Chances are, among people who have taken care of your needs are a few priests. Like Jesus, they pray for you, provide the Eucharist, teach and counsel you. This past Sunday I was honored to be present to celebrate the 50th anniversary of one of them, Father Tom Weber. The banquet hall at Brennan’s was filled to capacity with 300 guests, many of them from the ten parishes where he ministered.
Although the day didn’t include the Mass as usual for such an anniversary, the program was organized like one. Everyone received a sheet of paper with the Mass prayers and readings of the current Sunday. The celebration began with this. A man gave a talk about Father Weber. One group at a time, he asked us to stand if we were baptized by Father, married by him, anointed by him, or were the recipient of his long text messages. By the end I think all 300 of us were standing. Fr. Tom had come to Western Reserve Hospice anoint my mom when she was dying.
A first violinist of the Cleveland orchestra, Chul-in Park, had been married by Father Weber and her child baptized by him. She played the Communion hymn “Panis Angelicus” (Bread of Angels) during which you could have heard a pin drop. Then she hurried out to play at a concert at Blossom.
Long lines of people waited to greet Father Weber before and after the affair. He was seated in a wheelchair and clothed with a white alb. In his talk to the group, he pointed out that the day was the Feast of St. John Vianney, patron saint of priests. Then he expressed his gratitude and joy for being alive to celebrate. He recounted the miracles he experienced during his health crises and acknowledged the people who ministered to him. Of course, this was delivered with his typical wit.
He is in the fourth year of self-dialysis, a process that takes 12 hours every night. Last year he had triple bypass heart surgery. A few months later this failed. He needed ten stents in the critical arteries over five months. Although he missed celebrating his 50th anniversary with his class, he was glad to be alive to celebrate this day. As he put it, “Against all odds, I am still here!”
A couple of other talks noted how self-sacrificing Fr. Tom was in tending to people’s needs. One read a passage from the letter to the Ephesians that described this beloved priest. The last to speak was Chuck Kyle, legendary coach of St. Ignatius High School.
Fr. Weber was a proud usher at the Guardian games, and some of his fellow ushers were present at his banquet. This included my brother-in-law Buddy Kovacic, my chauffeur that day. How great it would be if the Guardians were in the World Series this year and Fr. Tom were here to see it! That would be another miracle. One of the speakers showed a baseball card with Fr. Weber’s picture on it.
This experience prompted me to review all the priests who have played a role in the story of my life. In particular, these are the ones who baptized and confirmed me; Fr. Garrity, the handsome young priest who was in charge of our CYO; Monsignor Moriarity, who was a censor/reader for our Christ Our Life series and would always give me a blessing over the phone; Fr. Tom Radloff, SJ, who directed a memorable retreat and took me outside in the rain to practice a phone call I needed to make to a publisher, when our series was in crisis mode; Fr. Tom Fanta, who unflaggingly inspires his parish to minister to the poor.
You might browse through your memory and pinpoint those priests who stand out. And pray for priestly vocations. We sorely need them today, when some priests are pastors over two parishes.
• What priest or priests have made a difference in your life?
In honor of Fr. Tom Weber’s devotion to ballgames, here is a familiar song:
2 Responses
My uncle was a priest, he was really big part of my life, he taught me to drive, performed my wedding ceremony ( he said he didn’t marry us, we married each other) He blessed my house, and so many other blessings in my life.
Your family was certainly blessed!