our 

hearts, our desire to love and to be loved. 

It is through our hearts that we are able 

to live the Beatitudes, serving and giving 

life to others — just as Bishop Snyder, 

our shepherd, our father, our hero, has 

always done. 

David K. Tebo 

Knights of Columbus Florida State Council 

tate Deputy 

SDavid K. 

Tebo, on behalf of 

the Past State 

Deputies, 

Directors, 

Committee 

Chairmen, and 

District Deputies, 

wants to 

congratulate Most Reverend John J. Snyder, 

former Bishop of Saint Augustine on his 

most successful tenure as Bishop of Saint 

Augustine. 

Under Bishop Snyder’s spiritual direction 

the Diocese of Saint Augustine has grown. 

We have new parishes, additions to existing 

churches, and new churches. Bishop Snyder 

always has a warm, loving smile for everyone. 

Bishop Snyder attended the first annual 

Knights of Columbus Charities Ball, which 

took place in March 1995, and has given 

his support every year following. The monies 

raised go to support homes that help unwed 

mothers and their children and homes for 

abused women and children. These problems 

are close to the bishop’s heart as they are 

to the Knights of Columbus. 

When Bishop Snyder’s schedule allowed, 

he attended the culmination of the Run 

for Life at the Great Cross at the Mission 

Nombre de Dios in St. Augustine. The 

run, this year was its 13th year, starts in 

Homestead and ends in St. Augustine. It 

takes the relay team of four runners nine 

days to complete the 352-mile run. 

Bishop Snyder has held a celebration, 

for the past several years, in the Cathedral 

in St. Augustine the third Sunday in January 

for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Christians 

of all faiths joyfully participate. 

These are just a few of the things 

that Bishop Snyder and the Knights of 

Columbus have worked hand in hand 

over the past years. 

May God bless you, Bishop Snyder. May 

you be with us for many years to come. 

Where young, active 

families worship 

Bishop 


Best Wishes for 

A Happy Retirement 

Holy Spirit 

Catholic 

Church 

Best Wishes 

to Bishop Snyder 

With Graditude 

Rev. Ed Booth 

and the People of God at 

San Juan del Rio 

1714-3 State Road 13 


“With Loving Prayers & Support” 

Mary, Queen of Heaven Church 

9401 Staples Mill Drive, Jacksonville, FL 

Msgr. R. Joseph James, Pastor 


Msgr. John Lenihan 

Former Vicar General 

L istening 

to Bishop 

Snyder’s homily 

at his installation 

as the eighth bishop 

of Saint Augustine, 

many of us felt a 

new trust and hope 

that this man would 

be a good shepherd walking in the footsteps 

of the Master. 

He came as he said, “to proclaim Jesus 

as Lord.” To bind and heal, to reach out 

to the poor and needy, to the divorced 

and separated, and to those “alienated 

from and perhaps by the church.” 

He talked about uniting us with the 

early Christian community and the heroic 

missionaries who in 1565 placed a cross 

in the sand in St. Augustine. On the day 

of his installation, he reached out to our 

sister Christian churches, the Jewish 

community and other faith congregations. 

Twenty-two years have gone by since 

that day of hope and Bishop John has put 

those thoughts and words into practice. 

Jesus is indeed the center of this 

prayerful man’s life. He has opened his 

arms to the Catholic people and to the 

people of northeast Florida with genuine 

love and compassion. 

Having worked closely with Bishop 

Snyder as his vicar general during his first 

10 years with us, I can truthfully say that 

he never thought of himself or what people 

might think, but only the good of each 

individual — always respecting their 

human dignity. 

Blessed Pope John XXIII once said, 

“See everything and correct a little.” 

Bishop John acted in the same way 

because he, like Pope John, is a gentle 

and compassionate shepherd. 


Bishop Snyder says 

he plans to do more 

traveling now that he 

is retired. He is 

pictured here with 

Msgr. John Lenihan 

aboard a cruise ship 

in Alaska this past 

July. 

John McLaughlin 

Chairman of DABE 

Co-Chair of “The Opportunity 

of a Lifetime” campaign 

t has been 

Imy honor 

to serve Bishop 

Snyder through 

our Diocesan 

Advisory Board 

of Education and 

as a co-chair of 

“The Opportunity 

of a Lifetime” capital campaign. In 

education, he clearly will be remembered 

as the “education bishop” along with his 

many other accomplishments because 

of his support for Catholic schools. His 

courageous leadership of the capital 

campaign will become a legend for future 

generations of Catholics to hold up as an 

example of true servant leadership. I was 

privileged to be a small part of this legacy. 

What I will remember most, however, is 

how excited he was to be among the people 

— how he drew energy, dare I say grace, 

from the sheep of his flock. Many a time 

during the campaign he was obviously 

tired as we drove to a gathering. However, 

as soon as he walked among his people he 

became energized, clearly delighted to be 

there. On the way home, it was common 

for him to speak of how wonderful the 

people of the diocese are. 

