Fr David Andrew Fisher, African-American Maronite academic, dies at 67

Fr David Andrew Fisher, a Black Catholic priest of the Maronite Church and longtime university professor, has died in Pennsylvania at the age of 67. No cause of death was disclosed. Bishop Abdallah Elias Zaidan, head of the Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles, shared the news in a letter to the eparchy’s priests on March 30, three days after Fisher’s passing.

“Father David dedicated his life to serving God’s people. He was admired and respected for his kind and generous heart,” Zaidan wrote. “Now that his heart has stopped beating on earth, it is time for him to enjoy everlasting life in the Father’s home. Father David will be dearly missed by everyone whose lives he touched in his many years of ministry.”

Born in 1958 in Columbus, Ohio, Fisher graduated from Bishop Hartley High School and Ohio Dominican University in 1980. He pursued his priesthood training in Rome, earning three degrees at the Pontifical Gregorian University, including a Licentiate in Sacred Theology in 1983 and a doctorate in 1995. He also studied at the University of Eichstatt in Germany.

Fisher was ordained to the priesthood in 1984 and served in parish ministry in Ohio for several years before transferring to the Maronite eparchy in the 1990s. He is believed to have been the first African-American Maronite priest. In 2009, he was named pastor of St. Anthony of Padua Maronite Catholic Church in Cincinnati, a role he held until 2013. He also worked with Cross Catholic Outreach and served in Sweden with the Oblates of Mary Immaculate.

Throughout his more than four decades of ministry, Fisher taught at numerous Catholic institutions, both Eastern and Latin. These included Ohio Dominican University, the Pontifical College Josephinum, Xavier University, Rosemont College, Mount St. Mary’s Seminary of the West, the Byzantine Catholic Seminary of Saints Cyril and Methodius, St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, and the University of Dayton. He also taught at two public institutions, Central State University and Columbus State Community College.

Fisher was a prolific writer, contributing to publications such as Diakonia, The Maronite Way, and The Maronite Voice. He authored or co-authored at least four books, including “Light in the Darkness: Various Readings on the Mystery of the Cross.” His work reflected a deep engagement with both Eastern and Western Catholic traditions, as well as a commitment to interfaith dialogue and theological reflection.

Fisher’s life and ministry exemplify the call to serve others with humility and generosity, as Micah 6:8 reminds us: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” His legacy continues to inspire those who knew him and those who will come after.

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