May 27, 2023
By Fr. Matt Keller, C.PP.S.
There is a story of a little boy and his grandmother having a conversation and the little boy said “Grandma, I know what happened at Pentecost.” The grandmother said, “What happened at Pentecost?” He said, “It was when Jesus came to set them on fire and then they were no longer afraid.”
This little boy’s answer is cute but also in cute way he is right. When we think of Pentecost, we think of the strong driving wind, the tongues of fire, and the apostles speaking in various languages that whole crowd understood as if they were speaking in their own native language. These were “the mighty acts of God”’ (Acts 2: 11). And after this event, the disciples went out spreading the message of Jesus. Jesus set them on fire.
But what we can so easily forget is that prior to this event of Pentecost, the Apostles were afraid, and they were also experiencing mixture of other emotions. We hear in our scriptures today that the apostles were hiding behind locked doors. And their fear, you could argue, was reasonable. Jesus, their leader and close friend, was convicted and put to death. Because of their association with him, the religious leaders could be coming for them next.
The apostles were also experiencing grief and regret. They had told Jesus they would be there for him, but when the authorities came for Jesus, his disciples fled in fear. Yet it is amid this fear and mixture of emotions, that Jesus appears and brings them his peace and breathes the Holy Spirit on them. They were, as the little boy said, set on fire. Receiving the Holy Spirit strengthened them so that they could share the message of Jesus with the world.
Today as a Church, we officially draw Easter Season to close. After today, the Easter candle will exit its prominent place in the sanctuary and we will return to Ordinary time. Throughout this Easter Season, we have been reading from the Acts of the Apostles and how the Holy Spirit worked in the lives of the apostles, how the Holy Spirit set the apostles on fire, and we learn how this fire caused the Church to grow.
The Holy Spirit set the apostles on fire, and Holy Spirit has the tendency to set our lives on fire as well. And when Jesus sets us on fire, it springs us into action. Nearly five years ago when I was ordained priest, I selected this passage to read because I knew in order for me to be the best priest I can be, I needed that breath, that fire of the Holy Spirit on my life. Bishop Joseph Charron, C.PP.S., invoked the Holy Spirit upon me as he laid hands on me. In his homily, he said that he prayed the Holy Spirit would come upon my life in a powerful way. As I think of all that I have experienced as priest, it has been the effect of the Holy Spirit, setting my life on fire, springing me into action, the work of God at work in my life.
We are in the season of graduations and we are grateful for what graduates have accomplished. But I am also excited for our graduates in how the Holy Spirit will set their hearts on fire as they set out to accomplish their goals and dreams. As we celebrate Pentecost today, may the Lord set our hearts and lives on fire to spring us into action to do his work.
To view the full scripture reading, click here.
Fr. Matt Keller, C.PP.S., is the pastor of St. John the Baptist Church in Glandorf, Ohio.
May 23, 2023
This image of Our Lady of the Stick can be found at the Abbey of San Felice in Giano, Italy, where the Missionaries were founded in 1815.
By Fr. Steve Dos Santos, C.PP.S.
The celebration of Mary Help of Christians was instituted by Pope Pius VII in 1815, a year after his triumphal return to Rome from exile under Napoleon. Our founder, St. Gaspar del Bufalo, named her patroness of our Congregation because of the difficult mission that lay before the Missionaries. St. Maria de Mattias, who founded the Adorers of the Blood of Christ, also had a particular love for Mary under this title.
While the image above is not technically Mary, Help of Christians, it is one of my favorite images of Mary. I associate it with this feast because of the way children run to her for protection, and the way in which she so forcefully fights off the devil in order to protect them. In it we see Mary defending her children, the way a mother bear might defend its cubs.
In the first reading, John tells us that “the dragon became angry with the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring” (Rev 12: 17). The passage takes place in the midst of the spiritual battle between the forces of heaven and hell. We often forget about the spiritual world, and the battle that is constantly going on all around us. This feast reminds us that Mary is not a passive observer of this battle. She too takes up arms to defend us from the Evil One and his minions.
The Gospel for this feast is the story of the wedding feast at Cana. On the surface, this story is about the provision of choice wine and the evasion of embarrassment. But the miracle is deeper than just the provision of earthly needs. The wine in its abundance stands as the icon of God’s abundant grace. God is more than just a heavenly ATM doling out our earthly needs.
