A time of sorrow, mourning the loss of my dad who was father, grandfather, uncle, brother, friend to many.
After being treated for kidney cancer for almost 8 years, he died in hospice care at home— with my mom and aunt by his side.
During Lent, priests wear a purple stole. I think ‘the scarf’ is what my niece used to call it when she was little. A long narrow strip, worn over the neck. There's a tradition in the priesthood that your very first confession, your first confession that you hear as a priest, you wear a purple stole and then hand that to your father as a keepsake. And then also that goes with dad to the cemetery– for fans of Monopoly this is kind of your “get out of jail free” card. “Hey, Boss, my kid– he's a priest; so don't forget that.” Whether he'll need to redeem those points, we'll trust in God's mercy and goodness.
Of course mom gets something special, too; at ordination the priest's hands, our hands, are anointed with oil. And then they give us a little cloth to put between our hands so then that cloth is handed to mom. She’s healthy and active, so I’m grateful to spend time with her, and she is a loving grandma, too. And then I invented one for grandma. Obviously Grandma needs something special; so the stole I wore at my First Mass at the big German church up on the hill right here at Sacred Heart– so she got the stole from that. These rich traditions, that maybe some folks are familiar with, but worth mentioning— the beauty of our faith that we share.