Riding Shotgun, #10

Let's kick off Lent with the resumption of 'Riding Shotgun,' where I pray for the repose of the soul of people I know.  Nine years ago today, this Australian doctor died.  He was an anesthesiologist, and while I never met him, we occasionally discussed things via e-mail.

Please pray for the repose of the soul of Michael Bookalil, M.D.

Eternal rest grant unto him, oh Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon him.  May his soul, and all the souls of the Faithful Departed, rest in peace.

 Have a blessed Lent!

Remembering Fr. Downey

Four years ago on this day, Fr. James Downey, OSB died.  He was a Monk of St. Benedict's Abbey in Atchinson, Kansas.  Part of his work was in the Pro-Life movement.

I knew him while I was in residency and fellowship.  He referred to me as his private physician - probably the only person in the world who will ever consider me as that.

The anniversary of his death comes close on the heels of the HHS rule which will make contraceptives mandatory for all health insurance carriers.  The U.S. Catholic bishops have properly voiced their opposition to this law which would make all those compliant to be guilty of mortal sin.  It is ironic, though, that for so many years most priests and bishops have either opposed the Church's teaching on contraception and abortion or have remained silent on the subject, and now they expect the Faithful to join them in their fight against this ruling.  Unfortunately, most poorly formed Catholics see no problem with contraception.  Here is a video which explains it better than I ever could:



Thankfully, Fr. Downey was on the side of Life, and the Magesterium.

Eternal rest grant unto him, and may perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul, and all the souls of the Faithful Departed, through the Mercy of God, rest in peace.

Riding Shotgun VIII?

Something is fishy with blogger today.  Every time I click on the blog, I am redirected almost immediately to a page for something called 'blogrolling.'  It is so confounding that I can't even determine which episode of Riding Shotgun this should be.  For now, it is Riding Shotgun until proven otherwise.

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:

In your mercy of prayers please remember to pray for the repose of the souls of these two men.

May their souls, and all the souls of the Faithful Departed, rest in peace.

Riding Shotgun VII

This week we pray for the repose of the souls of two people who died recently; Dr. Warren Carroll and Mrs. Betty Garza.

Mrs. Betty Garza died on July 11, 2011.  She was preceded in death by her husband several years earlier, and we got to know her while we attended Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Dallas.  Here she is pictured along with Fr. Paul Weinberger.  Betty never remarried, and never removed her wedding ring.  She was heard to say that she married her husband, Dr. Marc Garza, for all eternity.  She was a wonderful example of fidelity to all of us.

These two folks have one thing in common: neither was blessed with any children, yet they contributed greatly to the common good.  For Mrs. Garza, she suffered several miscarriages.

Both Warren Carroll and Betty Garza are examples of the good all people can do in whatever vocation they are called to.  Both were called to the married life where the blessing of children was denied them.  So they probably never came home to a closet dusted with baby powder - as I just did - but they also missed out on the amusement of watching an 8-, 9-, and 10-year old boys cleaning up the mess.

As a reminder, I include below a holy card of St. Benedict I received from Christendom College recently:

Eternal rest, grant unto them, oh Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon them.


May their souls, and all the souls of the Faithful Departed, rest in peace.

Riding Shotgun VI

This week we shall pray for my brother, Fr. Denis Donahue, who was ordained to the priesthood on May 19, 1990.

He is a good brother and a good priest.  Like all priests, he needs our prayers and sacrifices to help him in his vocation.

Riding Shotgun V

I was off last week, so I did not change the prayer cards in the car.

This week, I have two prayer cards along for the ride. One is a prayer before surgery, another is a prayer card for one of the sisters at the Carmelite convent in Irving who died in March.

First, let us look at the prayer before surgery:


I like this picture because it reminds me of places where the Crucifix is placed along a path, inviting the pilgrim to pause for a moment's prayer or reflection. I can think of a garden in San Antonio,or the Grotto in Emmittsburg, Maryland, where one can pray the Stations of the Cross while enjoying the great outdoors. It is a bit more difficult with little children, though.

On the back, there is a prayer for those about to have surgery:


I love the fact that it includes an act of contrition, because God knows that people do die in surgery. It is my strong desire that I would be able to receive the Anointing of the Sick and be able to make a good confession before any operation I might need.

In my profession, there have been times where I have anticipated the death of a patient - especially in the case of trauma patients. At that point, when general anesthesia is more resuscitation than anesthesia, I have actually leaned close to the head of the patient and said prayers for them. I tell them that they are in danger of dying, that God loves them, and then say an act of contrition for them. If there is any chance that they have any awareness of what is happening to them, I hope to help them prepare for the end of their life.

It has been years since I have had to do this, and it saddens me to think of those who have died in the operating room after some act of violence or imprudence.

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The prayer card for Mother Jeanne Marie Ange of the Infant Jesus, OCD, I think also has a medical connection. I have to check with my sources, but I believe that Mother was a nurse and then a CRNA before entering Carmel.


I don't recall meeting Mother, because most of our contact was with the porter - and even that was through a screen. I suspect she was not the one to run and answer the door whenever we dropped something off there. We did see the sisters around All Saints Day, when the children would dress up as saints and the sisters would have to guess their names.

One year, I was a prop for one of my daughters who was dressed up as St. Therese of Liseaux. I just had to stand next to her with a handkerchief over my face; that is what Louis Martin did a lot of around the end of his life. The sisters figured it out, though.



