In Memoriam: Paulist Fr. Ernest Mort (1931 – 2020)

January 23, 2020
Top: Paulist Fr. Ernest Mort in 1958, one year before his ordination. Bottom: In 1948, as a student at St. Mary’s High School in Albuquerque, NM.

With sadness, we announce that our brother, Paulist Fr. Ernest Mort, entered eternal life on Sunday, January 19, 2020, in La Jolla, CA.

He was 88.

Fr. Mort was born on December 19, 1931, in Nebraska City, Nebraska, a son of Ernest G. Mort and Mildred Fitzekam Mort. 

His family was living in Albuquerque, NM, when, as a student at St. Mary’s High School, he went on a retreat and learned about the Paulist Fathers.

He entered the Paulist junior seminary in Baltimore, MD, in September, 1950, and the Paulist novitiate on September 5, 1950.

He made his first promise to the community on September 8, 1953.

He was ordained a priest on May 1, 1959, by New York’s Cardinal Francis Spellman during a Mass at the Church of St. Paul the Apostle in New York City.

From 1960 to 1966, Fr. Mort served at St. Thomas More Newman Center in Columbus, OH.

In 1966, he arrived at the University of California, San Diego, where he would spend the rest of his priesthood.

He was the director of the Newman Center Newman Center Catholic Community at UC San Diego from 1966 to 1969.

From 1969 to 1993, he served as dean of UC San Diego’s Revelle College.

A Funeral Mass will be held on Tuesday, March 10th at 10:00am at Good Samaritan Episcopal Church in La Jolla, CA with a luncheon reception to follow in the church hall.  Good Samaritan Episcopal Church is located at 4321 Eastgate Mall, La Jolla, CA 92121. The UC San Diego Catholic Community shares space there. Parking is free and readily available.

The burial will take place on Wednesday, March 11th in the Paulist Plot at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, CA. The time will be announced on this page when finalized.


More photos from Fr. Mort’s life and ministry on Pinterest


In this video, Fr. Mort reflects in time for the 60th anniversary of his ordination:


In this video, Fr. Mort talks about the early days of Revelle College:

The laying of hands, 1959.
Baptizing an inquirer who attended lectures on the Church.
Bishop Clarence George Issenmann and Fr. Mort at the outside Newman Hall at the Ohio State University.
Paulist Fr. Ernest Mort with students at Ravelle College at University of California at San Diego. Fr. Mort was a longtime dean of Ravelle College.
Fr. Mort before his 85th birthday.