During the campaign there were many 

decisions to be made, often regarding 

people and being sensitive to their needs. 

It became easy when I realized the right 

question to ask was WWBD — What 

Would Bishop Do? It was the same idea 

as the bracelets that say WWJD — What 

Would Jesus Do? More and More as I 

used this criterion for exercising judgment,

BISHOP SNYDER 

THANKS FOR YOUR 22 YEARS 

OF PASTORAL SERVICE TO THE 

CHURCH AT ST. AUGUSTINE 

Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish 

Ponte Vedra Beach 

Msgr. Daniel B. Logan, Pastor 


Bishop Robert N. Lynch 

and the Diocese of St. Petersburg 

ask God’s Blessing upon Bishop John J. Snyder 

who for the past 22 years has led the 

“Mother” Diocese of St. Augustine with his 

pastoral wisdom, vision and love. 

AD MULTOS ANNOS! 


I came to realize that the answer 

to WWBD and WWJD was 

usually the same. 

Tom Meehan 

Former volunteer driver for 


had the honor of meeting 

IBishop Snyder at the 

Jacksonville Airport upon his 

arrival to his new home. I 

escorted him to his new residence 

on Treasury Street in St. Augustine. 

I offered my services to him 

which he graciously accepted 

and I have been blessed to 

accompany him on many of 

his road trips to various parishes 

of our diocese. 

Right from the beginning, I saw Bishop 

Snyder as a regular parish priest, always 

interested in everyone’s needs and never 

in a hurry to be on his way. 

Children would come up to him after 

confirmation and ask to have their picture 

taken with him and the answer was always, 

sure, and with a big smile. “Would you 

visit my sick husband bishop?” Of course. 

“Would you baptize my baby?” My pleasure. 

It was always a joy to be in his company. 

If he wasn’t traveling on a given Sunday, 

I could always say good morning to our 

bishop as he was reading his morning paper 

and eating his cereal. Once in a while, I 

would sing the Brooklyn National Anthem, 

I’m in Love with Brooklyn to him and he 

would love it and say thanks, Tom. 

Prayerful Best Wishes 

Bishop 

to 

Catholic Community 


Middleburg, Florida 

Celebrating Tom Meehan’s birthday with his wife, Muriel, and the grandchildren in St. Augustine. 

of St. Luke’s 

When he was appointed our bishop, he 

was co-pastor of St. Augustine Parish in 

Brooklyn where I graduated from school. 

We shared a mutual friend, Bishop Francis 

Mugavero, and we would often compare 

and share stories of our times in Brooklyn. 

Bishop Snyder will always be remembered 

as a lover of all his priests, religious and 

the people he has served and guided 

through their many wonderful years. 

May God Bless him and keep him in 

good health as he travels into retirement. 

Betty Moye 

RCIA Coordinator for St. Paul Parish, 

Jacksonville Beach 

y years of ministry in the church 

Mclosely parallel the period Bishop 

Snyder has led the Diocese of Saint 

Augustine. His personal witness and 

leadership have been a strong influence 

in both the direction of my ministry and 

my desire to serve. 

Two major areas of my involvement, 

Evangelization and RCIA, have been greatly 

affected by Bishop Snyder’s personal example. 

He demonstrated our call to evangelize 

by his reaching out to all. 

Ecumenism was also important and 

many times he set the example by joining 

in dialogue with other churches, finding 

ways to share commonality and better 

our community. During his time with 

us, through the RCIA process, we have 

experienced the formation of our parishes 

as vibrant welcoming communities. We 

have witnessed many coming to profess our 

faith, anxious to be active members of our 


The Diocese of Orl 

joins with our Brothers and Sisters 

of the historic and neighboring Diocese of St. Augustine in 

Thanking God 

for the dedicated and zealous pastoral ministry of the 

Most Reverend 

John J. Snyder, D.D 

We wish him continued good health 

and much happiness of heart in this new chapter of his life. 

+ Norbert M. Dorsey, C.P., S.T.D. 

Bishop of Orlando 


churches. A memorable highlight of the 

RCIA journey for St. Paul’s and other 

parishes each year was the Rite of Election — 

the excitement of going to the Cathedral to 

meet Bishop Snyder and, more importantly, 

the welcome the candidates received. The 

bishop’s custom of receiving every family 

in the courtyard demonstrated so well that 

each new member was important to him. 

On a personal level, Bishop Snyder has 

always shown his appreciation and support 

no matter how small the task. I appreciate 

the support given by the diocese. As a 

parish leader, my role was enhanced by 

the many formational opportunities offered 

to those in ministry. It has been a most 

rewarding time to serve our church. 

