Posts tagged with 'Testimony'

Fr. Dan Kennedy’s life

September 24th, 2008

At our last meeting, Mr. Dan Kennedy spoke about his son Fr. Dan Kennedy’s life and his path to the priesthood.  He noted that he was attending on behalf of his son, to thank people like we Serrans for our prayers and sacrifices. Without people to promote vocations, his son wouldn’t have been able to persevere as a priest.

Mr. Kennedy noted that his son exuded love for people and the Lord, a trait which resonated with people.  Fr. Kennedy was an example of how the Lord can take the weak and make them strong.  He was a timid boy who had to battle with his 3 sisters for individuality, but the Lord made him into a strong priest.  He took every opportunity he could to speak out and project joy in serving the Lord, and especially loved holding babies while celebrating the Sacrament of Baptism.

Fr. Kennedy was not perfect, and could sometimes show a temper befitting his red hair.  His father recalled seeing a young man kneeling at Eucharistic Adoration, and telling Fr. Kennedy about it afterward.  Fr. Kennedy asked his father if he had asked the young man about a possible vocation to the priesthood, and when his father said he’d remained silent, he asked “What’s wrong with you?!?” and pointed out that it was everyone’s vocation to seek vocations.

Another funny anecdote showing Fr. Kennedy’s humanity came when he wrote his thank-you cards after his ordination.  He took his time to hand-write a personal message in each card, and chose to wait until they were all complete before mailing them out.  This prevented any one person from receiving a card too early, but it also meant that the cards didn’t go out till after Thanksgiving.  A friend of the family later told Mr. Kennedy that Dan had written a very nice thank-you message, though he doubted they’d be able to play golf in the summer as indicated in the letter.

When in high school, Fr. Dan served as the Silver Knight mascot for the Catholic Memorial High School team.  For one game versus Boston College High School, he asked his father if he could have $70 to rent an eagle costume.  When asked why, he said that he wanted to stage a halftime show with the Knight and the “BC Eagle,” in which the Knight would knock down and stab the eagle.  When the game came, BC High brought their own eagle, prompting a heated discussion between the real eagle and the impostor hired by Fr. Dan.  Fr. Dan walked over to the real BC Eagle dressed in full Silver Knight costume and joined the discussion, and the real Eagle challenged the Silver Knight by knocking off his silver helmet.

Mr. Kennedy did not see the fracas that ensued, but heard afterward that fans were very impressed by the realism of the halftime fracas between the CM Silver Knight and the BC Eagle.  One friend of the family noted that it was so real, that it looked like the BC Eagle was actually bleeding after the Silver Knight had pounded the daylights out of him.

Mr. Kennedy shared several other anecdotes about Fr. Kennedy’s “human side,” but stressed that Fr. Kennedy simply loved being a priest.  During his last day on earth, Fr. Dan had an appointment in Fairfield in which he’d promised to baptize a baby.  It was also his last day at Winthrop, so the parishioners who had come to know and love him wanted to say goodbye, and had decorated the church with signs and banners that said “Goodbye Father Dan.”  Fr. Kennedy finished the baptism and stopped at his brother’s house on the way back to his parish.  He told his family how good his last day in Winthrop was, and said “I love being a priest” before collapsing on the floor.  Later, at the wake, the father of the baby he baptized approach Mr. Kennedy and told him that Fr. Kennedy had held the baby during his last spiritual act on the day he died.

Mr. Kennedy noted that he thanked the Lord for ordaining his son to the priesthood, and taking Fr. Kennedy back to Him.  Mr. Kennedy continually prays that the Lord send more priests to the Archdiocese.

For more information on Fr. Dan Kennedy’s life and legacy, you can visit the following links:

There are also video tributes to Fr. Kennedy available online:

Upcoming events

During the meeting, our chaplain Fr. Dan Hennessey reminded us of the following upcoming events in the Archdiocese.

Other news

Our next meeting is Saturday, October 18th in St. Mary’s Parish in Waltham.  We hope to see you there!

Posted in Recap, Testimony

New England soccer player signs on for priesthood

July 16th, 2008

Chase Hilgenbrinck, defender for the New England Revolution, will enter the seminary:

When Chase Hilgenbrinck bounced from Chile to Colorado to New England this spring, his eyes were already on another path. Not toward another MLS club or Europe. Toward the priesthood.

MLS fans might have been startled to read the New England Revolution’s announcement this week that the defender was ending his career in midseason to enter a seminary at Mount St. Mary’s in Maryland, but the decision wasn’t abrupt

Full article at USA Today: MLS player Hilgenbrinck has a new goal: priesthood

The USA Today blog offers Chase’s commentary on his calling:

Why?
Because I feel called. I’ve actually had my calling. I’ve been discerning this decision for several years now. I had a chance to go play professional soccer in Chile. For a long time, I felt called to something greater, and I didn’t know what it was. I thought maybe it was professional soccer. In playing soccer, I realized that wasn’t it. I continued searching.

Full blog at: From soccer to seminary

Posted in Links, Testimony

Fr. Mark Barr’s reflections on ordination

July 12th, 2008

As he did last week, Cardinal Sean has allowed one of the newly ordained priests for the Archdiocese of Boston to blog about his experience.  This week, it’s Fr. Mark Barr, who serves at St. John the Baptist Parish in Quincy:

When first I began to seriously consider the priesthood, it seemed a nebulous and distant reality. I thought God was calling me to a priestly vocation and I wanted to pursue it, but I really had no idea who the priest is or what he does. I attended Mass regularly and Mass I understood. I could even see myself acting as a sacramental minister but I could not grasp what it would mean, for me, to actually be a priest the other twenty-three and a half hours of the day.

Fr. Barr comments on the difference that attitude can make in a priest, reinforcing the need to support priests in their chosen vocations:

…a joyful priest is a better encourager of vocations than one who is very experienced, very skilled and able but angry or dour. It is not how good we are at our “job” that makes the priest a better priest, but how much we love. How much he loves, loves the people of God with Christ’s own pierced and Sacred Heart, the heart he receives in ordination, this is the measure of a priest. And this is not a distant or nebulous thing, but a real and good life, a life that ought to be pursued by all who are called, something that is concrete and doable.

The full essay is available on Cardinal Sean’s blog entry: ‘Quis Alter Christus Es’ (scroll about 1/5 down the page).

Thanks to Fr. Barr for sharing his experience and insight into the priesthood, and to Cardinal Sean for sharing his blog with the new ordinandi.

Posted in Links, Testimony

Fr. Joe Mazzone’s reflections on ordination

July 5th, 2008

Cardinal Sean allowed Fr. Joe Mazzone, a newly ordained priest in the Archdiocese of Boston, to blog about his experience during his recent ordination:

…The grace of God flowed freely and abundantly on everyone there, not just those becoming priests. I could see it so clearly on their faces. Looking at all the people I thought to myself “This is your ordination, too. It’s the prayers and support of good people like you that helped me to walk up these steps to be ordained and it’s for all of you that I’m walking down.” I couldn’t have been more grateful to them, to you, and especially to Almighty God. I could not have done it alone.

I think one of the most moving parts of the ceremony was the Laying on of Hands. This is really the most solemn moment of the Rite of Ordination. The bishop ordains each man by placing his hands on their head and invoking the Holy Spirit on the new priest.

I can’t imagine a more profound, exhilarating and humbling experience than this, that moment when Cardinal Sean placed his hands on my head. I’ve never known such joy, truly.

More at Cardinal Sean’s blog: Reflections of a newly ordained priest

Thanks to Fr. Mazzone for sharing his personal experiences with the Internet.

Posted in Links, Testimony


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