excerpts from his letter:
Attached is the picture, which I am now almost certain is from 1969, the occasion of the 25th anniversary of Fr. Bill's ordination, and I am pretty sure that he was made a monsignor at that time. I call this picture "back in the day". The picture depicts the original configuration of the altar when he came to OLA, along with the tapestry of Our Lady of the Assumption, and the solid brass candlesticks that were original equipment for the church. Just along his right arm, you can see gold brocade, which is the tabernacle cover. Shortly after this picture was taken, Fr. Bill implemented changes to the sanctuary. Fr. Bill had the original altar cut down and installed facing the people, to comply with Vatican II requirements. He was very interested in preserving a link to the past, and that is why he wanted to use the same block of marble, just cutting it down to make it a smaller altar. If you want to know about subsequent modifications to the sanctuary that he implemented, involving the current altar, tabernacle, candlesticks, etc., let me know. He commissioned those from a local artist, Gerry Mahoney, and they were somewhat controversial at the time. "Star Wars" was the term that certain parishioners used to describe the current tabernacle when they first saw it. These changes are his greatest legacy in terms of the focal points of liturgical celebration in our church. Maybe a story for another time.
Anyway, at the time of his elevation to Monsignor, there was quite a buzz that he would soon be a bishop. Of course, as one of your family members pointed out, his propensity to involve himself in every cause he possibly could may have been the end of that. Anyway, on his 25th, the parish chipped in for a new maroon 1969 Ford LTD, complete with a 390 cubic inch V-8, if I recall correctly. You probably remember it. We were fortunate to have a parishioner who owned the local Ford dealership, and it seemed like Fr. Bill had a new car every year or two, but this one was special. I do recall one trip in that car. While coming back up to Claremont from some teen trip in Newport, he was driving his customary 60-70 mph through the curves of Brea Canyon Road. The tires started squealing as he went through the turns, but he wasn't slowing down. I was riding shotgun and this was probably 1970. I was looking around, since we also had 3 other teens in the back seat. Fr. Bill just looked over at me and said "I think the air pressure is a little low in the right front tire, don't you?" But he didn't really slow down.
_______________
I want you and your family to know that it was an absolute pleasure meeting you and the other members of your family. Your family's reflections during the funeral really were the high point of the ceremony as far as I was concerned. David Barry's comments were very illuminating regarding the genesis of Fr. Bill's vocation and it was an absolute blessing that everyone had the opportunity to hear him. Nancy Barry's comments completely captured the essence of Fr. Bill, and I am sure that her insight brought many to tears, including me.
Thank you for your kind comments about the music. Brian Carlson was our music leader at the funeral. He initiated the folk music program at OLA, I think when he was in the elementary school. The really important music at the funeral was not instrumental. It was the congregational singing. That is what was important to Fr. Bill after Vatican II, and it was a real challenge. Fr. Bill didn't want performance musicians, he wanted musicians who could inspire congregational participation. Brian was a particular spark of congregational participation at many masses with his great folk leadership. At Fr. Bill's funeral, the congregation sang so loud that Brian said he couldn't even hear his own guitar at times. I felt that only myself and some of the priests around us could even hear the piano. Fr. Bill must have heard and must be happy that our congregation has made its transition from "silent to singing."
__________________
No comments:
Post a Comment