Sister Dorothea Murphy, RSM 

A fter 

completing 

the Mercy 

internship at 

the Women’s 

Prison in 

Framingham, 

Massachusetts, 

I arrived in 

Gainesville Sept. 8, 

1985 to attend my first death penalty 

meeting. A meeting with Bishop Snyder 

took place a few days later. 

The bishop planted the mustard seed 

when he said, “Prison ministry can attempt 

to heal those who are ministered to and 

those who society has imprisoned. They 

need to be shown how to build their lives 

to be able to function upon release.” 

These past 16 and a half years, Bishop 

Snyder has affirmed the stand in our mission 

statement — a vision statement that gives 

focus to our tasks as keepers and servants. 

We are about service, 

advocacy, and education 

We are about reconciliation, 

restoration, and abolition 

We are about community 

and justice 

Under the auspices of Bishop Snyder, 

we are part of an alternative community 

of ministers who desire to be intentional 

in breaking open a selective perception of 

reality. We believe in the ministerial calling 

that God asks of each of us, to share hope… 

the belief that things need not be as they 

are, that they can be different. We hold 

firm to our commitment that all life is 

sacred. We take up the challenge to 

discern together a preferred future and 

to re-vision systems and policies which 

promote destruction to human life. 

Bishop Snyder, I give thanks to you 

that the diocese supports the Ministry 

for Justice and Reconciliation. May the 

Ministry for Justice and Reconciliation 

always be characterized by compassion, 

love, and forgiveness. 

Bart O’Leary 

President, Council of Jacksonville 

Society of St. Vincent de Paul 

embers of the Society of St. 

MVincent de Paul who work 

continuously with the poor often seek 

the help and assistance of their fellow 

Vincentians to support them in their daily 

work. Bishop John J. Snyder, as the episcopal 

advisor of our diocesan Vincentians, has 

unceasingly provided that assistance, advice, 

and support to our society members. At 

our Annual Day of Reflection, his celebration 

of the liturgy for Vincentian intentions 

brings us to the foundation of our spiritual 

“Well done, my good and faithful servant....” 

Matt. 25:21 

God’s blessing 

and a 

happy retirement 

for a 

job well done! 

We wish you a happy retirement, 

Bishop Snyder. 

Bishop John Ricard, 

And the faithful of the 

Diocese of 

Pensacola Tallahassee 


love through sharing Christ’s presence 

among us. At this special time, and 

throughout the year, Bishop Snyder has 

provided the motivation for us to realize 

the heights of Vincentian charism. In his 

eloquent, but common sense, words he 

enjoins the Vincentians to share God’s 

love through a fervent concern for Christ’s 

poor and to perform those actions that 

draw us closer to God as we see Christ 

in the face of those that we serve. Bishop 

Snyder also has never failed to make us 

more fully aware, through words and 

example, of the need to address the daily 

issues of our community and society and 

to ensure that the needs and concerns of 

the poor are addressed. 

The members of the Society of St. Vincent 

de Paul are deeply indebted to Bishop Snyder 

for his unceasing support of the Society 

and for his uncompromising example of 

concern and love for the most beloved of 

God’s children — the poor among us. 

Thanks to our Vincentian Advisor. 

Father Glenn Parker, CSSR 

ishop Snyder’s relationship with 

Bthe Redemptorists began back in 

Brooklyn, N.Y. As a young priest back in 

Brooklyn, he and Father Eddie Gray, who 

is now Vice Provincial of the southeast 

region of Redemptorists, knew each other 

well. Bishop Snyder was ordained as a 

Bishop in Brooklyn at the Redemptorist 

Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. 

He has always been supportive of the 

Redemptorist charism and encouraged 

them as they ministered in the Saint 

Augustine Diocese. The same year Bishop 

Snyder came to the diocese, Father Walter 

Bueche, CSSR, came from Brooklyn to 

serve at Holy Rosary Parish. Bishop Snyder 

has continued to work with all the different 

Redemptorist priests assigned to Holy 

Rosary Parish. 

This year the Bishop was invited to 

address the Convocation of Redemptorist 

priests and brothers at New Smyrna 

Beach. 

It has been a pleasure for the 

Redemptorists to work with Bishop 

Snyder throughout his years of service 

in the Diocese of Saint Augustine. 

He’s the bishop of the battered and 

the shepherd of the shattered. Those 

who have been battered by life and those 

whose lives have been shattered. He puts 

them back together with his humble way. 

Rabbi Gary Perras 

Formerly of Beth Shalom Congregation 

in Jacksonville and now serving Temple 

Israel in Daytona Beach 

’m sure everyone says this, Bishop 

I Snyder is a Godly man — which 

means two things. First, we think of a 

person who acts in a God-like way. He is 

charitable, concerned, kindly, and caring 

and giving. The second is in a way that’s 

truly extraordinary. When he walks into a 

room, the Holy Spirit walks with him. I 

have yet to meet a clergyman who says I 

don’t know what you’re talking about. 

