Former Savannah bishop Lessard recalled for keen intellect, compassion

Bishop Raymond W. Lessard was remembered Monday for his keen intellect and sense of humor, which was sometimes masked by a devotion to organization.

"Bishop Lessard was certainly a gift to the church and to the diocese," Savannah Bishop Gregory J. Hartmayer said. "He will be remembered for his wit, his intellect and his compassion, especially among the priests and religious of the diocese."

Lessard, who served as the 12th bishop of Savannah from 1973-1995, died Sunday at his home at St. Vincent de Paul Seminary in Boynton Beach, Fla., surrounded by priests and seminarians.

He was 85.

During his tour as bishop of Savannah, Lessard ordained 30 priests, several of whom warmly remembered him.

The Rev. Michael Kavanaugh, for 13 years the pastor at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Port Wentworth, said Lessard ordained him and a classmate, the Rev. Richard Canty, in April 1985.

Because the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist was undergoing renovations, Lessard offered them a choice - they could wait for renovations ofthe cathedral to be completed as far in the future as August or be ordained on Thursday, April 11, at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church.

They opted for the latter.

"He was an extraordinarily organized administrator," Kavanaugh said. "Nothing got by him. … He knew what was happening in every corner of the world. He really did.

"People found him a little cold and off-putting. I didn't. He was just very organized and didn't like things to get out of whack."

Bishop Emeritus J. Kevin Boland, who succeeded Lessard as bishop, recalled being on the greeting committee that met Lessard at the Savannah Airport on his arrival.

Boland had been a priest for 13 years at the time and said Lessard was a "very young bishop, one of the youngest bishops in the United States" at the time.

He had not known Lessard before his being named bishop, but the two worked very closely together and became "very good friends," Boland recalled.

Lessard was "deeply interested in the new posture aspect of the church" post Vatican II and was a "very good teacher."

Lessard, a native of Oakwood, N.D., was ordained a priest in Rome on Dec. 16, 1956.

He was appointed by Pope Paul VI as bishop of Savannah in 1973 and ordained at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist on April 27, 1973.

His resignation on Feb. 7, 1995, citing health reasons, was accepted by Pope John Paul II.

In retirement, he taught theology at the seminary at Boynton Beach.

Patty Schreck, who played the organ at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church for 66 years, recalled Lessard as "a very learned man. He was devoted to books. He was a literary bishop."

He also loved music, especially classic and liturgical music, adding "that was one of his likes, to have good music at Cathedral."

Lessard ordained her two sons - the Rev. Christopher Joseph Schreck in 1977, who is a Savannah diocese priest now serving as rector/president at Pontifical College Josephinum in Ohio, and J. Gerard "Gerry" Schreck in 1983. He is rector at the cathedral.

Gerry Schreck recalled Lessard was a "very interesting man and very much a scholar," adding that looking back he is impressed at how young Lessard was, at 42, when he came to Savannah.

"He had at times a sort of aristocratic style about him," Gerry Schreck said, adding that Lessard was a heavy smoker, using unfiltered Chesterfields in a black, cigarette holder in a manner reminiscent of Franklin Roosevelt.

"He could be a little bit intimidating, and it could have seemed abrupt," Gerry Schreck said. "He was a very kind-hearted man who never spent money on himself. ... He was very simple in that way."

Gerry Schreck said that when Lessard retired it seemed to lift a weight off his shoulders. "He became gregarious, easy going."

The Rev. David L. Toups, rector and president at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary, said Lessard had been with the seminary since he retired as bishop in Savannah.

For the first 17½ years, before health issues slowed him, Lessard was a spiritual director and one of our professors.

"Bishop had a keen intellect, a wonderful sense of humor and was a great counselor to students and faculty alike," Toups said.

He frequently sought Lessard's advice, and "he would say, 'I can't tell you what to do but …'"

FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR BISHOP LESSARD

• A visitation will be held at the seminary at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 9.

• The Mass of the Resurrection will be celebrated at noon.

• His body will be transferred to Savannah where he will be received at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist at 3 p.m. Monday, Jan. 11. Visitation will be held from 3-7 p.m.

• An Evening Prayer Service, including the Office for the Dead, will be held at 7 p.m.

• The Mass of the Resurrection will be celebrated at noon Tuesday, Jan. 12, at the Cathedral. Bishop Gregory J. Hartmayer will be main celebrant; Bishop Emeritus J. Kevin Boland will be homilist.

• Lessard will be buried in the Bishops' Lot at the Catholic Cemetery in Savannah.

• After the burial, a luncheon will be held for priests, deacons, religious sisters and Catholic Pastoral Center staff at the Catholic Pastoral Center, 2170 E. Victory Drive in Savannah.