Remembering Father Bill

Posted by Teri

My dear Women of St. Raphael,

It is an honor to write to you.  I was asked to share a reflection on Fr. Bill as we mark the 2^nd anniversary of his passing.   I worked for him for seven years and we were friends with a common purpose.  Not a day goes by without thoughts and prayers for him. 

I miss him more than I would have ever believed possible.

Fr. Bill was a colorful guy to say the least.  He came upon Catholicism as an adult.  Fr. Bill cherished the pomp and ceremony of our traditions.  Forty Hours and Tenebrae came to St. Raphael because they were favorite devotions of his.  For him, the perfect ending was a procession with the Blessed Sacrament and lines of clergy.

Speaking of clergy, he was deeply committed to the seminarians of the  Institute of the Incarnate Word housed over near St. Ambrose and they to him.  Today, they are still here helping with our picnic and our Spanish Religious Education classes.  Recently, Sr. Revelation was here from the ADW Missions Office and she told me how Fr. Bill had helped her religious order as well.  She looked over at the St. Joseph statue and emotionally asked if that was where he died.

St Joseph with the Infant Jesus,
Guido Reni, 1635

Yes, Fr. Bill died on Holy Thursday, the day after his 56^th birthday.  He concelebrated the Mass of the Last Supper where he marked the institution of the Eucharist and the priesthood.  Fr. Bill processed with the Blessed Sacrament and then returned to the church.  There, by the statue of St. Joseph, he suffered a heart attack and died shortly later.  
There, by the patron of a happy death, Fr. Bill didn’t suffer and he was surrounded and comforted by many of his St. Raphael family.

He must have been very close to Jesus to die such an amazing death. 

Fr. Bill's dream was that our parish would have a school.  As I stand in the new building and look around, I know he must be very proud.  He planted a seed and generations to come will benefit from his dream. 

As I close, I would like to share a few memories with you:

• The year we opened the school, a group of children were outside on a nature walk and Fr. Bill stopped what he was doing to run out to join them.  He brought them off their trail to show them an old tree trunk and gently pointed out the rings.  He had them guessing about the age of the tree.
• Another memory that comes to me is the Book Fair.  He would sit in his rocker and read to the students.  As he read each character had a different voice as he made the story come to life. He loved the dramatic!
• Two days before he died, Fr. Bill came to my office.  I asked if he wanted anything special for his birthday.  He told me his finch feeder broke and that he missed watching the little birds in the garden.  The next day, he joined the 3^rd Grade for their Art Tea, proudly admiring their art and leaned over to tell me that the new finch feeder we gave him was in place with a big smile.

 So many memories… What is your favorite memory of Father Bill?

photo credits:  yellow finch by Michael Strande