Mary’s words to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you,” are spoken also to us. Whatever our need, whatever our closeness to her son, she bids us listen to him and follow his instructions. In this single direction is the core of the Christian life. Mary bids us to follow the direction of her son, and therein lies an abundance of grace waiting for us.
Mary is the Help of Christians. We can always turn to her. She stands as intercessor for us, offering her prayers in support of our struggles. But she desires more for us than just plenty of wine and a good name. She desires our salvation and always stands ready to help us with her intercession, and when we need it, her stick to fend off the devil.
Originally from Alameda, Calif., Fr. Steve Dos Santos, C.PP.S., served for a number of years at St. Agnes Parish in Los Angeles. He is now the vocation director of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood.
May 20, 2023
By Fr. Tony Fortman, C.PP.S.
Today we celebrate the ascension of the Lord. Jesus ascended into heaven body and soul in the presence of the Blessed Virgin Mary and his apostles. This is not the first time Jesus was suspended in the air. If we go back to the transfiguration, we see that Jesus was suspended in the air when he was talking to Moses and Elijah.
Many of us may think that supernatural experiences are not needed to needed to inspire our faith. That is true. Jesus said blessed are those who do not see but still believe. Yet we have the Eucharist change into real flesh and precious blood. As Christians, it is not necessary for us to have supernatural experiences, but God still chooses to work in that realm. We do believe a miracle takes place at every Eucharistic celebration. I do believe in the true presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. To me, the miracle is that the body and blood of Jesus continues to look like bread and wine. Because I know it’s the body and blood of Jesus.
To be honest, I have not had a lot of supernatural experiences. When I was visiting in our parishes in Lima, Perú in 1999, I was being shown around by a fellow C.PP.S. seminarian, Emanuele Lupi. He was later ordained and is now serving as our moderator general—but during that trip to Peru, where he was in ministry, he introduced me to a lady who was a teacher.
Nine years later, I was at Medjugorje when the same teacher approached me, although she did not know it was me. She asked me a question about faith. By then I had been ordained and was dressed as a priest. The miracle was that this lady teacher was from South America and I met her again in Eastern Europe nine years later.
On this solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, our hope is that our souls will ascend to heaven someday. We read in Scripture, “Our citizenship is in heaven and from it we await a savior.” This world is a testing ground.
Everything that happened to Jesus will happen to us. We will experience joy, pain, betrayal and new life. You and I are called to extend the mission of Jesus. Jesus ascended into heaven and is interceding for us to continue his mission. Let us give all we have to extend the reign of God. Glory to the Blood of Jesus, now and forever.
Fr. Tony Fortman, C.PP.S., is the pastor of the three parishes in the Catholic Communities of Northwest Dayton, Precious Blood, St. Paul and St. Rita.
May 13, 2023
Sr. Joyce Ann Zimmerman, CPPS
The Gospel readings for the eight Sundays of Easter are an awe-inspiring movement from Jesus to us. The first three Sundays focus on the risen Christ and proclaim his appearances to the disciples. The Fourth Sunday of Easter reassures us that Jesus, the Good Shepherd, will always remain with us and care for us.
However, when we come to the last three Sundays before Pentecost, there is a shift in time, place and person. Instead of encountering the risen Christ, these Sundays move to Jesus’s farewell discourse to the disciples at the Last Supper, and shift in person from Jesus to us, preparing us for Pentecost Sunday and the descent of the Holy Spirit. These Sundays challenge us to take up Jesus’ saving, loving mission as his faithful disciples.
This Sunday’s Gospel begins with Jesus stating “If you love me … ” If implies a free choice. Jesus does not force us to love him or his Father. We choose to love God and each other because that love establishes a unique relationship opening us to the Holy Spirit dwelling within each of us. It is a relationship that promises us a share in the same risen life that Jesus has been given by his Father and that binds us to God and each other in a marvelously intimate way.
So, while if implies a choice, why would we not make the choice to love God and each other? The benefits—especially the promise of eternal life—far outweigh the cost! The more we grow in our love for God and each other, the easier it becomes to keep God’s commandments and be faithful to God’s will. Jesus’ love for us promises that he will not leave us orphans and so we can be confident to whom we belong. We can be confident of the loving relationship that Jesus extends to us. We can be confident that our love draws us deeper and deeper into the mystery of God’s life and love that is so freely and lavishly given to us.
