We moved our boat from Clear Lake Texas near Houston to Punta Gorda in 2009 not intending to relocate but to only stay for six months before heading to the Bahamas. Then at Sacred Heart we heard Father Jerry, a priest like no other. Mass begins with three breaths.
Three Breaths
On the first breath in, we let go of all our problems,
concerns, schedules and plans and surrender into the Love of God – here
present.
We breathe out and let go.
On the second breath in, we welcome a moment of silence.
This sacred silence ushers us into the contemplative dimension of our faith.
We breathe out and let go.
On the third breath in we sink as deeply as we can into our
hearts – into the depths of our hearts where we discover as always, the
sanctuary space that is our sacred meeting place with God.
We built a house in Punta Gorda, joined Sacred Heart and
began volunteering with Saint Vincent de Paul, a Catholic lay organization that
Father Jerry both enthusiastically promoted and for which he served as
spiritual advisor.
We attended mass at 11 AM almost every Sunday that we
were in town hoping Father Jerry would give the homily. He was a master at
public speaking never standing behind the podium. Sometimes he would define a word or provide
its Greek or Hebrew antecedents and then ask us to repeat the word all
together. He often explained the readings in the context of the culture in their
time and sometimes added a Father Jerry twist. He was always educational,
entertaining and inspiring. Of course, he was also famous for his Sermon on
the Amount for the Catholic Faith Appeal.
Mom Drops Her Jaw
About 2009 or 2010 we attended mass on Christmas Eve with
Joanne’s mom, Marie, who lived at that time in New Port Richey. After spreading
$5,000 in front of the altar (that someone had gifted him with on Christmas
Eve), Father Jerry told us that he knew people were hurting and that anyone
could come up and take what he or she needed. Marie’s jaw dropped! She said,
“In all my born days I have never seen a Catholic priest give
away money!” She was enamored with Father Jerry’s words and made plans
to relocate to Southport Square in Port Charlotte so that she could attend
Sacred Heart regularly.
Holy Land
In 2013, we were incredibly fortunate for the opportunity to travel to the Holy Land with Father Jerry. Highlights were baptism in the River Jordan, renewal of our marriage vows, mass on the Sea of Galilee and camel riding to Abraham’s Tent.
On
the Sea of Galilee
Who Do You Say I Am?
Preaching
at Caesarea Philippi
Riding
a Camel to Abraham’s Tent
Ruach – Breath Wind Spirit
Ruach is one of the many words Father Jerry asked us to
say all together during one of his homilies. Occurring over four hundred times
in the Old Testament, Ruach translates as breath, wind or spirit.
Richard created his own version of Ruach:
Imagine you are with Abraham in the Judea Dessert, as I have been, sitting
Imagine you are with Abraham in the
Judea Dessert, as I have been, sitting quietly as stars replace the sun in the
heavens.
Only the embers of the fire glow. All
is still. You breathe. I breathe. Your breath, my breath is Ruach.
A cool and gentle breeze caresses
your skin. My skin. This wind, the breath of the earth, is Ruach.
Embers glow. Stars twinkle overheard.
Far below across dunes of sand, Bedouins light their camp.
The light we see, all light, suggests
the Spirit that encompasses the whole of the universe. Spirit, breath of
the universe. This is Ruach.
Our breath, the breath of the earth
and the breath of the universe all in one word. Peace be to you.
Father Jerry was instrumental in bringing the mosaic to our church.
For Richard, he
lives in this mosaic. Richard’s thoughts about the Mosaic:
Perhaps
you have seen the mosaic of Jesus at Sacred Heart made up of thousands of
ceramic pieces. I like to think that each of us is a tiny piece that make the
whole. One hand is offering; the other welcoming us in. The beams of light shining converge behind the
heart, the convergence hidden from our sight. The Light moves outward to
illuminate the world and inward to carry us to the heart and beyond. I like
like to think that each of us is a particle of the Light moving both ways at
the same time.
Using the Priests’ Microphone at Marie’s
Funeral
Joanne’s mom, Marie, passed away in
September of 2023 at the age of 103. Richard asked to use one of the wireless
mics; he didn’t want to stand behind a podium when he spoke. Father Jerry
seeing Richard wearing mic exclaimed that is the priests’ mic. Richard said yes
but I am wearing it. Father Jerry said OK.
Some excerpts
from my talk:
Brothers and Sisters
Every time I enter this church, I contemplate the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Each piece of the mosaic tells little in itself. Each piece connects to others that surround it and so on and all together make up the big picture. I think we are like those pieces taken together are so much more than all of us separate. There is more to it, but I must move along...
Richard sneaked a look at Father Jerry. OK so far.
As I
looked up at the mosaic with Michele holding my hand, in just a blink of the
eye, I saw the mosaic made whole, maybe just for a millisecond. I can’t
remember the image, only the thought of it.
I dismissed this “vision” as my eyes not yet focusing or just the result
of an overactive imagination…
Later in the
morning, I went up to Saint Vincent de Paul, to request their truck to pick up
Marie’s furniture. I couldn’t help but relate to the ladies my experience at
mass adding that I must have been hallucinating.
Immediately,
one replied: No, you weren’t. That was Marie telling you that she is with Jesus
and that she is happy…
Richard sneaked a look at Father Jerry. OK so far.
The Saint
Vincent de Paul truck would pick up the furniture but not her bed… It was up to me to find Marie’s bed a new
home. So, I listed it for sale on Market Place.
But I told Joanne I really wanted to give it away to the right person.
The first
potential buyer never showed.
The second
potential buyer showed but didn’t want it as this bed wasn’t a good fit for her
massage parlor…
Richard sneaked a look at Father Jerry. He had his head
in his hands!
The third potential buyer was Alfonso…
Alfonso was just the “buyer” we were waiting for. Richard sneaked a look at
Father Jerry. He had recovered.
Richard ended by saying that he was leaving everyone with
the Sacred Heart, Marie was there. Father Jerry looked well
pleased.
Father Jerry always enjoyed blessing the pets. Our cat Bleu
made the bulletin one year! Blessing of the Pets – Bleu is not in this post, but
Richard is!
Speaking up at a Spiritual Meeting
SVdP Spiritual Meetings feature an open mic. At one
meeting, Richard spoke about the treatment of immigrants, the two greatest commandments
and somehow shifted into Scott Peck’s definition of love as a commitment to spiritual
growth after which Father Jerry hugged him and then offered his own comments.
Thanking the Children
To conclude the mass, Father Jerry would ask all the
children to join him at the altar and help read the prayer from Holy Mother
Church. Then he thanked them for helping.
I have always thought that this small act of appreciation will live
deeply imbedded in their heads providing positive feelings for the church for
their whole lives. I shocked Father Jerry when I told him this was the most
important part of the mass! But he mentioned my comment at next week’s mass. After that, he made it a point to invite the
children up each Sunday -and we all loved it when everyone sang this
blessing,
“The King of Love my Shepherd is
Whose Goodness Fills Me Ever
I Love Him Like if I am His and
He is Mine Forever.
May God the Father and the Son
The Son and Holy Spirit
Be with You now and for always
For He is Yours Forever.”
This is one of Richard's favorite all-time memories.
The King of Love My Shepherd Is
Father Jerry was a Franciscan and often gave us the
special Blessing of Saint Francis as follows:
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