The Funeral Services for Officer Christopher David Fitzgerald of the Temple University Police Department will take place in the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul at 18th Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway on Friday, February 24, 2023.
A detailed schedule and information for media who wish to cover the funeral follows below.
***Parking will be extremely limited in the lot for the Archdiocesan Pastoral Center. Television and radio stations will be limited to 1 (one) parking space each. Trucks may arrive no earlier than 5:00 a.m. on Friday, February 24th. Reserved spaces will be marked off in the rear of the Cathedral near the mult-box for ease of access.***
A press audio/video mult-box clean feed will be provided in the Cathedral parking lot with multiple HD-SDI video (BNC) and mic/line (XLR) connections. Crews will need a live truck or recording device. Television cameras will not be permitted in the Cathedral due to projected space limitations and will need to utilize the live feed provided by the Archdiocese. The live program feed will begin at 11:30 a.m.
At approximately 8:00 a.m. the motorcade will arrive at the Cathedral. Officer Fitzgerald’s body will be transferred to the Cathedral by Pall Bearers from Temple University Police Department. Reverend G. Dennis Gill, Rector of the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, will preside over the Reception of the Body. The public visitation will immediately follow.
At 11:30 a.m. Words of Remembrance will offered by Pastor Juan Marrero of Crossroads Community Church (Christopher’s Pastor and Uncle) and Dr. Jennifer Griffin, Vice President for Public Safety, Temple University.
At 12:00 p.m. the Funeral Liturgy will begin. The Funeral is open to the general public and to media coverage. Seating for the Funeral will be reserved for family and police officers. After family and police are accommodated, the general public will be seated pending available space. Staff from the John F. Givnish Funeral Home will be available to assist.
The mult-box feed and live stream will end after the Funeral Services.
The Rite of Committal will take place privately.
The Archdiocese will also provide live streaming video on the Archdiocesan Vimeo website https://vimeo.com/event/2903207 beginning at 11:30 a.m. For those media wishing to embed this stream, the embed code is
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The onsite technical contact for the live audio/video stream is Dan Kearns. His phone number is (215) 888-0305.
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Editor’s Note: Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez issued a statement regarding Officer Fitzgerald’s death on February 21, 2023. The full text can be found below and via the Archdiocese of Philadelphia website.
Statement of Most Reverend Nelson J. Pérez Regarding the Death of Temple University Police Officer Christopher Fitzgerald
I was deeply saddened to learn that Temple University Police Officer Christopher Fitzgerald was shot and killed in the line of duty on Saturday night.
In the name of the people of the Church in Philadelphia, I extend my prayerful condolences to Officer Fitzgerald’s parents, widow, children, friends, and all those who mourn this tragic loss.
I have asked the priests, deacons, religious, and lay faithful of the Archdiocese to join me in praying for the happy repose of Officer Fitzgerald’s soul and that God may bring peace and consolation to all those suffering at this painful moment for our city. May the Lord pour His mercy upon them and hold them in His loving embrace.
Most Reverend Nelson J. Pérez, D.D.
Archbishop of Philadelphia
Contact:
Contact: Kenneth A. Gavin
Chief Communications Officer
215-587-3747 (office)