On Saturday, April 17th, I had a funeral service for Suzanne Kravec, a parishioner who died back in January of this year, but whose funeral was scheduled later due to COVID restrictions at that time. She was 64 years old. We extend our sympathies to her husband Frank of 46 years and to her siblings. May she and all who believed in the resurrection of the Lord, rest in Christ’s peace.
It was 20 years ago today that my mom died. As I think of her daily, it becomes more & more difficult to comprehend that she has been gone for so long. She was diagnosed with colon cancer on July 1, 1999 and while the news that the cancer was extensive and terminal, we were grateful that she lived for nearly 2 more years. Many people have shared with me stories of certain “signs” they believe they have received from God, indicating that somehow his hand is at work during the most difficult events of our lives. For us, the sign was given concerning the date that she died. My mom had worked as the parish secretary at the parish where we all attended elementary school & attended Mass every Sunday, which was St. Mark in West Park. She died around 4am on April 25th, which is the feast of St. Mark, and that year, was also Secretary’s Day. As St. John Paul II said, for those with faith, there are no coincidences with God. So that is our sign. I have a large statue of St. Mark which had been stored away at a cemetery but which I was invited to take as I had attended St. Mark School. Also on the bottom of my chalice, there are the symbols of the 4 evangelists or gospel writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke & John. St. Mark is represented by a winged lion as this symbol comes from St. Mark's description of John the Baptist's voice "crying out in the wilderness." His voice is said to have sounded like that of a roaring lion. After my mom died, I took the diamond from her wedding ring & had it placed directly under the symbol for St. Mark on my chalice. When cleaning the chalice after Communion, I always swipe the diamond a couple times with the purificator (the cloth used in cleaning a chalice) as my way of saying hello to my mom. She used to attend daily Mass at St. Mark before she began the day’s work there as the secretary and had also been a Eucharistic Minister. I could go on & on with stories about my mom (& I’ll share one with you in the homily if you are attending Mass on Sunday the 25th) but suffice it to say that I continue to remain so grateful for all my mom did for us 5 children and so thankful that such a devout Catholic woman had great influence on my vocation as a priest. On the day I moved in to St. Leo’s, I stopped at her grave (& mine) at Holy Cross Cemetery & asked for her prayers. I believe she has offered many of them if my happiness at St. Leo’s is any indication.
One more personal note today...my stepmother, married almost 15 years now to my dad, was in the hospital with double pneumonia & they discovered she also had a couple of heart attacks. At 101, we are grateful that she continues to be such a great companion for our dad who is nearly 94. Ironically, she was baptized at St. Mark (in her late 80’s!) so may he pray for her too as she recovers from her recent illness.