At the Last Supper, knowing full well the ordeal of suffering that he would soon undergo, Jesus’ heart was turned to his disciples: instructing them, offering them hope, loving them with all his very self could give. Yet, freely choosing to love God and others can have a cost. The cost to Jesus was to be nailed to a cross. The cost to us is to be nailed to the Gospel, living the kind of love that Jesus showed us in his life and ministry. Let us love one another as Jesus loves us: totally, freely, life-giving. If we love God and others? How can we not?
Sr. Joyce Ann Zimmerman, C.PP.S. is the director of the Institute for Liturgical Ministry in Dayton, Ohio.
Apr 29, 2023
By Fr Tim McFarland, C.PP.S.
A couple of years ago when I was in ministry in Mercer County, Ohio, I had prepared my homily for this Good Shepherd Sunday and noted how perhaps it was (is) difficult for us to identify with this Gospel as we don’t see sheep much – even in the agricultural area of Mercer County. And wouldn’t you know it, as I was driving to have Mass at Rockford, Ohio, what did I see: a herd of sheep!
One of the oldest images of Jesus is of Jesus as the Good Shepherd. The image resonated with many during the early years of Christianity. It portrayed Christ as the Good Shepherd carrying a sheep over his shoulders, an image that provided comfort to the persecuted followers of Christ. The image still resonates with many even today as it appeals to our sense of belonging and of being comforted in complex and sometimes hostile times.
The Gospel speaks about the sheep and the shepherds and though many of us don’t often see sheep, we can identify with elements of the Gospel. At its core, this Gospel is about relationships and that is something we all have. Jesus speaks of the relationship the shepherd has with his sheep – he knows them and they know him.
History tells us that all the sheep were kept together in a big sheepfold where the various shepherds had brought their small herds. Without brands, without markings of any kind, you might ask how each shepherd gets back the sheep that belongs to him or to his boss?
The shepherd calls each of his flock by name. He has been with them on the hillside, so he knows the one with the nick in its ear, the one with the pretty face, the one that limps. There is a name for each one because they are not just a herd; each has a personality that is special, just like human beings.
The bond of love uniting us is based on the love that unites the Father and Jesus. Our new existence is founded on God’s unbreakable love and faithfulness. We have to attune our minds to the sound of his voice.
In this analogy, we hear Jesus describe the depth of love he has for his flock – us. He lays down his life for them and for us. By shedding his Precious Blood, Jesus has given us new life. Now we are challenged to do the same. It is rare that we literally lay down our lives, but there are small ways we lay down our lives, for example, giving time to listen or be with others in their need, etc.
Jesus is not only the Good Shepherd, He is also the Gate into the fold. To be a sheep that is Christ’s, a person has to open to the love of the Lord. He or she has to go within Jesus, through Jesus, who is the Gate and the Way, as well as being the leader along the way. There are many voices that vie for our attention these days we have to be open to and listen for the voice of our shepherd. It is the call of love and challenges us to speak the same to others.
Here is the good news, then. Whether a person is faithful or astray, he will be surrounded by the love of the Good Shepherd. St Patrick’s prayer says it well: Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ with me.
Fr. Tim McFarland, C.PP.S., is the director of ministry and mission and serves on the faculty at Calumet College of St. Joseph in Whiting, Ind.
Apr 22, 2023
By Fr. Jeffrey Kirch, C.PP.S.
The “Journey to Emmaus” is one of the most well-known stories in the New Testament. It is a vivid story that we can truly connect with. Two downtrodden disciples leaving Jerusalem…an encounter with a stranger to whom the disciples tell the story of Jesus’ death…the stranger relating to the disciples the whole of salvation history…and the climax of recognizing Jesus in the breaking of the bread. It is truly a powerful passage.
As a homilist, I’ve reflected and preached on this passage numerous times. Each time I highlight a different aspect of the story. Sometimes it is the recognition of Christ in the breaking of the bread, sometimes it is the burning of the disciples’ hearts. Sometimes, my mind is drawn to the image of the “journey on the road.” The two disciples are leaving Jerusalem and traveling to Emmaus. They are going from one place to another place.
