Rev. Fr. Brian Fox SSJ.

Josephite Father Brian Patrick Fox died in Houston, Texas on July 28, 2025. He had been a brother/priest for fifty-eight of his seventy-nine years.

Father Fox was born in New York City, New York, the youngest son of James and Catherine Rita Smith Foxand baptized at St. Philip Neri Church in the Bronx. He attended the parish grammar school and Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx.

While in his second year at Iona College in New Rochelle, NY, a young Brian Fox accidentally met a Josephite priest – Father Earle Newman – while shagging baseballs in a Bronx Park. He was a friend of a friend. He was not planning to join the Josephites, for he had already been in contact with the vocation director of the group that operated his college, the Irish Christian Brothers, now known as the Congregation of Christian Brothers.

However, Brian Fox found himself in the Josephite Brothers’ postulancy program in Clayton, DE in September of 1965 and was professed a Josephite brother in September 1967.

After completing his degree at Xavier University of Louisiana, he taught history/social studies and religion classes at St. Augustine High School from 1969 until 1987.

In 1973, he earned a master's degree in education from Loyola University of New Orleans and worked as a counselor at St. Augustine High School for several years. Later he returned to Xavier University and achieved certification to teach chemistry, which he did for ten years.

In 1987 he entered Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans, where he earned a Master of Divinity degree. On May 19, 1991, he was ordained a priest at Epiphany Church in New Orleans, LA.

Following his summer relief assignments, Father Fox was named as pastor of St. Francis Xavier Church in Houston, TX on October 1, 1991and remained there until 1999.

While at St. Francis Xavier Parish, all his associates were Nigerian priests: seven Missionaries of St. Paul and one Claretian. Because of his extraordinary relationships with the Nigerian priests, he was asked to join the formation team at the Missionary Seminary of St. Paul in Gwagwalada, Abuja, Nigeria, where he taught sociology, psychology, and sexuality for five years.

In 2003 he had a narrow escape with death from cerebral malaria, it was decided he would not return to Nigeria because of the need for double bypass surgery and aortic valve replacement. While recuperating, the pastor of St. James Church in Prichard, AL became ill, and Fr. Fox was asked to replace him. He underwent surgery on September 25, 2005, and reported to the parish on November 7.

Two years later, Fr. Fox was appointed as rector of St. Joseph Seminary in Washington, DC. Many of the seminarians at the Seminary at that time were students he had taught in Nigeria. 

Three years later, he relocated to Houston, Texas to be pastor of Our Mother of Mercy Church. He stayed there for seven years.

On October 1, 2017, Fr. Fox retired from pastoral ministry. He resided at the Archbishop Joseph A. Fiorenza Retirement Center (formerly named: St. Dominic’s Retirement Home) in Houston where he spent his years in retirement maintaining relationships with local Josephite communities. 

Father Fox is preceded in death by his parents and his brother, John. He is survived by his brother, James and several nieces and nephews including a host of friends.

Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, August 6th, at St. Francis Xavier Church in Houston. Viewing will be from 8:30 a.m. to 9:50 a.m. The Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 10:00 a.m. Burial will be in the Josephite plot in Paradise North Cemetery in Houston.

Visitation for Father Brian Fox will take place in the Chapel of Ross Mortuary on Tuesday, August 5, 2025 from 12pm until 5pm. Funeral Services will be held Wednesday August 6, 2025. The Rosary will begin promptly 9am., with the Funeral Mass beginning at 10am. Both the Rosary and Funeral Mass will be held at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church 4600 Reed Rd. Father Brian Fox will be laid to rest in Paradise North Cemetery, Houston, Texas.