One situation that I recall is a photo of 

Bishop Snyder in the newspaper. He was 

talking to a young boy in crutches and 

kneeling down beside the boy. When I saw 

that, I thought what a beautiful image of 

what a servant of God is all about. A servant 

comes down to the level of the people. 

I’ve also noted that Bishop Snyder is 

religious-blind, color-blind, gender-blind. 

The only thing he sees is the human being. 

Bishop Snyder has been wonderful to 

the Jewish community. He has gone out 

of his way to participate and support joint 

programs, provide speakers for programs 

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in the Jewish community and to promote 

respect between our two faiths. 

On a personal note, it was through Bishop 

Snyder that I was able to meet the pope. For 

me that was especially important because, 

I think, in the history of the church, Pope 

John Paul II has done more to promote 

respect for the Jewish people, to condemn 

antisemitism and to try to work for peace 

in terms of Catholic-Jewish relationships. 

Warren Powers 

Powers Foundation 

ave you 

Hever 

wondered what 

it must be like to 

be a bishop? Over 

the years, I have 

thought about my 

friendship with 

Bishop Snyder 

often. From a 

business perspective, it is easy to recognize 

the problems endemic when managing 

people, property, planning and finances. 

That alone would be difficult enough for 

most of us, but when you are Bishop those 

responsibilities pale in comparison to the 

obligation of providing for the spiritual wellbeing 

of all the souls entrusted to you. 

In one respect, our church is similar to 

society — in that we find a diversity of 

interests, factions, prejudices, and opinions 

that must be reconciled to the faith God 

has given us through the Holy Mother 

Church. It is in the fulfillment of this 

great responsibility that Bishop Snyder 

has been such an inspiration to me. 

Time and time again I have seen 

him reach out to those most in need 

of reconciliation, inclusion, and support, 

always applying his own tried and true 

test of asking “What, Would Jesus Do?” 

Thank you, Bishop Snyder. 

Bonnie Seaver 

Director of Respect Life 

R ecalling 

what Bishop 

Snyder means to 

this ministry and 

to me personally 

requires a walk 

down “memory 

lane”. 

My first meeting 

with Bishop Snyder 

was on the Respect Life Pilgrimage to 

Tallahassee in March 

of 1983. He seemed larger than life to this 

“cradle Catholic” who had never taken a 

bus trip with a bishop before. 

As I recall none of the other Florida 

bishops took a bus trip with the pilgrims. 

I remember that he sat in the first seat 

directly behind the bus driver and prayed 

the rosary with us. 

I was soon to find out this was only one 

way in which he made himself accessible 

to the people of the diocese. Anyone who 

has witnessed his patience as he stands for 

picture-taking after any gathering will 

know what I mean. 

My first “job” at the Catholic Center was 

as a volunteer in the Respect Life Ministry. 

Over the years I came to appreciate his 

particular gift of putting you at ease and 

comfortable in his presence. 

His support and encouragement of 

the Respect Life Ministry is evident 

in the programs he inaugurated and 

promoted: Project Rachel and the ongoing 

training for priests; the annual Pilgrimage 

for Life; the annual poster essay contest; 

chastity programs for school children, 

and personal involvement in letter writing 

campaigns in support of diocesan efforts 

such as the national Project Life 

Campaign. 

As bishop, his approach has been to 

encourage and support those in leadership 

roles and to respect them “as a valued 

coworker in this portion of the Lord’s 

vineyard.” I will miss him. 

Robert Shircliff at the Jacksonville University campus. 

Robert Shircliff 

Co-Chair of “The Opportunity 

of a Lifetime” campaign 

ecember 5, 1979 to August 21, 

D2001. Calendar-wise that’s a pretty 

good stretch — more than 21 years. Only 

two other bishops have served the Diocese 

of Saint Augustine longer. It has been a 

wonderful time for our church and for the 

Catholic community in Northeast Florida. 

Business people like to look at the facts. 

In Bishop Snyder’s case, they speak to many 

accomplishments. The number of Catholics 

has grown from 70,000 to more than 

143,000. The RCIA program, since its 

inception in 1988, has welcomed more 

than 7,500 adult converts to our faith, 

and the best part is that the number grows 

every year. 

During recent years, the Catholic school 

system has grown tremendously — 10 new 

elementary schools in the past decade and 

now the planning and building of two new 

high schools. Nearly every parish has a new 

or renovated church. To serve everyone the 

new diocesan Catholic Center was built in 

1982 and the new priest retirement home, 

Casa San Pedro, was completed this spring. 

The bishop has overseen more than $100 

million in capital improvements in just 

the past decade. 

The diocese has changed in many 

wonderful ways. Bishop Snyder has 

been our spiritual leader — a true pastor 


The Diocese of Rockford 

offers prayerful best wishes to 


on his retirement as 

Bishop of St. Augustine. 

Most Reverend Thomas G. Doran, D.D., J.C.D. 

