Bishop Cummins laid to rest

By Christine Schreck

The Diocese of Oakland bid farewell to native son and second bishop, Bishop John Stephen Cummins on Dec. 20 and 21 at the Cathedral of Christ the Light.

Bishop Michael C. Barber, SJ, invited chancery staff to join him for the blessing of the casket following its arrival Friday morning. “We welcome Bishop John into this cathedral which he helped design and build and consecrate. And we bring him here for the last time where he’ll spend the rest of waiting for eternity and the resurrection,” Bishop Barber said.

Throughout the day on Dec. 20, a steady stream of mourners came through the cathedral to pay their respects. Bishop Cummins was clad in white vestments with silver embroidery with a white mitre with a blue and gold design on his head. He had worn the items many times during his active ministry as bishop.

During the vigil Friday evening, concelebrated by his former vicar general Father Paul Vassar and former chancellor Sister of St. Joseph Barbara Flannery, speakers shared memories of Bishop Cummins as a man, a mentor, a friend and a bishop, which Sister of St. Joseph Felicia Sarati characterized as “the light that Bishop John brought to all of us.” That sentiment was echoed across the remembrances.

Dominican Sister Rose Marie Hennessy, a former superintendent of Catholic schools appointed by Bishop Cummins, remembered his love of hosting and celebrations. “He celebrated anniversaries. He celebrated going on retreat. He celebrated coming off retreat. He celebrated the eve of his vacation. He celebrated the approaching Holy Week. Something in Bishop John’s body and soul was just alive to the moments that called him to celebrate,” she said.

Sister of St. Joseph Felicia Sarati was grateful for the support she received from Bishop Cummins when she worked with the Ethnic Pastoral Centers in a diverse diocese. “This was a highlight of our diocese that we could welcome anybody because John Cummins was touched by Vatican II and he raised that flag for us, that banner, that we, we are the Church,” she said.

De La Salle Brother Edmond Larouche, a former president of Saint Mary’s College High School, recalled Bishop Cummins’ ardent support of Catholic education. “His visits were happy events. Students and teachers found him warm, affable, engaged, interested, easy to talk to and caring,” he said. He also noted Bishop Cummins’ support for Family Aid Catholic Education (FACE) to make Catholic education more accessible.

Joseph Hébert, a musician and director of music ministry at Corpus Christ in Piedmont who plays both classical and improvisational styles on his cello, riffed, sharing his memories of Bishop Cummins from the heart. He told of visiting Mercy Center during the Christmas season to play carols for Bishop Cummins. “Every now and then, he’d stop me and he’d talk about his experiences with music. I started to learn what helped shape him as a musician, as someone who appreciates music, loves music, and wants to nurture it in community with one another,” Hébert said. Those conversations helped him better understand Bishop Cummins’ support of the range of musical styles Hébert witnessed under the direction of Father Don Osuna at St. Francis de Sales, the old cathedral, many years ago.

That appreciation for diverse music was on display in both the vigil and the funeral. Hébert played “Danny Boy” on the cello as his final gift to Bishop Cummins. Legendary mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade graced the congregation at the vigil with a beautiful rendition of “Ave Maria” with harp accompaniment while a mariachi band stationed in the back of the cathedral played the entrance and exit music at the funeral.

Tributes and testaments to Bishop Cummins’ life and ministry continued throughout the funeral Mass, attended by a dozen bishops, archbishops and cardinals, including Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone of San Francisco, who served as bishop of Oakland from 2009-2012. 

“John Cummins was 96 years a baptized Catholic, 71 years an ordained priest and 50 years a bishop. Today at Mass, we are using the chalice that Father Cummins used at his first Mass in 1953, symbolic of his priestly life, which he lived joined to the Lord, especially in the holy sacrifice of the Mass,” Bishop Barber said in his opening remarks.

Father Vassar’s acquaintance with Bishop Cummins spanned decades.  It began when Father Vassar, Bishop O’Dowd Class of 1963, was a student of then-Father Cummins and continued through Father Vassar’s tenure as Bishop Cummins’ vicar general. For the last few years, Father Vassar managed Bishop Cummins’ affairs. In his homily, he said, “When we leave this holy ground, this lakeside beach to which we have been called by him, whose body we lay to rest today, rejoice in being who you have become because you have known him: spirit-powered people empowered to do Jesus’ work incarnating God’s love. That would please Bishop John greatly.”

Cardinal Robert W. Cardinal McElroy, bishop of San Diego, gave the eulogy. He noted that Bishop Cummins was well suited to implement the reforms of the Second Vatican Council in the Diocese of Oakland. “John Cummins deeply embraced this openness and for this reason he enthusiastically supported initiatives in parochial and diocesan life that made the Diocese of Oakland an authentic light to the nation in liturgical renewal, ecumenical outreach, the pursuit of economic and racial justice and public atonement for sexual abuse,” Cardinal McElroy said.

James Lee, a cousin of Bishop Cummins, shared personal memories of the Cummins family home on Woolsey Street in Berkeley, particularly the lively atmosphere on Sundays. “As we remember the life of Bishop John today, it is important to recognize and acknowledge the parents and the other family members who helped form Bishop John into the priest he was,” Lee said. Bishop Cummins’ parents were both Irish immigrants who valued hard work and education. His father was a man of principle, and his mother was a devout Irish Catholic.

Before the prayer of commendation, Bishop Barber took a moment to share his appreciation for Bishop Cummins. “I’m grateful to him personally for his advice and support in my 10 years shepherding the diocese he so thoughtfully led for 26 years. More than that, I owe him my initiation in the Catholic faith and the life of grace since Father John Cummins baptized me in 1954 when I was a newborn baby at Old Mission Delores in San Francisco, using the same font used by Father Serra and the Franciscans,” he said.

A message from the Vatican relayed Pope Francis’ condolences to the family and all people of the diocese. It read in part: “Recalling with gratitude his many years of devoted episcopal service to the church in Oakland, marked by care for the poor and most vulnerable, promotion of the role of the laity and the fostering of ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, His Holiness commends the late bishop’s soul to the love and mercy of Christ the Good Shepherd.”

Bishop Cummins was interred in the mausoleum of the Cathedral of Christ the Light in the recess above his predecessor, Bishop Floyd L. Begin. His epitaph will read: Second Bishop of Oakland 1977-2003. Most Reverend John Stephen Cummins. Born March 3, 1928. Ordained January 24, 1953. Consecrated May 16, 1974. Died December 3, 2024.

Recordings of the vigil and funeral Mass can be viewed on the Cathedral of Christ the Light's YouTube channel.