In Corpus Christi, there lived a World War II veteran who flew in more than 30 missions, an architect and a retired Catholic bishop. In any other story, the previous sentence would refer to three different men.
But Bishop Emeritus René Henry Gracida was one man.
Gracida led the Diocese of Corpus Christi from 1983 to 1997. He died on May 1 at the age of 102. His funeral Mass, held on May 13 at Most Precious Blood Catholic Church, reflected his impact and eventual life, including full military honors.
Gracida was born in New Orleans and grew up in Texas. During World War II, he served first as a tail gunner and then as a flight engineer in the 303rd Air Expeditionary Group in Europe.
After the war, he worked for several years as an architect before entering a Benedictine monastery in 1951. He was ordained into the priesthood in 1959.
In the 1970s, his life in the church took him to the Archdiocese of Miami and later the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee, where he was auxiliary bishop and bishop, respectively.
During the funeral Mass, Brownsville Bishop Daniel Flores gave the homily.
After the Mass, Gracida was interred in the Emmanuel Chapel at the Corpus Christi Cathedral.
The cathedral is the mother church of the diocese and the seat of the pastoral ministry of the bishop, according to the program. The practice of interment of Catholic bishops in their cathedral is a tradition symbolizing the permanent bond of the shepherd to his flock.
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Funeral held for retired Corpus Christi Bishop René Henry Gracida
Reporting by Olivia Garrett, Corpus Christi Caller Times / Corpus Christi Caller Times
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