Bishop of Rockford 


It is with gratitude, affection and prayers, 

that we wish you health and happiness 

in your retirement years. 

Priests, Religious and The People of God 

Holy Rosary Parish, Jacksonville 

and shepherd. The bishop instituted a 

stewardship and sacrificial giving program 

that focuses on an important but often 

neglected part of our faith. The Catholic 

Foundation was established and will serve 

many of the ministries of the church in 

perpetuity. Diocesan financial reports are 

now published annually. 

Twenty-two years ago, there were very few 

seminarians from our diocese. Today there are 

26 seminarians. That says a lot about our 

Bishop Snyder and the priests of our diocese. 

Ecumenism is a word not often used 

years ago. However, with Bishop Snyder’s 

leadership our church today stands tall 

in the community. He has received the 

accolades of many in our city and is a 

recipient of the Humanitarian Award from 

the National Conference of Christian and 

Jews. He has never refused to dialog with 

anyone. He would never discriminate. 

He has the trust of all who know him. 

I firmly believe that Bishop Snyder loves 

all people. He sees the face of Christ in all 

and especially in troubled faces. I am sure 

he knows more people by their first names 

than anyone I’ve ever known. To him 

everyone is equally important. 

During the months of the “Opportunity 

of a Lifetime” campaign, I met many 

wonderful people in our diocese. More 

than 11,000 families contributed to the 

campaign because they believe in Catholic 

education, they want to support our diocesan 

projects and because, as they said so often, 

“we love and appreciate our bishop.” 

Many of us do. 

It has been a wonderful 21 years. 

We have been blessed. 

Ella M. Simmons 

Director, Black and Indian Ministries 

B ishop 

Snyder 

has always 

been a kind, 

considerate, 

caring, 

compassionate 

Shepherd for 

all people of 

all cultures, all 

races and all 

faiths in the 

Diocese of Saint Augustine and wherever 

he is at the moment. 

He is also a Bishop of globalization, 

universality and culturalism with a broad 

and deep understanding of cultural diversity. 


To Black and Indian Catholics in the 

Diocese of Saint Augustine, he has been 

the Way “to help make a way out of no 

way” the How to “we do not know how”. 

He is the epitome of a true Shepherd who 

never lets you forget that you are a child 

of God, made in his image. 

In 1986, Bishop Synder established a 

team of Catholics to address concerns of 

all persons of African ancestry. The actual 

ministry office was established in 1987. In 

1988 Bishop Synder was instrumental in 

establishing the Florida Conference of 

Offices of Black Catholics, which includes 

all seven diocesan Black Catholic offices. 

In 1989, Bishop Snyder was instrumental 

in establishing the second Diocesan Native 

American Ministry in America. In 1990, 

the first Diocesan Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha 

Circle in the Southeast was established to 

reach out to Catholic and non-Catholic 

Native Americans. 

In his globalization vision of love for 

all people, I was able to, with his blessing, 

reach out to HIV/AIDS infected Africans, 

with a missionary pilot project to teach 

prevention and intervention strategies in 

South Africa. 

Bishop Snyder’s commitment to St. Pius, 

and Holy Rosary Black Catholic Schools 

(l-r) Father Cletus Watson, TOR, Bishop Snyder and George Murry, S.J., Bishop of St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. 

has enabled their student populations to 

grow and expand into a viable tool of 

evangelization. 

Under his stewardship the Black, African, 

African American, Caribbean and Native 

American ministries has grown and expanded 

to allow outreach to all persons of African 

and Native American ancestry. 

To myself, the Director, he has been 

the epitome of support, a father who 

cares, a leader who understands, a friend 

who listens, a tower of wisdom, a beam 

through dark times, and a smile at all 

times. All these things, through God he 

is, have been and always will be — 

“SPECIAL”. 

Glorify 

the 

Lord 

with me 

The proof, however, of the love of God 

is the exercise of charity toward our 

neighbor; hence, in the true disciple of Christ, 

charity toward his neighbor must shine forth; 

every word should be weighed, should be 

useful and honest. In order that charity 

may abound in deeds, it must first 

abound in the heart. 

Rule of the Third Order Regular 

of Saint Francis of Assisi 

Our most sincere gratitude and thankfulness to our former Bishop, 

John J. Snyder, D.D., for his Apostolic-Spiritual leadership 

in our beloved Diocese of St. Augustine 

and 

A warm and heartful welcome to our new Bishop, 

the Most Rev. Victor Galeone, S.T.L., 

as he leads us always closer to 

Jesus Christ, Our Savior & Lord! 

From all of us — Crucifixion Faith Community 

Church of the Crucifixion 

3183 W. Edgewood Ave. 



The Priests, Religious, Staff and 

all the Faithful extend their 

Prayers & Thanks to 

Bishop Snyder 

for 22 years of leadership in the 


St. Michael’s Church 

Fernandina Beach, Florida 

St.Anastasia Catholic Church 

St.Augustine, Florida 

prays that God will bless our former Bishop 

John J. Snyder, D.D. 

in his retirement. 

