outspoken advocate of farm and factory workers in the diocese. He acted as a mediator in the Watsonville frozen food strikes, and spoke out forcefully for better living conditions for field workers after some had been found living in caves in Salinas. His actions prompted labor leader César Chávez to remark, "The church has many flaws, but in many ways it is still the best friend we have." He hosted John Paul II's visit to the Monterey Peninsula in September 1987, and actively promoted the beatification of Spanish missionary Junípero Serra. Shubsda was diagnosed with melanoma in September 1990. Thaddeus Shubsda died seven months later due to complications from cancer on April 26, 1991, at age 66. References 1925 births 1991 deaths People from Los Angeles St. John's Seminary (California) alumni 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Catholics from California