FR JOHN Fitzsimmons was ordained for the Diocese of Paisley in Rome and, as a student at the Second Vatican Council, was one of many seminarians seconded to work as a stenographer on the Secretariat. This memory stayed with him, as did the education of being in Rome at such an exciting time in the church.

Fr John specialised in the study of Sacred Scripture at the Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome, and the Ecole Biblique et Archeologique in Jerusalem. He also obtained a diploma in adult education from Oxford University.

On his return to Scotland, Fr John was appointed to St Mary's Parish in Greenock as assistant priest. He remained there for a year until his appointment to the staff of St Peter's College, Cardross, to teach biblical studies. He was to remain at Cardross (later transferred to Newlands) until 1982.

Communicating and helping others to do the same was a great passion of John's life. On one occasion he received a standing ovation from the students (to his embarrassment) at the end of a lecture on the Letter to the Hebrews. No mean feat in the heady days of student power in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Fr John returned to parish work in the diocese in 1982 with an appointment to St Joseph's Parish in Clarkston. Four years later he moved to the Scots College in Rome, where he was appointed rector. Having taught at Cardross, Fr John's commitment to the formation of priests was renewed and he relished the opportunity to test some ideas about the seminary system.

Three years later, he returned to Scotland and served for a year as assistant priest at St Patrick's in Greenock before being appointed parish priest of St John Bosco Parish in Erskine. He loved the position.

He was, first and foremost, a priest of the Diocese of Paisley. He loved and was loved by the people he served, and by other priests. He enjoyed company, discussion, argument and a laugh. He had a tendency, as he put it, to "trail his coat" to see what reaction he got. He loved the church and was committed to it. He was often challenging of those who did not share his vision or he felt were being slow in implementing the vision of the Second Vatican Council. Above all, he was a man of the church and a man of faith.

For the last few years, Fr John had a Sunday morning radio programme on BBC Scotland. He enjoyed doing the programme and the contact with listeners. But he always described it as a hobby; it wasn't the "day job". He did recognise his skills as a communicator and broadcaster and was delighted his hobby could be used to communicate the word of God.

He remained a priest of St John Bosco for 12 years until health problems forced him to resign and move to Gourock. Here he continued to help out in the parish until his recent serious illness.

People from far and wide gathered at St Ninian's Church, Gourock, for his funeral. The principal celebrant and homilist at the mass was Philip Tartaglia, Bishop of Paisley, while Bishops John Mone, Joseph Devine and John Cunningham joined 100 priests to say farewell.

He had a tremendous influence on generations of students who studied under him at Cardross, Newlands and Rome. He was a man of great intelligence and wit who will be missed at gatherings of priests. He will be missed by his family and friends.

Mgr Gerard Gallagher Vicar General Diocese of Paisley