Thank you for your many years of 

faithful service. 


Sidney S. Simons, II 

Chair-elect of the U.S. Catholic Bishops’ 

National Advisory Council and member 

of St. Paul Parish, Jacksonville 

he Decree 

Tof the 

Second Vatican 

Council concerning 

bishops states that 

“A bishop should 

stand in the midst 

of his people. Let 

him be a good 

shepherd who 

knows his sheep 

and whose sheep know him … he should 

manifest his concern for all, no matter 

their age or condition.” By that standard, 

Bishop Snyder has been an extraordinarily 

faithful and successful leader of our diocese. 

Bishop Snyder’s gift to us has been, in 

the deepest sense, himself — fully involved 

in our lives as personally and completely 

as any good friend. As St. Paul instructed, 

he has rejoiced with those of us rejoicing 

and wept with those of us weeping, living 

in harmony with everyone. 

After the Rite of Election at the Cathedral 

a few months ago, a deaf catechumen 

stood in line with her family to meet the 

bishop. When she came face to face with 

him and indicated her lack of hearing, 

Bishop Snyder enthusiastically expressed 

his love for her — in sign language. To see 

her face! She experienced for the first time 

what many of us have for the 22 years that 

John Snyder has been our bishop, the 

transforming power of his kindness. There 

are as many similar stories as there have 

been personal encounters with the Bishop. 

A recently issued document from the 

Vatican reminds bishops that they are 

“to take every occasion to stir in people’s 

consciousness the desire to live together in 

peace and to promote a shared determination 

to dedicate themselves to the cause of 

justice.” “Every occasion” aptly describes 

the frequency with which Bishop Snyder 

has spoken of the implications of the Gospel 

on life and society. His commitment to 

charity has resulted in every diocesan 

program and activity reflecting in some way 

his concern for the less fortunate among us. 

Each year at the Rite of Election, 

Bishop Snyder preached the unity of our 

parishes with the diocese and the diocese 

with the universal church. Greater than 

that preaching has been his willingness to 

“stand in our midst” and witness to the 

unity of us all. 

Reflection by Leonard Spillane 

Former Director of Catholic Charities 

Gainesville Bureau 

ohn Henry Cardinal Newman was a 

Jwell-known English convert to Roman 

Catholicism. He wrote an apt description 

of a gentleman in his treatise on University 

Education for Roman Catholics over 100 

years ago. “It is almost a definition of a 

gentleman to say he is one who never 

inflicts pain. The true gentleman in like 

manner carefully avoids whatever may 

cause a jar or a jolt in the minds of those 

with whom he is cast…his great concern 

being to make everyone at their ease and 

at home.” 

As I think about what Newman wrote 

to describe a gentleman, I find it to be 

applicable to John Snyder, the eighth 

Bishop of Saint Augustine. 

I recall a day in April 1984, when I 

was ushered into Bishop Snyder’s office 

and he welcomed me as the new director 

of Catholic Charities of the Gainesville 

Office. He was kind, warm, and gracious 

to me then and continued to be so 

throughout my 15 years of ministry. 

“He makes light of favors while he 

does them and seems to be receiving 

when he is conferring.” 

Above all he has been a shepherd to this 

flock. He loves people, and is generous with 

his time and the interest he shows in people. 

I often reflect on the many times he came 

to Gainesville for the “Bishop’s Dinner,” 

which became an annual fundraising event 

for Catholic Charities. 

He always reached out to the Hispanic 

community by addressing them in their 

native language. After a long evening, 

and faced with the tiring drive back to 

St. Augustine, he always made himself 

available to whomever approached him 

to talk after the event. 

“He has his eyes on all his company; 

he is tender towards the bashful, gentle 

towards the distant and merciful towards 

the absurd.” 

Bishop Snyder is a people’s bishop, 

always extending himself to individuals 

in pain and in need to attempt to console 

and bring peace of mind. 

An example of this caring spirit was 

the support and interest he showed towards 

the poor and disadvantaged, towards the 

people touched by the Healing and Growth 

Program which helps individuals who 

experience the loss of a partner through 

divorce, separation, or death. 

Bishop Snyder is indeed a Christian 

gentleman who carries in his heart the love 

of Christ for his fellow human beings by 

accepting those in need and bringing peace 

and harmony to his flock. 

He truly lives by his episcopal motto, 

“Peace in Christ.” 

Bishop Snyder always enjoys talking and being with the young people of our diocese. 


Bishop Snyder at an annual Seminarians Retreat at Marywood Retreat Center on the St. John’s River. 


Director of Vocations 

B ishop 

Snyder has 

always been and 

will continue to be 

an inspiration for 

me. As I look back 

on my 17 years as 

a priest, I have 

known Bishop 

Snyder to be a 

man who truly 

pastured the people of the diocese. His 

care and concern for the spiritual needs 

of the people extended to all ministries. 

