Bishop Carlos Lewis

Bishop Carlos Lewis, SVD

Bishop Carlos Lewis, SVD, retired auxiliary bishop of Panama City and retired and coadjutor bishop of David, Panama, died on November 29, 2004 in New Orleans after a long illness.

Carlos Ambrose Lewis was born as the third of nine children of Josephine and Edmund Lewis on November 22, 1918 in LaBoca, Canal Zone, Panama. In 1936 he became a seminarian at St. Augustine's Seminary in Bay St. Louis. He was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Leo Arkfeld on February 24, 1949 in St. Augustine Chapel in Bay St. Louis. Following his ordination, he was asked to go to Rome to study for a doctorate in Sacred Theology at the Gregorian University.

He was awarded a doctorate in 1952 and assigned to Bay St. Louis. There he had a variety of teaching and pastoral duties. He was professor of Fundamental and Dogmatic Theology, and served as Director of Brothers, Prefect of Theologians, and Assistant Editor of St. Augustine Messenger.

In 1961, Father Lewis returned to Rome as head of theologians at the College of the Divine Word. In 1964, he was appointed Assistant Rector of the College of St. Peter the Apostle, a residence for priests from mission lands studying in Rome. In 1965, he was named Auxiliary Bishop of Panama City in his home country.

His ordination as bishop took place at the time of the Second Vatican Council in the chapel of the Divine Word House of Study in Nemi, Italy. No less that 45 bishops attended, including many from the Southern United States

Bishop Lewis served as bishop for twenty years in Panama City and five years in David, until ill health forced him to retire in 1992. His years in retirement were spent at Consolata Nursing Home in New Iberia, LA and Lafon Nursing Home in New Orleans.

In his years as bishop, Bishop Lewis was known for his love of the poor and suffering as befitted the motto on his Episcopal coat of arms: "That Charity May Abound More and More."

Bishop Lewis is survived by a brother, Father Gerald Lewis, SVD, working as a chaplain in the University of Texas Medical Center in Galveston, TX, and a sister, Sister Gloria, a sister of the Holy Family in New Orleans.

The Mass of Christian burial will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 2, 2004, in the St. Augustine Chapel in Bay St. Louis. Burial will take place the following morning at 8:30, Friday, December 3, 2004.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the chapel restoration fund of St. Augustine's or to Lafon Nursing Home in New Orleans.

Hartwell's Mortuary, Inc., in Gulfport is in charge of arrangements.