A Mass of Christian Burial for Father Walter A. Mitchell, 80, was celebrated April 3 at St. Mark’s Church, Sheepshead Bay. He died March 29 at SS. Joachim and Anne Residence, Coney Island.
Born in Manhattan, he attended Midwood H.S.; St. Augustine H.S., Park Slope; Brooklyn College; Fordham University, St. John’s University, Jamaica; and Immaculate Conception Seminary, Huntington, L.I. He was ordained June 3, 1961 by Bishop Bryan J. McEntegart at St. James Pro-Cathedral, Downtown Brooklyn.
He served as an assistant at Holy Family, Flatlands, 1961-65; St. Agnes, Cobble Hills, 1965-68; and as a member of the faculty at Cathedral College, Douglaston, 1968-69.
After studies at North American College, Rome, he rejoined the Cathedral College faculty, teaching there until 1977.
He also served as chaplain at the Brooklyn House of Detention, 1977-78, and pastor of St. Barbara, Bushwick, 1978-79.
He returned to prison ministry until being named administrator at St. Margaret Mary, Manhattan Beach, in 1997.
In 2006, he retired as a senior priest and was serving as a chaplain at SS. Joachim and Anne Residence.
Msgr. Perfecto Vazquez, who lived in three different rectories with Father Mitchell, remembered him as “a very smart man.”
“He was very intelligent,” said Msgr. Vazquez. “He was good in theology and liturgy. He was on top of those topics, and he was very good in languages, like Spanish and Latin.”
The monsignor also recalled that Father Mitchell liked to cook and often would invite groups of priests to his rectory for fraternal gatherings on holidays.
“He was very good man,” said Msgr. Vazquez.
Burial was in St. John’s Cemetery, Middle Village.
I remember Fr. Mitchell, mostly in a fond way. He was, as a character from SNL proclaimed himself “a wild and crazy guy.” Well versed in just about everything, there was never a time I couldn’t engage him in a rousing conversation. As with most of my seminary professors and classmates, I will miss him.