When I was called to be the director of 

Vocations for the diocese in 1994, Bishop 

Snyder assured me that vocations were a 

priority for him, and his active participation 

in this program continues. His interest and 

concern for every seminarian, and their 

families, along with being part of gatherings 

and retreats for them, has played a large 

part in the success of the program. 

Most noteworthy for me, however, is 

Bishop Snyder’s gift of compassion. Six 

years ago my brother was involved in a 

serious life-changing accident, which left 

him a quadriplegic. As one might imagine, 

our whole family was devastated. Our 

family is very close and all of our lives were 

greatly affected. There is a grief process 

that follows such an accident that lasts for 

a long time, but through our faith and the 

support of many, and the incredible courage 

of my brother and his wife, we adapted well. 

It was during the first few months after 

the accident that I approached the bishop 

one day and assured him that I truly believed 

I could still handle the vocation ministry. 


Having weathered this crisis, Bishop Snyder 

replied that he thought I’d be a better 

Vocation director, but urged me to take 

my time and get some rest. 

Our conversation that day gave me 

incredible solace in the midst of deep sorrow. 

The bishop never ceased to be there for 

my family and me. To this day, his words 

continue to ring in my ear. 

Ed Trent 

Program Director, Young Adult Ministry 

and President, Diocesan Pastoral Council 

B ishop 

Snyder has 

been a wonderful 

example of the 

Good Shepherd. 

He has been a 

spiritual advisor, 

mentor, and friend 

to me for eight 

years. He has 

always had time to 

talk about all kinds of issues, both personal 

and those concerning young adults. I think 

it is his ability to listen and then patiently 

and lovingly a guide person to be still and 

listen to what God is calling them to be in 

their lives that is most impressive. From our 

conversations, he has helped me to better 

understand and cherish God’s presence in 

my life. In his gentle way, he has helped 

me develop a greater and deeper relationship 

with Christ, the Good Shepherd. 

Bishop Snyder’s support of young adult 

ministry in our diocese has helped the 

spirituality of countless numbers of young 

adults. From his support of the Alpha 

retreats, other young adult initiatives, 

and the Young Adult Ministry Task Force 

(now Young Adult Ministry Advisory 

Board), to presiding at the annual Bishop’s 

Singles Mass, Bishop Snyder has always 

given of his time to help young adults feel 

at home in the church and allow them to 

have a full experience of God’s love. His 

incredible ability to remember people, their 

names and many things about them, makes 

people, particularly young adults, feel at 

home in the church. 

The importance of Bishop Snyder’s 

presence to young adults is best described 

from his presence at one of the Alpha retreat 

weekends. A young woman was giving a 

witness talk on the retreat and she was 

nervous about it. She had prepared well 

and was ready. But as with most witness 

talks, she was focusing on how God’s love 

and mercy touched her life in a special way. 

The context of her experiencing God’s mercy 

grew out of period of time of which she 

was ashamed. She was making herself 

vulnerable so others could see the miracle 

of God’s love in her life. Bishop Snyder 

was present for her presentation. The 

young woman was glad to have Bishop 

Snyder there, but of course, that made 

her more nervous. 

Bishop Snyder sat outside of the circle 

and behind her while she was giving her 

talk. She was to be the focus of everyone’s 

attention. From my perspective, he was 

watching over her with a loving and proud 

glance, as I am sure Christ himself was 

that day. At the end, he gave her a hug 

and told her what a wonderful job she had 

done. Bishop Snyder touched not only 

her, but everyone present that day by 

confirming God’s gentleness and mercy. 

By his actions, words, and willingness to 

take time to just be with people, Bishop 

Snyder has helped me and countless other 

young adults experience Christ as never 

before. He has helped us all become 

comfortable with our God who loves us so 

very much. In doing so, He has helped 

make the church home for so many. 

Steve T. Turner 

Lay Director of Cursillo 

M y first 

recollection 

of meeting Bishop 

Snyder was in 

1981 when the 

diocesan offices 

were located at 

the former Gulf 

Life Building 

in downtown Jacksonville.

I was 25 years old and I was seeking 

information about how to become a 

permanent deacon. 

My age made me fearless (dumb) to 

protocol and I made an appointment directly 

with Bishop Snyder; and he, himself as 

the Irish would say, agreed to see me. 

I remember seeing this little bitty guy 

and thinking that he looked like Bing 

Crosby. Right away, through his calm and 

disarming manner, he made feel welcome 

and at ease. He didn’t sit behind his desk 

with me on the other side, but instead he 

sat in a chair directly across from me as 

one adult to another. 

He could have easily said, “You are ten 

years too young to even consider this. 

Come back and we’ll talk.” But, he didn’t 

send me away. Instead he took the time 

and effort to educate and inform me so 

that I could see the larger picture of what 

church can be. 