So many stories in Scripture involve a journey. Movement is a vital component of our spiritual life. Scripture is loaded with stories of journeys: Abraham, Moses, Joseph, the journey that led to the Nativity, Jesus’ journey up to Jerusalem, the journey of the first apostles, and the journeys of Paul.
And think about all the journeys we take in our faith, such as the annual journeys of Lent and Advent. There is the journey of coming to faith through RCIA. The formation journey that we all are on, as we move into a deeper and deeper relationship with our God.
The concept of “journey” is rooted in our faith, in part, because we associate it with the idea of progress. As Christians we are on a journey to God. That is what we are doing here on earth. While on the journey we strive to build up the Kingdom of God. As we progress, we grow closer and closer to God. As St. Thomas Aquinas taught, we come from God and we return to God. Fundamentally, life is that journey.
Thankfully, like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, we do not make this journey alone. We are joined by others who help us when we stumble or take a wrong turn. But most importantly, we are joined by Christ. The First Letter of St. Peter directs us to “conduct yourselves with reverence during the time of your sojourning, realizing that you were ransomed from your futile conduct, handed on by your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold but with the precious blood of Christ as of a spotless unblemished lamb.”
Our journey continues. Through our redemption in the Precious Blood of Christ, we pray it brings us ever closer to God.
This reflection by Fr. Jeff Kirch, C.PP.S., was originally shared in 2020.
The V. Rev. Jeffrey Kirch, C.PP.S., is the provincial director of the United States Province. Previously, he served as the secretary general of the worldwide Congregation and was also in ministry at Saint Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, Ind., of which he is an alumnus.
Apr 18, 2023
By Tim Deveney
A few years ago, I had the pleasure of hearing Fr. Greg Boyle, SJ, speak at the Ignatian Solidarity Network’s Teach-in for Social Justice. Fr. Boyle said we need to not “settle for just shaking your fist, roll up your sleeves to create the place where we cherish each other with every breath.” Over the last 10 years, I have seen Precious Blood Volunteers do exactly this.
Precious Blood Volunteers is a ministry of the United States Province of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood. Our volunteers serve at one of our placements in Kansas City or Chicago.
They are formed in Precious Blood spirituality by living in intentional community, walking with people who are suffering, and seeking reconciliation.
The program was created in 2008 by the Kansas City Province, to provide opportunities for lay people to live in service to others for a year as a part of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood.
Since that time we have had volunteers serving people at Catholic schools, health clinics, social service centers, a hospital, an LGBTQ service center, parishes, a legal aid clinic, and at the Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation. Our volunteers have gone on to careers in medicine, education, nonprofit management, ministry and engineering.
The volunteers who serve with us are often right out of college, but we have had people in other stages of their lives, including people in their 30s, 60s and 70s.
Our volunteers have served in a variety of roles, including teaching, mentoring, tutoring, campus ministry and coaching at Cristo Rey Kansas City High School. In Chicago at the PBMR, our volunteers have worked in arts and music programs, tutoring, the woodshop, the garden, and in peace circle training.
Currently we have four young people committed to serving with us and we are working on finding a few more to round out the 2023–24 cohort.
The volunteer cycle starts in late July with our orientation retreat at the Precious Blood Renewal Center (PBRC) in Liberty, Mo. During orientation, our new volunteers learn more about the Precious Blood spirituality and charism, have time to reflect on what they are being called to in their service, and better understand the expectations we have for them in their work and community life.
Each month they will participate in spirituality/justice nights, when volunteers share the blessings and challenges of the work they are doing.
Our volunteers also participate in two retreats and have other opportunities for spiritual growth. The mid-year retreat’s focus is seeing where God has worked in their lives over the first half of their term of service and to help them develop a focus for the last few months.
The second last retreat is the end of year at PBRC. At this retreat, volunteers reflect on how God has worked in their lives over their term of service and to see how they want to carry forward what they have experienced. We will help our volunteers find a spiritual director if they seek it out.
We would love to have your help in supporting our volunteers and the program in general. The most important item on the list is praying for them. Many of our volunteers have told me they felt the prayerful support of the Precious Blood community.
You can follow along with what is happening with Precious Blood Volunteers by following us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Links to those can be found on our website,preciousbloodvolunteers.org.
Tim Deveney is the director of the Precious Blood Volunteers program.
