"Let us allow Mary to do in us and through us whatever she desires, and she will surely accomplish miracles of grace, and we ourselves will become holy, great saints, very great saints, because we shall succeed in becoming like her, and by means of us she will win over the entire world and every individual soul."
-St. Maximilian Mary Kolbe
Last Sunday afternoon, I had lost my cell for several hours -- what panic! "Oh no," I thought, "all those names, all those numbers, and all the messages I am missing." My world seemed lost, empty, and "out of touch". After trying to recall and retracing my footsteps, I frantically searched for it ... up and down the steps, in an out of various rooms, searching through dresser drawers and pockets in pants, back to the car and asking others if they saw it but to no avail. I then tried to call my cell phone number but could not even remember the number. Then, I thought of what my dear mother would do and say. I knew well what Mom would ask -- "Did you say a prayer to St. Anthony, patron of missing things?" Lo and behold, within an instant an upside down, chaotic, "uncertain" world became calm, peaceful, and connected as I retrieved found my cell phone again. There were 3 messages on my lost cell phone during those hectic 4 hours:
- "Fr. Rich, I just wanted to get ahead of the game and send out your homily to our web site. Which Mass recording did you want me to send off to our webmaster?"
- "Hey, Fr. Rich, where are you? Fr. Victor is here and the family is all sitting around the dinner table waiting for your arrival to say the prayer and eat. I hope you don’t sleep in on us again like last Sunday."
- "Fr. Rich, I have a parishioner from St. Joseph that passed away and the family would like to make arrangements for a funeral."
When I found, my cell phone I called the funeral home immediately. The funeral director said that the lady who died was Dorothy Farrell, 79 years old. It hit me like a ton of bricks -- I was crushed! Then I recalled the Gospel on Sunday proclaimed early that day: "One does not know the day nor the hour when the Son of Man will come." Namely, our Christian lives must stand on the promises of God.
Dorothy was often a daily communicant here at St. Joseph. Dorothy had heart surgery of aorta value at UPMC Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh. She had waited eagerly for weeks for this surgery. We had lined up all the care-givers during her absence together to take care of her husband suffering with Alzheimer’s. All she wanted to do was get this surgery over so that in a 3-4 weeks time she could get back to caring for her beloved husband of over 50 years. There were various complications following the surgery and she died. If there was anyone ready to meet the Lord, it was Dorothy. She was "anointed"!
Dorothy sat in the second or third pew for daily and weekend Masses here at St. Joseph. Dorothy had a "sun-burst" smile, a "fire-cracker" personality, a "can-do" winning attitude, an "innocent" pure joy presence, and a "cheerful" disposition. She was a "humble" disciple and a "devoted and loving" wife, mother, and grandmother. The family respected her wishes to have no obituary in the paper and no public calling hours in the funeral parlor. As I offered the private service in the funeral home, her husband sat in the wheelchair in front of her casket weeping and praying. After the prayers, her husband and others asked to kiss my hands for giving her Jesus in the Eucharist, which was her daily strength ... a simple gesture of gratitude and long that I soon will not forget. A daughter-in-law said, "Father, I think that you lost one of your greatest fans!" Dorothy truly lived every day of her life with purpose, with passion, and with prayer.
As I journeyed in silent prayer in my own car to Resurrection Cemetery in Moon Twp. to offer the prayers of internment for Dorothy, it was so fitting that we placed her body into the Mausoleum Chapel of St. Anthony! To lose a cell phone is one thing, St. Anthony found it! To lose a wife, mother, grandmother, friend, daily communicant, and fan is totally another. Thank you, St. Anthony, for your powerful intercession in our lives of faith in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! As I kissed her white casket, I silently said a pray for us all.
On Monday evening, August 9, a friend took me to have dinner at center ice and tour the new Consol Energy Center, the home of the Pittsburgh Penguins! All the employees of SMG (Sports Marketing Group), Aramark, and the Penguins were allowed to bring one guest. I ran into many people I knew from the various assignments in my priestly ministry. A couple from St. Patrick’s in Canonsburg remarked that they missed me and wondered if I could come back. They asked, "How would you like to preach in this $321 million Consol Energy Center" I told them, I’d do it for free (jokingly, of course)! I then tried out the new restrooms. It was good to go in the suites, locker room and the Mario Lemieux #66 room that can be used for $10,000 per game. As one continues to ride the escalators (I myself got a headache and light-headed), it was like you could reach out and touch the UPMC building (old US Steel building -- 66 stories). To see the sights of Pittsburgh was my favorite part of the tour ... especially seeing the statues of the saints perched atop Epiphany Church. I’d like to retire when my days are done next to the Consol Energy Center! I guess I am "old-fashioned" because I’d rather be in the old Civic (Mellon) Arena where my Dad took my brother Dan and I as kids -- the memories, the intimacy, and the history. I guess I mean it was less corporate and more individually based.
On Monday, August 16, we will have a Bible Study picnic in the white tent next to rectory from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM. All are most welcome! Please contact the Rectory at 412.264.6162 if you plan to attend. Come join us for good food, good fun, good friends, and good faith sharing.
We are pleased to welcome our new parish secretary, Judene Indovina, who starts on Monday, August 23. We thank Louise Muzik who has filled in for the interim.
We have 3 new doors from Ohio Valley Lumber (Ambridge) in the rectory. On the front door there is frosted cross etched with the name St. Joseph completed by Rex Glass in McKees Rocks.
A note of thanks to Carol Accetta who played the organ the past two weeks.
Bishop David A. Zubik will be around our neighborhood. On Sunday, August 15, he will celebrate the St. Rocco Day Mass (in Italian) at St. Titus in Aliquippa at 9:00 AM and the Installation Mass of Fr. Andrew Fischer at St. Margaret Mary in Moon Twp. at 12:30 PM. Bishop Zubik will also celebrate the 100th Anniversary Mass of St. Catherine of Siena in Crescent Twp. on Sunday, August 22 at 11:30 AM.
