Happy 40th Anniversary of your Ordination Fr. Joe...

The first time we met he was officiating my nephew’s wedding that the young couple was so excited for us to meet. The wedding was great. Fr. Joe was in his prime, very engaging, hands in the air, arms open wide shouting "Praise God!" as he invited us into the celebration. Sitting there as a young thirty something I was not all that impressed. Thirty years later as his pastor in that same parish my opinion has changed.
 
Not long after though a renewal of faith came about and a new perspective on the church emerged. Like many of that time, I had drifted away from the faith because going to Mass had become too much of a routine. But after that experience I started to attend Mass again, as did many others who attended a baptism, wedding, or funeral with Fr. Joe at the helm. Many people became his lifelong friends and he  dutifully kept in touch with them over the years. It was his passion for people that drew them in and his devotion to serving them as their priest and friend that kept them coming back. 

My next encounter with him was at Blessed Sacrament, after he transformed an aging parish into one of the most vibrant in the city. Fr. Joe didn’t just say the Mass, he proclaimed it. It felt like entering into the Holy of Holies and having a friendly chat with God. He didn’t just do a baptism; he offered the child up to God in thanksgiving then handed them back to the parent and quipped “Good luck with the project!” Weddings were a month’s long process where lifelong bonds were made and cherished. The blessed couple often returning to have Fr. Joe baptize their children and grandchildren and calling upon him for funerals.

It was the same with the Cursillo Movement. As spiritual director, the weekends became life-changing encounters that changed lives. Fr. Joe would sit long into the night listening to helping people with their troubles. He was able to help many draw on the wellsprings of God’s love and mercy because he often drew from the same font. From then on, I heard only about him rather than from him, as his ministry became more focused on himself.
 
The next time I saw him was shortly after I became pastor here at St. Leonard Parish and visited the local Walmart where he was working part time as a greeter to make ends meet.   I was shocked to see him there. Calling him up the next day I asked him to come work with me instead. 

The parish was willing to welcome him back to ministry and Fr. Joe was so grateful for the opportunity. We worked closely together as a pastoral team, he focusing on weekday Masses, confessions, and visiting our senior homes. I doing pretty much everything else. People started coming back who had left the church years ago. Small faith groups began to spring up and when we decided to rent the school gym next door to add another Christmas Eve Mass, he filled that up too! We were on a roll, and Fr. Joe rose to the occasion.
 
Along with the successes also came responsibilities, and along with the responsibilities came the stress of being a loving priest in a not so loving world. While he was loved and cherished here in the parish, he still had a legacy that haunted him at times. We talked often about how to work through the impossible situations that priests find themselves in. Where the only way out was to trust and pray that the love and mercy of God would prevail.

As Fr. Joe’s health began to decline, his spirit was strengthened by the martyrdom that it brought. The last time that I saw him, he was hopeful to get out of the hospital and return to ministry. It was his greatest passion and his greatest joy to share the love of God with others.
 
Through the grace of God, he loved us all and loves us still. As we mourn the loss of someone who was a representative of Jesus for us, we take comfort in the promises of Christ that we shall meet again. Thank you, Fr. Joe, for helping us see that despite the troubles and afflictions that seek to bring us down, the love and mercy of God will always raise us up. Thank you for helping us see that love conquers all.
 
By the grace of God, we shall all meet again,


Fr. John