Holy priests

This evening I went for the wake service of Fr. Tom O'Neill to pay my last respects. When I heard about his death, I was shocked for I had just attended mass celebrated by Fr. O'Neill barely a month ago and had found him inspiring.

I had received the news of his demise last Friday evening, along with the news that Fr. Renckens had joined him a day later on the 31st.

While I did not really know Fr. Renckens apart from the occasional mass I attended at Blessed Sacrament, Fr. O'Neill was an integral part of my childhood.

The Church of St. Ignatius was my parish through my pre-teen and teen years and the Jesuit fathers there pretty much gave me a very positive picture of priesthood.

Fr. O'Neill, in particular, exemplified what a priest should be: gentle, earnest, sincere, humble, encouraging, with a certain joie de vivre that gave one the impression that everything was alright with the world.

I loved that he celebrated mass with such joy and reverence that raised the liturgy to a beautiful and sacred experience.

While I regret that I did not know him better, I thank him for shaping my views on life, for encouraging me to hope in humanity and trust in God's faithfulness.

Pope Benedict XVI recently declared this year the Year for Priests and it made me realize just how much I take our priests for granted. I always assume that they will be there to lead us and help us worship as a community despite the dwindling number of vocations taken up each year.

Instead of losing faith each time I hear or read about how a priest stumbles, I realize I should pray now for all priests, for their protection against all evil, for their steadfastness and for a renewal of their faith every day.

I am also increasingly grateful for all the holy men and women who have consecrated their lives to serving God in an extra-special way.

Thank you, Fr. O'Neill and Fr. Renckens, for living out your vocation to the end, loving much, living fully.

Requiescat in pace.