This week we remember two men who died during the previous decade.
The first person is my grandfather, Francis M. Donahue, Sr. He died shortly after 9/11, which was also shortly after the birth of our son Marcellinus. At first we did not see how any of us could go to the funeral in Florida until Carolyn came up with the idea of me going with just the newborn baby.
That is what I did. This was before all the complex security measures started by the TSA. Instead there were uniformed soldiers hanging about in the airport lobby with M-16's over their shoulders. It was still rather easy to get onto an airplane, even with a huge stroller and a crying baby.
I recall passengers on the Southwest Airlines flight moving away from us when they saw us selecting a seat. And the young woman who took the seat next to us had to endure all sorts of comments about 'our' baby until I told the stewardess that she was not with me on the flight.
It was a nice visit and opportunity to pray for the repose of the soul of my grandfather.
The next man is Fr. Mary Phillip, OCD. He was at the Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in San Antonio. He was a great preacher and a devoted servant of God. Along with his many priestly responsibilities, he also worked on the grounds doing edging and weed-whacking. He had a serious curvature of his spine in the neck which made it appear that he was constantly looking at the ground.
Shortly before he died, he had an operation done to correct the defect in his neck. One might say the procedure was successful but a common side effect - paralysis from the neck down - also occurred. He spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair, unable to use his arms or legs.
This is one of my favorite quotes from St. Teresa:
May their souls, and all the souls of the Faithful Departed, rest in peace.
No comments:
Post a Comment