George Avis Fulcher

His Excellency, The Most Reverend George Avis Fulcher
Bishop of Lafayette in Indiana Titular Bishop of Morosbisdus
Church	Roman Catholic Church
See	Diocese of Lafayette in Indiana
Predecessor	Raymond Joseph Gallagher
Successor	William Leo Higi
Other post(s)	Auxiliary Bishop of Columbus 1976 to 1983 Titular Bishop of Morosbisdus
Orders
Ordination	February 28, 1948 by Michael Joseph Ready
Consecration	July 18, 1976 by Edward John Herrmann
Personal details
Born	January 30, 1922 Columbus, Ohio, US
Died	January 25, 1984(1984-01-25) (aged 61) Rockville, Indiana, US
Coat of arms

Styles of George Avis Fulcher
Reference style	Reverend
Spoken style	Your Excellency
Religious style	Bishop
Posthumous style	none

George Avis Fulcher (January 30, 1922 – January 25, 1984) was an American Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Lafayette in Indiana from 1983 until his death in 1984.^[1] He previously served as an auxiliary bishop in the Diocese of Columbus from 1976 to 1983.

George Fulcher was born in Columbus, Ohio, on January 30, 1922, to George and Mary (Lennon) Fulcher. He was baptized at Saint Patrick Church and briefly attended primary school there, before his family moved to the Hilltop and began attending St. Aloysius. He graduated from Saint Charles Preparatory School in 1940 and entered seminary studies at the Athenaeum of Ohio in 1944.^[1] He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Columbus by Bishop Michael Ready on February 28, 1948. In addition to parish pastoral work, he served as the editor-in-chief of the diocesan newspaper, the Catholic Times, from 1958 to 1963.^[2][3]

Fulcher was appointed as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Columbus and Titular Bishop of Morosbisdus by Pope Paul VI on May 24, 1976. Fulcher was consecrated by Bishop Edward John Herrmann on July 18, 1976.^[1] He served as the rector of St. Joseph Cathedral from 1975 to 1983, and also served on the NCCB committee that drafted the Pastoral Letter on Peace.^[4]

On February 8, 1983, Fulcher was appointed by Pope John Paul II as bishop of the Diocese of Lafayette in Indiana. He was later appointed to the US Conference of Catholic Bishops committee for the implementation of the Pastoral Letter on Peace.

While returning a conference he had given to religious superiors in Terre Haute, on January 25, 1984, George Fulcher was killed when his car crashed off US-41 near Rockville, Indiana.^[5] He was 62 years old at the time of his death.

• Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette, Indiana Official website