In the early morning hours of May 1, 2026, Feast of St. Joseph the Worker, Bishop René Henry Gracida entered eternal life at the age of 102. He was the oldest living bishop in the United States and second oldest living bishop in the entire world.
Just a couple of months ago, on the Feast of St. Joseph (March 19) at the Catholic Prayer for America event, Catholics for Catholics aired what was likely the last ever recorded interview with Bishop Gracida.
It was a powerful interaction; John Yep, president of Catholics for Catholics, gave the bishop a new American flag for his yard and presented him with the Catholic Champion Award. The bishop was emotional and brought to tears. You can watch this interview and award presentation here.
Yep shared his emotions after learning of his friend’s passing:
“When I visited him just a few weeks ago, little did I know that my interview with him would be the last recorded one that he ever did. Over a century of service, and in that short visit we have recorded his last “homily” and words of wisdom for the new generation of Catholic patriots. I invite you to watch this video and let his words sink in…”
“…His death has hit me hard. I told him before leaving that he could rest easy because reinforcements were on the way. I said this not with an air of confidence that ‘we had everything under control’. In fact I said it with a bit of fear. Taking up the flag of the Faith from someone who had carried it so well for over a century is a daunting task.”
Bishop Gracida was a true American patriot from the Greatest Generation. Born in New Orleans in 1929, Gracida would live a life fighting for freedom and faith. During World War II, he joined the US Army Air Corps in the 303rd Air Expeditionary Group.
He flew 32 combat missions as a tail gunner and engineer on a B17 and was one of the last remaining B17 crew members alive today. He was honorably discharged in 1945.
After the war, Gracida spent several years as an architect before hearing a call to the priesthood. He joined the order of St. Benedict and chose his religious name from St. René Goupil, the first canonized North American martyr. He was ordained in 1959, and after over a decade in the priesthood, Pope Paul VI declared Gracida Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Miami (Florida), and he also served as the Titular Bishop of Masuccaba and Bishop of Pensacola-Tallahassee (Florida). In 1983, Pope John Paul II appointed him Bishop of the Diocese of Corpus Christi (Texas) and he served until 1997.
“Bishop René Henry Gracida has left us. We pray for the repose of his soul,” Yep said. “If he is already in heaven, we ask him to pray for us here on earth so that we can fight for the Country and serve the Church with the same passion, grit, and humility that he did for so long.”
“Rest in peace, soldier for Christ. You can head home. The next B17 Crew is up and ready for action.”
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May the souls of all the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Amen.
Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine.
Et lux perpetua luceat eis.
Fidelium animae, per misericordiam Dei,
requiescant in pace.
Amen.
