Father E. Louis Bishop, SJ, longtime administrator and counselor at Brophy College Preparatory in Phoenix, died August 29, 2024, at Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos, California. He was 91 years old, a Jesuit for 73 years and a priest for 60 years.
Emile Louis (Lou) Bishop was born in Seattle on July 4, 1933, the eldest of three children born to Emile L. Bishop, owner of a rubber engraving company, and Edith Mae (Partridge) Bishop, a children’s librarian. In 1949 the family moved to Huntington Park, California. After graduation from Loyola High School in Los Angeles, he entered the Jesuit novitiate at Los Gatos in 1951. After studies at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, and Santa Clara University, he was ordained a priest in Blessed Sacrament Church in Hollywood, California, on June 10, 1964.
Although born and raised in the Pacific Northwest and Southern California, Fr. Bishop spent the majority of his life and ministry in the desert. Over a span totaling 50 years at Brophy College Preparatory in Phoenix, he taught physics and served in a variety of administrative roles including assistant principal, dean of students, treasurer, director of buildings and grounds, and special assistant for facilities and technology.
He also served as a spiritual director at the school and at the Catholic Social Services HIV Center in Phoenix. His one assignment away from Brophy was at his alma mater, Loyola High School, as assistant to the president for special projects (1971-74). In 2016, he came to Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos for a ministry of prayer.
On the occasion of his golden jubilee as a Jesuit, Fr. Bishop reflected: “When I boarded that train in Los Angeles in 1951, I did not understand all that God had in store for me … I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to my brother religious. I especially thank Almighty God for his love, grace and generosity which have helped me to bring his message to those who suffer and feel outcast and alone.”
He is survived by his brother, Alvin, of Costa Mesa, California.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated Friday, September 13, 2024, at 11:15 a.m. at Sacred Heart Jesuit Center, 300 College Avenue, Los Gatos. Inurnment will be at Santa Clara Mission Cemetery, Santa Clara. Click here or below to watch a livestream of the Mass.
Donations in memory of Fr. Bishop may be made to the Jesuits West Province of the Society of Jesus, P.O. Box 68, Los Gatos, CA 95031, or to a charity of your choosing.