In totally unrelated news, the 'Big Blue' got new shocks and tires. Now it is a smoother and safer ride for the whole family.

Riding Shotgun IV

This week I pray for the repose of the soul of Fr. James Downey, O.S.B., who died January 29, 2008.

I met Fr. Downey while living in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I was a resident and fellow at the time, and I met this good priest through one of Carolyn's sisters. He would call me occasionally to ask for some medical advice; after a while he started to refer to me as his doctor.

I recall on Ash Wednesday, 1996, attending a private Mass and distribution of ashes at Fr. Downey's residence at 5 a.m. I was on call that day, and did not expect to get to Mass because of the full schedule we had that day. It was beautiful to be there in the presence of Our Lord as well as such a good and holy priest.

After we moved to Texas we did not see him very much. Carolyn visited him while he was staying at St. John Cantius in Chicago. While she was happy to see him, she was also struck with how much he had aged in just a few years. Shortly afterwards, Fr. Downey returned to the Benedictine Abbey in Atchison, Kansas for the last years of his life.

We found out about his death on a weekday in late January, 2008. I recall going to work the next day, and thinking about how I had never found time to go and see Father one more time. As the day went on, I started thinking that Atchison was not that far from Dallas, and that we could leave after work on Friday to be there for the funeral on Saturday. When I called Carolyn to tell her about my thoughts about taking a road trip, I found that she was already planning it. I hadn't told her about my plans, and yet she knew what was in my heart.

We drove to Kansas on Friday night, and got up to go to the funeral on Saturday afternoon. The monastery - St. Benedict's Abbey - was located on the campus of Benedictine College. It was a beautiful campus, and was experiencing unseasonably mild weather during that weekend, and we were very impressed with the college and area. It appears that Benedictine College is one of several American schools which are striving to become centers of orthodoxy and obedience to the teachings of the Catholic Church. That was refreshing to see.

I dropped off the family at the entrance to the abbey and then went to park the van. I was a few minutes late getting into the church, and so I missed seeing my old friend one more time. They had just closed the casket as I walked in.

After Mass, we went to a luncheon reception held in the refectory, or dining room, of the monastery. We got to meet some of Fr. Downey's fellow monks, and some alumni from the school. All of them, once they realized how many children we had, encouraged us to consider Benedictine College when our children were ready for a higher education.

I wrote about Fr. Downey back then in this post. Little did I know that in two month's time we would be having a funeral for one of our own. Lately, St. Benedict seems to have become more important to our family, especially with the blessings that have come to us from such places as the Abbey in Cullman, Alabama, the Abbey in Atchison, Kansas, and now the Abbey in Clear Creek near Hulbert, Oklahoma. All of these places, and the monks who live there, have been a source of strength and consolation to our whole family.

I am glad that one of our sons is named after such a holy saint, Saint Benedict.



Fr. James Downey, O.S.B., Monk of St. Benedict's Abbey

Eternal rest grant unto him, Oh Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon him.

And may his soul and all the souls of the faithful departed, rest in peace.

Riding Shotgun III

Once again, my intention to pray for the repose of the soul of a deceased priest were diverted to praying for a priest who was ordained in 2003.

Fr. Thomas Longua, FSSP, stationed at Mater Dei Catholic Church in Irving, TX recently celebrated his 8th anniversary of his ordination. He announced this at Mass yesterday, and also mentioned that there were some holy cards from the ordination in the back of church. He asked us to take one, and to pray for him.

Since I spent a bit of time in the back of church, I figured I would grab one of what I expected would be a small pile of cards. Nope. There were several huge stacks of them, so I took two.


Please pray and make sacrifices this week for Fr. Longua and all priests as they work to serve God in the trenches.

Riding Shotgun II

For this week's intention on my commute, I had planned to continue praying for the Faithful Departed, but God had other plans.

I was looking for a book on Saturday evening, and in the process of searching our bookshelves in the living room, I came across two holy cards from the same priest. As I looked for one book, I started rearranging some of the other books, and first one card fell out from between two encyclicals. When put that book back in its correct place, there was another holy card from the same priest. Both holy cards were commemorating the ordination of Fr. John Phillip Rickert, FSSP. He was ordained in May, 2010.


This is the design on the front of one of the cards:
The other card had a picture of St. Padre Pio on it. Please remember Fr. Rickert in your prayers this week.

For those who cannot recognize them, those are .410 shotgun shells.

Riding Shotgun I

'Riding Shotgun' is the term we used to call for the front passenger seat of whatever car we were in. It was the best seat in any car - after the driver's seat, because it was usually a bucket seat, had the best view, was closest to the air conditioner vents, and allowed one to have control of the radio. It is the spot usually occupied by my wife.

On workdays, I ride alone, with just a stuffed hammerhead shark (Sphyrnia beaniebabius) as company. I thought I would change that by bringing along a holy card which I could change out every week or so.

This week, while driving to and from work, I offer my prayers for the repose of the soul of the father of a friend of mine. Here is the holy card which we got at his funeral, and which has been sitting in my car for about a month now. Every day, when I touch it to pick up my Rosary, or to put my cell phone down on the console, I say a little prayer for him:

I might as well add his soul to the other intentions I have while commuting.

Frank M. Pinedo served in WWII, became a lawyer, was a past president of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), and father of three sons. I am blessed to be a good friend of one of his sons.

May his soul, and the souls of all the Faithful Departed, rest in peace.