Apr 15, 2023
By Fr. Bill Nordenbrock, C.PP.S.
The first time that I preached on the Gospel account of the appearances of the Resurrected Christ to the disciples was the day after my ordination. As I reflected on this narrative then, what caught my attention was that Jesus needed to make a repeat appearance. At the Easter appearance Jesus had given the disciples his peace and his mission, but one week later the disciples were still locked away in hiding. What happened? Weren’t the disciples paying attention?
It seems that even the appearance of the Resurrected Christ was not enough for the disciples to put fear aside and to become missionary. So in my first Mass homily, I shared my prayerful hope that with the grace of God, my priesthood would be lived outside the safety of sanctuaries.
Forty years later, the context of my life has changed, and a different revelation speaks to my heart. Part of that changed context is since 2000, the Second Sunday of Easter has been designated Divine Mercy Sunday.
Recently I read a meditation that described God as being “mercy, wrapped in mercy, wrapped in mercy.” What a powerful statement about our God! This is the identity of God that is proclaimed in the second reading: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in God’s great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead . . . ”
The paschal mystery is the revelation and gift of God’s mercy. The life blood poured out on the cross was the mercy of God drenching all people. And the Resurrected Christ returned to his disciples to make sure that they got the message and the command to share that message with the world.
The mercy of God changes our lives; changes who we are. We become hope-filled missionaries carrying God’s mercy to all. If we are paying attention. If we have heard the promise often enough for the gift of mercy to be more than a gift from God, but also a commission to bear the Good News as a gift to be given to others.
In one of my favorite Scripture passages, St. Paul repeats this message. About the paschal mystery, he wrote: “All this has been done by God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation” (2Cor 5:18).
Today we hear again that the mercy of God has been given to us. Again and again, this is the story of God’s unfailing and unconditional love for us. So, let’s stop being afraid. Let us hear the Good News that seeks to transform our lives and accept the commission that sends us into the world to live lives that give witness to God’s mercy.
As I often proclaim in the dismissal rite when celebrating the Sacrament of Penance: Your sins have been forgiven. Go forth in peace and forgive others.
A former moderator general of the worldwide congregation, Fr. Bill Nordenbrock, C.PP.S., resides in Chicago. He serves as the provincial secretary and treasurer of the United States Province.
Apr 12, 2023
Fr. Edgar Jutte, C.PP.S., 88, died at 12:30 a.m. on Monday, April 10, 2023, at St. Rita’s Medical Center, Lima, Ohio, where he had been a patient for several days. He died of complications following a fall at St. Charles Center, Carthagena, Ohio, where he made his home.
He was born on March 21, 1935, in St. Peter, Ohio, to Theodore and Mary (Dorsten) Jutte. He entered the Congregation in 1949 at Brunnerdale, its former high school seminary near Canton, Ohio, and was ordained on June 9, 1962.
After his ordination, Fr. Jutte was an assistant pastor at Precious Blood Church in Fort Wayne. In 1965, he volunteered to serve in the Peruvian mission.
Fr. Jutte returned to the United States in 1973, then served as a chaplain at the Maria Stein convent of the CPPS Sisters. From 1974-75, he ministered at Precious Blood Church in Fort Wayne. He became an associate pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Ottawa, Ohio, in 1976.
In 1978, Fr. Jutte returned to Latin America, this time to minister in Chile. He then returned to Peru in 1982, when he was assigned to ministry in La Oroya, a mining town far above the tree line in the Andes.
An injury forced his return to the United States in 1993. He served in parishes in Mexico from 2000-2013, when he retired to St. Charles Center in Carthagena, Ohio, where he lived for 10 years.
Fr. Jutte is survived by his only sister, Madonna Brunswick, Coldwater, Ohio; his brother, Thomas Jutte, Sidney, Ohio; a sister-in-law, Dorothy Jutte, New Bremen, Ohio; and several nieces and nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.
He was preceded in death by brothers Mark Schwieterman and his wife, Rosemary; Orval Schwieterman and his wife, Helen; Roger Schwieterman and his first wife, Dorothy, and his second wife, Dolores; his brother, Donald Jutte; brother-in-law John Brunswick; and sister-in-law Vivian Jutte.
