George Avis Fulcher

George Avis Fulcher (January 30, 1922 – January 25, 1984) was an American Catholic prelate who served as bishop of Lafayette in Indiana from 1983 until his death in 1984.^[1] He previously served as an auxiliary bishop in the Diocese of Columbus in Ohio from 1976 to 1983.

His Excellency, The Most Reverend George Avis Fulcher
Bishop of Lafayette in Indiana Titular Bishop of Morosbisdus
Church	Roman Catholic Church
See	Diocese of Lafayette in Indiana
Predecessor	Raymond Joseph Gallagher
Successor	William Leo Higi
Other posts	Auxiliary Bishop of Columbus 1976 to 1983 Titular Bishop of Morosbisdus
Orders
Ordination	February 28, 1948 by Michael Joseph Ready
Consecration	July 18, 1976 by Edward John Herrmann
Personal details
Born	January 30, 1922 Columbus, Ohio, US
Died	January 25, 1984(1984-01-25) (aged 61) Rockville, Indiana, US
Motto	God is light

Styles of George Avis Fulcher
Reference style	Reverend
Spoken style	Your Excellency
Religious style	Bishop
Posthumous style	none

Biography

Early life

George Fulcher was born in Columbus, Ohio, on January 30, 1922, to George and Mary (Lennon) Fulcher.^[2] He was baptized at Saint Patrick Church and briefly attended primary school there, before his family moved to the Hilltop and began attending St. Aloysius. He graduated from Saint Charles Preparatory School in Columbus 1940 and entered seminary studies at the Athenaeum of Ohio in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1944.

Priesthood

Fulcher was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Columbus by Bishop Michael Ready on February 28, 1948 in Columbus.^[2] In addition to parish pastoral work, he served as the editor-in-chief of the diocesan newspaper, the Catholic Times, from 1958 to 1963.^[3][4]

Auxiliary Bishop of Columbus

Fulcher was appointed as an auxiliary bishop of Columbus and titular bishop of Morosbisdus by Pope Paul VI on May 24, 1976. Fulcher was consecrated at Saint Joseph Cathedral in Columbus by Bishop Edward John Herrmann on July 18, 1976.^[2] He served as the rector of St. Joseph Cathedral from 1975 to 1983, and also served on the NCCB committee that drafted the Pastoral Letter on Peace.^[5]

Bishop of Lafayette in Indiana

On February 8, 1983, Fulcher was appointed by Pope John Paul II as bishop of Lafayette in Indiana.^[2] He was later appointed to the US Conference of Catholic Bishops committee for the implementation of the Pastoral Letter on Peace.

While returning from a conference with religious superiors in Terre Haute, Indiana, on January 25, 1984, George Fulcher died in a car crash on US-41 near Rockville, Indiana.^[6] He was 62 years old.