Date of death: 2/14/2026
Saint Meinrad Class: O 1961
Father Joseph M. Fowler, a retired priest of the Archdiocese of Louisville, died Feb. 14, 2026 at Nazareth Home – Highlands. He was 90 years old and had been a priest for 65 years.
Father Fowler, a native of Louisville, attended high school and college seminary at St. Mary’s College in St. Mary, Ky., and major seminary at Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in
St. Meinrad, Ind. He was ordained to the priesthood on May 27, 1961.
In his first years as a priest, he taught at Trinity High School. He also served as associate pastor of the following parishes: St. Columba, St. Aloysius in Shepherdsville, Our Lady, Sts. Simon and Jude and St. Rita.
He was the founding pastor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in 1976 and served there until 1986. He served as pastor of St. Bernard Church from 1986 to 1996 and as pastor of Holy Trinity Church from 1996 to 2002. He served as administrator for St. Cecilia Church and Our Lady Church before retiring in 2004.
In 1999, Father Fowler and his brother, the late Wayne Fowler, founded Hand in Hand Ministries, a non-profit outreach organization that continues today. He was also a co-founder of Community Catholic Center, a non-profit based in West Louisville that aims to make Catholic education more accessible.
Father Fowler also served as assistant director of the Vocation Office and as a chaplain for St. Thomas-St. Vincent Home and Mercy Academy.
He is survived by four siblings, Barbara Dukes, Michael Fowler, Dennis Fowler and Lorrie Peake, as well as numerous nieces and nephews, great-nieces and nephews, and great-great-nieces and nephews.