MANUEL J. RODRIGUEZ

MANUEL J. RODRIGUEZ Manuel J. Rodriguez, who was born in Espanola, New Mexico, on January 16, 1930, died on March 4, 2014. He was a graduate of St. Michael's High School, Santa Fe and for two years attended St. Michael's College (formerly the College of Santa Fe). For six years he was enrolled in the Pontifical Gregorian University (North American College), Rome, from which he obtained an undergraduate degree in Philosophy and graduate degrees in Sacred Theology. He also obtained a Doctor of Canon Law degree from the Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. In all, he was the recipient of seven earned university degrees, including a Doctor of Law degree from the Harvard Law School. He was ordained a priest in Rome in 1954, and served in that capacity for sixteen years, all of them in the Chancery Office of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe where he served as Vice-Chancellor and subsequently and simultaneously as Chancellor, Presiding Judge of the Matrimonial Tribunal, Vicar General, and for the last three of those years Pastor of Cristo Rey Church as well. At age 30 he was named a Domestic Prelate by Pope John XXIII with the title of Right Reverend Monsignor. Pope John XXIII appointed him a peritus, expert consultant, to Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), the only such appointee from the state of New Mexico, and as such attended the various sessions of Vatican II. He petitioned for, and was granted by Pope Paul VI, a dispensation from the obligations of the priesthood. In 1971, Archbishop James Peter Davis officiated at the marriage of Mr. Rodriguez and Jean Gutierrez at the Cathedral of St. Francis, Santa Fe. He served for many years as Eucharistic Minister, Lector, and Mass Coordinator at the Basilica of St. Francis. He was also a member of the Nocturnal Adoration Society. Mr. Rodriguez practiced corporate and transactional law for 25 years with the law firm of Jones, Snead, Wertheim, Rodriguez and Wentworth, from which he retired in 1995. He is survived by his wife, Jean Rodriguez. Survivors include: brothers, Juan Guadalupe Rodriguez (Lorraine), Father John Candido Rodriguez, Dr. Gerald P. Rodriguez (Kathleen), sister, Flora Russel (Dan), sister-in-law, Mary Jo Sugden (Jim), and brother-in-law, Peter Fitzsimmons, and numerous nieces and nephews. Mr. and Mrs. Manuel D. Rodriguez, his parents, predeceased him, as did his sisters, Angelina R. Valdez and Bertha R. Martinez, and sister-in-law, Carolyn Fitzsimmons. A visitation will be held on Tuesday, March 11, 2013 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm at Berardinelli Family Funeral Service. A rosary will be recited on Wednesday, March 12, 2014 at 10:00 am at The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi where the Mass of the Resurrection will be celebrated at 11:00 am. Interment will follow at Rosario Cemetery. Serving as pallbearers will be Dr. Gerald P. Rodriguez, John (Jack) Purson, J.J. Gonzales, Mark Sugden, James E. Snead and Flora Russel. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to the Carmelite Monastery, 49 Mount Carmel Road, Santa Fe, NM 87501. Berardinelli Family Funeral Service, 1399 Luisa Street Santa Fe, NM 87505, (505) 984-8600. Please sign our guestbook for the family at: www.berardinellifuneralhome.com