Fr. Edgar had a strong constitution and strong faith to go with it. When he served in La Oroya, he took on ministry in small, remote villages, hiking out with only a few necessities. That was the way he lived out his vocation. But he also nourished it; he enjoyed reading theological texts and then discussing new ideas with his fellow Missionaries.
He was devoted to the people of God and to his religious congregation. Missionaries would play cards some evenings and trade stories about legendary C.PP.S. Missionaries of yore. Fr. Edgar would comment, “Well, the age of characters is gone.” and his fellow members would respond, “Sure they are!” They would cast significant looks at Fr. Edgar, who never minded jokes and pranks at his expense. Quick witted, he would wait for an opportunity to pay them back in kind.
A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated on Tuesday, April 18 at 2 p.m., with Fr. Jeffrey Kirch, C.PP.S., provincial director, presiding. Fr. Tom Brenberger, C.PP.S., will be the homilist. Burial will follow in the Community cemetery.
Calling hours at St. Charles will be held in the Gaspar Room on Monday, April 17, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and on Tuesday until the beginning of Mass.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Missionaries of the Precious Blood, United States Province.
Apr 12, 2023
Fr. Joseph Hinders, C.PP.S., 86, died at 3:50 p.m. Saturday, April 8, 2023, at St. Rita’s Medical Center, Lima, Ohio, where he was being treated following a fall at St. Charles Center, Carthagena, Ohio, where he made his home.
He was born on November 18, 1936, in Celina, Ohio, to Homer and Emma (Pax) Hinders. He entered the Missionaries of the Precious Blood at Brunnerdale, their former high school seminary in Canton, Ohio, in 1951, and was ordained on June 8, 1963.
Fr. Hinders taught at Cardinal Newman High School, Santa Rosa, Calif., after his ordination. He ministered at St. Joseph Parish in Wapakoneta, Ohio, and Holy Rosary in St. Marys, Ohio, before volunteering for the Missionaries’ mission in La Oroya, Peru in 1966.
He served there for four years before returning to the U.S. in 1970, when he was appointed an instructor at Brunnerdale. In 1981, he was transferred to Florida where he ministered to farm workers in the Diocese of Orlando. He also ministered at Resurrection Church in Winter Garden, Fla. He returned to Ohio in 1984 then ministered to the Hispanic community in Dayton.
In 1988, he requested a leave from the Community. He was laicized in 1994. In 1990, he married Mercy Escobar. He and Mercy lived first in South St. Louis where he worked for the St. Louis Department of Corrections, then in El Salvador, where he taught English. Mercy died in 2007.
In 2009, he requested to be reincorporated with the Missionaries. He received permission and was definitively incorporated and reinstated as a Missionary of the Precious Blood on May 25, 2010. He served as parochial vicar at St. James the Less Parish in Columbus from 2010-13 then retired to St. Charles Center in Carthagena, Ohio. There, he helped tend the Community garden and ministered in area parishes as needed, particularly at St. Bernard Church in Burkettsville, Ohio.
He is survived by his adopted son, Juan Carlos Hinders, Baltimore; his sister, Marita (Gene) Pitstick, Akron, Ohio; a sister-in-law, Doris Hinders, Kettering; and numerous nieces and nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.
He was preceded in death by his brother John, John’s first wife, Jean, and his second wife, Virginia; his brother Urban; and sisters Mary (Richard) Rutledge and Louise Hinders.
Fr. Hinders had a searching mind and a wry wit. His gentle, introspective nature did not mean he wasn’t paying attention; his observations were usually on-target yet never to be feared. He was extremely kind and appreciated anyone who walked into the room. He liked taking care of people, and enjoyed his association with St. Bernard Parish in his later years. He wanted to be of service.
He also appreciated God’s creative powers, especially in the form of flowers. He was a conscientious gardener who knew how to make things bloom. Even when his physical strength ebbed and he was no longer able to spend much time outdoors, he surrounded himself with pictures of flowers, a reminder of hope and grace.
A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated on Monday, April 17, at 2 p.m., with Fr. Andy O’Reilly, C.PP.S., presiding. Fr. Jim Gaynor, C.PP.S., will be the homilist. Burial will follow in the Community cemetery.
Calling hours at St. Charles will be held on Sunday, April 16 from 1:30-7 p.m., and Monday until the beginning of Mass.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Missionaries of the Precious Blood, United States Province.
