He was the greatest priest. He really was. Juanita died way too early, and now he has joined her. He had such an important role in my formative years, and my memories of him will live forever. I will list a few now:
-Who else had a Harley riding, leather wearing priest?
-Using "Jesus Christ Superstar" for confirmation classes
-The obsession with moose!
-Getting drunk on the altar that memorable Christmas Eve
-The prosody, rhythm, and inflection of his saying of the mass. I am so thankful that I have one of these recorded, because he had such a poetic way of putting the words together
-Helping me with so many things--Paying for my first trip to Spain, college advice, and just for taking an active interest in my well being
-His beautiful partnership with Juanita--they truly were a pair
-The legendary temper
-The inclusion of people who would otherwise not be church goers; the incredible rise in Sunday morning attendance
-The hundreds of times I served on the altar with him. The funerals I served with him. That one funeral in particular.
-His liberalness
-My trips to Chicago to visit
There are many others as well. I will be flying up to New Hampshire for the funeral next week. Let light perpetual shine upon him.
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2 comments:
I'm sorry to hear about Reverend Parker. I know you were close to him, and I'm glad you'll be able to go to his funeral. If you need to talk...well, e-mail... I'm here.
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