Fr. John R. Fleming dies at the age of 89

Fr. John R. Fleming , 89, died Friday, June 4, 2004. The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Tuesday, June 8, 2004 at the Church of the Assumption in St. Paul with burial at Resurrection Cemetery in St. Paul.

Father Fleming was born May 30, 1915 in St. Paul. He was ordained at the Cathedral in St. Paul on June 6, 1942 for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis by Archbishop John G. Murray. He was assigned to the College of St. Thomas in June 1942, assisted at the Church of St. Mary in Tracy, as associate pastor at the Church of the Incarnation in Minneapolis, the Nativity in St. Paul, and St. Augustine in St. Paul. Father Fleming served as pastor at the Church of St. Henry in St. Henry, St. Genevieve in Lake Benton, St. John in Belle Plaine, St. Francis of Assisi in St. Croix Beach, St. John in Darwin, and St. Gertrude in Forest City.

Father Fleming continued his priestly ministry in the Diocese of New Ulm when it was established on November 18, 1957 and served as pastor at the Church of St. John in Appleton, St. Joseph in Holloway, St. Willibrord in Gibbon, Sacred Heart in Murdock, St. Bridget in DeGraff, St. Joseph in Montevideo, Sacred Heart in Franklin, Holy Name in Vesta, and St. Michael in Milroy.

Father Fleming retired from active ministry on June 18, 1980, and had been living in St. Paul, MN since his retirement.