SAN DIEGO — Augustinian Father James P. Retzner died Sept. 11 at Scripps Mercy Hospital. He was less than three weeks shy of his 76th birthday.
Born in Wausau, Wisconsin, Father Retzner first encountered the Augustinians at St. Patrick Parish in North Park.
He entered the Augustinian pre-novitiate in 1974 and professed vows as an Augustinian brother in 1976.
His first assignment was as a teacher at St. Augustine High School in San Diego and then at Villanova Prep School in Ojai. Shortly after these apostolates, then-Brother Retzner was introduced to the ministry that shaped the rest of his life – hospital ministry.
Father Retzner was ordained to the priesthood in 1995. Over the years, he served as a priest/chaplain at St. Thomas Aquinas in Ojai, St. Patrick’s in San Diego, and Our Mother of Good Counsel in Los Angeles.
He served as a chaplain at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego. For many years until his retirement, he was a full-time chaplain at Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles.
A funeral Mass for Father Retzner was celebrated Sept. 21 in the St. Augustine High School Chapel. Burial followed at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum.
