I want to express my sincere appreciation to all of you who extended condolences to me and my family upon the sad occasion of the death of my Dad. I am particularly grateful to those who have prayed for us, those who have offered Masses for Dad, and for those who attended the funeral on Tuesday. Had he been here in person, Dad would have been very humbled by the attendance of two Archbishops, an auxiliary Bishop, an Abbot, over fifty priests, as well as scores of deacons and over 1000 religious and lay faithful who were in attendance. The photo of Dad above is the entirely of the cropped photo that was used for the newspaper obituary. It was taken only three months ago, and it shows Dad posing for a photo that he wanted to send to a priest-friend of mine from Pittsburgh. Dad’s the guy on the left; the other guy used to play football for the Steelers. Dad always enjoyed a good laugh.
Dad’s death was somewhat unexpected, but I am consoled by the fact that he led a holy life that was an example to his family and friends. He was a deacon for 35 years, and his fidelity to the Church was characterized by Daily Mass, daily recitation of the Rosary with my Mom, a commitment to the Liturgy of the Hours, and frequent attendance at Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Dad passed on his faith – the faith of the Catholic Church – to me. And that’s one of the most important reasons that I’m able to pass it on as a priest. I was very blessed by God for having had the last nine months with Dad in New Orleans. He loved being here at St. Stephen. One of his favorite things was to tell parishioners that he was the “Father’s father.” Dad went out at the top of his game. May the angels lead him to paradise.
