On May 5, the well-known Dominican friar passed away at the age of 88, Hannibal Ernesto Fosbery OP. The priest had been hospitalized on April 27 at the Pedro Fiorito Hospital in the city of Avellaneda for a successful operation for an intestinal complication, but he was unable to overcome a subsequent respiratory failure that produced his fatal outcome.
The Fraternity of Saint Thomas Aquin Groupsor created by him was born in 1962 in the Argentine town of Leones (Province of Córdoba) in response to the exhortation of the Second Vatican Council to promote the participation of the lay faithful in the life and mission of the Church and with the aim of making Christian values in society.
In addition, he founded the Priestly Apostolic Fraternity Thomas Aquinasdedicated to training priests and also the Apostolic Fraternity Saint Catherine of Sienawhose task was to accompany consecrated women who in a particular way seek the evangelization of women.
Fray Aníbal Fosbery continued to give impetus to Fasta, which gradually had new pastoral challenges until it created a extensive network of Catholic schools in Argentina and Spain, and even the Fasta Universitybased in Mar de Plata.
The funeral took place this Friday, May 6, in the chapel of the Fasta Catherina School in Buenos Aires. The wake will be open until Sunday. Afterwards, the body will be transferred to the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary and Convent of Santo Domingo in the City of Buenos Aires (Defense 422) for the celebration of Holy Mass with his brother friars of the Order.
Finally, and according to his wishes, the remains of Fr. Fosbery will be transferred to the City of San Martín de los Andeswhere he will be buried with his family, dressed in his Dominican Friar habit and his inseparable Rosary.
Who is Fra Aníbal Fosbery
Aníbal Ernesto Fosbery was born in Buenos Aires on June 23, 1933. On December 6, 1959, he was ordained a priest of the Order of Preachers. and he was shortly after sent to do his doctorate in Theology at the Pontifical University of Santo Tomás de Aquinas, in Rome.
Supported by Dominican spirituality and entrusting himself to the patronage of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Fosbery returned to Argentina in 1962 and founded Fasta with the commitment to transmit to today’s world the love of God, the Church and the Homeland, focusing especially on evangelizing the family, culture and youth, with special care in the integral formation of its members, favoring the study of Thomistic thought and the Magisterium of the Church. The innovative proposal captivated the hearts of thousands of young people, and for this reason Pope Saint John Paul II recognized the movement in 1997 as an International Association of the Faithful of Pontifical Right.
Over the years, the institution grew and took on new pastoral challenges with the creation of a wide network of schools with presence in Argentina and Spaina, and the foundation of the Fasta University, based in the city of Mar del Plata.
In his extensive priestly service, Fosbery served as prior of the Santo Domingo de Tucumán Convent; he was rector of the Universidad del Norte Santo Tomás de Aquino (Unsta), provincial prior of the Order of Preachers, president of the Council of Rectors of Argentine Private Universities (CRUP) and member of the University Evaluation and Accreditation Commission (Coneau) of the Argentine Ministry of Culture and Education.
It was president of the Organization of Catholic Universities of Latin America, member of the Board of Directors of the International Federation of Catholic Universities and advisor to the Organization of Catholic Universities of Latin America; Vice President for America of the International Society of Thomas Aquinas (SITA) and corresponding member of the Pontifical Academy of Saint Thomas Aquinas, based in Rome.
Fosbery was distinguished with the title of honorary member of the Argentine Thomist Society; He was awarded the “Leonardo Castellani” prize from the Catholic Book Exhibition for his work “La cultura Católica”, and various universities awarded him an honorary doctorate.
The Dominican priest was a prolific essayist and produced various works on theological, religious, pastoral, philosophical, cultural, political, ethical, social and historical themes, among which are “Catholic culture”, “Parata sunt omnia”, “The identity of the ministerial priesthood”, “Thomism and spirituality: reflections on the spiritual life according to Saint Thomas”, “Be prepared: the charism and spirituality sacerdotal de Fasta”, “The habit of first principles in the thought of Saint Thomas Aquinas and some of his commentators” and “San Martín de los Andes. History of the founding of it”. He gave numerous lectures at universities and institutions throughout the country and in Colombia, Uruguay, Chile, Peru, Italy and Spain.
Aníbal Fosbery OP, trainer of priests and laity, and founder of FASTA, dies at 88