Bishop Snyder explained that we 

are empowered by the Holy Spirit, as 

experienced in our baptism. That through 

baptism, all Catholics are called to serve 

one another through various ministries 

available in our parishes and diocese. 

From that first meeting and through the 

ensuing years, he has encouraged me, as 

well as others, to seek that same vision — 

to be a true servant to my brothers and 

sisters in Christ. 

Pablo Valdivieso 

have known 

IBishop Snyder 

for 21 years and 

there are many 

things I have 

learned from him. 

As a Cuban, as a 

Hispanic, and as a 

Cursillista, I have 

felt his presence in 

my journey of faith. 

And his example has impacted my life. 

As a Cuban, he has demonstrated that 

he cares for my community. At the annual 

celebration of Our Lady of Charity, 

patroness of Cuba, he has always been 

present, showing his desire to accompany 

my exiled community that is unable to 

return to our beloved land. 

As a Hispanic, I felt his understanding 

and care. In 1983, he opened an office to 

attend to our needs. He has since listened 

to our issues and has always challenged 

us to higher degrees of discernment and 

understanding. He accompanied us in our 

celebrations, processes, and Encuentros 

and his openness and patience has always 

inspired me. 

As a Cursillista, he walked next to me. 

His presence was significant enough to 

encourage me as a committed Christian 

to bloom where planted and take the 

Gospel to all areas of my life. 

For his care for the different community 

of immigrants, for his openness and 

solidarity with those facing difficulties, for 

his leadership and commitment to the 

Gospel, Bishop Snyder by his example has 

enlightened my faith and has inspired me 

to follow his path. 

Our thanks to all 

those who contributed 

their reflections on 

Bishop Snyder. 

BISHOP JOHN J. SNYDER 

We thank you for supporting Catholic education 

with great dedication and devotion. 

In love and gratitude, 

The Administration, Faculty, Staff and Students of 

St. Joseph Academy 


The Santa Maria del Mar Parish Community 

gives thanks and asks God’s blessing 

for a happy, healthy retirment for 

Bishop John J. Sndyer 


SPECIAL THANKS 

In gracious appreciation for 

the generous support provided 

by the following individuals, 

ministries and institutions 

which helped make possible 

this commemorative issue of the 

St. Augustine Catholic: 

Allied Graphics Inc. 

Blue Cross and Blue Shield 

of Florida, Inc. 

Dixie Construction 

Company, Inc. 

Irish Holy Ghost Fathers 

To Bishop John J. Snyder 

With much gratitude for 

22 years of dedicated service 

to the Lord in the 

Diocese of St. Augustine 

Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers 

Queen of Peace Catholic 

Community in Gainesville 

Religious of the Cenacle 

in Gainesville 

St. Madeleine Catholic Church 

in High Springs 


From the priests 

and faithful of 

Immaculate 

Conception Church 


Sacred Heart Church 

in Green Cove Springs 

— With Prayers — 

Holy Family Parish 

in Jacksonville 

SPECIAL THANKS

St. Vincent’s extends heartfelt 

appreciation to 


for his many years 

of dedicated service. 

I glorified thee on the earth, having 

accomplished the work which 

Thou hast given Me to do. 

John 17:4 

St. Vincent’s Health System includes St. Vincent’s Medical Center, St. Catherine 

Labouré Manor, St. Vincent’s Primary Care, Consolidated Laboratory Services, 

Advanced Patient Transportation and Seton Pharmacies.

Helping Paula Jennings 

live her American Dream 

Before she had a third grade class, she had her own little “homeroom” of two girls and a boy. And 

somehow she’s managed to treat them all with the same love and care. 

For over 50 years, we’ve put our retirement and pension products to work to help make sure the American 

Dream has been safe and secure for the men and women who work so hard to make all our lives better. 

And the families they come home to. 

401(k) 

403(b) 

457 

ANNUITIES 

TDA 

RETIREMENT PLANS 

LIFE INSURANCE 

But we’re not about to stop now. We’ve done our homework and with our Tax Deferred Annuity, 

Paula’s contributions – among her choice of interest or investment options – accumulate tax 

deferred until withdrawn. For more information call us at 1-800-468-3785 or visit our web site at 

www.mutualofamerica.com 

People like Paula teach us lessons about hard work every day. Which is why it’s so important that our 

programs score high marks. 

the spirit of America 

320 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10022-6839 1 800 468 3785 www.mutualofamerica.com Mutual of America Life Insurance Company is a Registered Broker/Dealer 

*For complete information on our variable accumulation annuity products, including all charges and expenses, please refer to the applicable prospectuses which can be 

obtained by calling 1-800-468-3785 and should be read carefully before investing. Funds withdrawn prior to age 59 1 /2 may be subject to a 10% IRS penalty.

September (Keepsake edition) - St. Augustine Catholic

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