Funeral Mass for Father Mescall.

so do and with your spirit hmm [Music] you dwell in the shelter of the lord [Music] my refuge [Music] there you are [Music] is [Music] [Music] your reviews his faithfulness and he will raise your [Music] like the sun [Music] [Music] afraid grant we pray o lord that the soul of thomas your servant and priest will be honored with sacred office while he lives in this world they exalt forever in the glorious home of heaven to our lord jesus christ your son who lives then the unity of the holy spirit forever so uh for everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven a time to be borned a time to die a time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted a time to kill a time to heal a time to break down a time to build up a time to weep a time to laugh a time to mourn and a time to dance a time to throw away stones and a time to gather stones a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing a time to seek a time to lose a time to keep and there's a time to throw away a time to tear tear and a time to sew a time to keep silent and a time to speak a time to love and a time to hate a time for war and a time for peace this is the word of the lord the responsorial psalm is the lord is my shepherd there is nothing i shall want the lord is my shepherd there is nothing i shall want the lord is my shepherd i shall not want in verdant pastures he gives me repose beside restful waters he leads me he refreshes my soul he guides me in right paths for his name's sake the lord is my shepherd there is nothing i shall want even though i walk in the dark valley i fear no evil for you are at my side with your rod and your staff that give me courage you spread the table before me in the sight of my foes you anoint my head with oil my cup overflows the lord is my shepherd only in good only goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life and i shall dwell in the house of the lord for years to come a reading from the second letter of timothy as for me i am i'm being poured out as a libation and the time of my departure has come i have fought the good fight i finished the race i have kept the faith from now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness which the lord the righteous judge will give me on that day and not only to me but to all those who have longed for his appearing the word the lord [Music] oh [Music] [Music] god so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life [Music] oh [Music] [Music] the lord be with you a reading from the holy gospel according to john jesus said to the crowds i am the living bread that came down from heaven whoever eats this bread will live forever and the bread that i will give is my flesh for the life of the world the jews quarreled among themselves saying how can this man give us his flesh to eat jesus said to them amen amen i say to you unless you eat the flesh of the son of man and drink his blood you do not have life within you whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and i will raise him on the last day for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and i in him just as the living father sent me and i have life because of the father so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me this is the bread that came down from heaven unlike your ancestors who ate and still died whoever eats this bread will live forever the gospel of the lord it is good very good that we are here today to do a number of important things first to pray for our brother we love him we have that in common and we pray for those who go before us that they may seek god that they may see the face of jesus christ and so to do that we assemble you know the word church that we have in english comes from the german kersha which means a church building but in most languages certainly in the original greek and in latin the word for church is assembly ecclesia the assembly of the people who believe in jesus indeed even in french it's eglise in spanish it's iglesia so we assemble in the name of jesus christ and one of the things we do today is to give testimony to god the father through his son about him about tom you might say well god is omniscient he knew tom from the womb before his mother helen knew she was with child god knew tom and loved him but still god appreciates our testimony we're not robots we're not pets we are made in god's image and likeness and he wants to know what we think so we gather we assemble as church to tell god what we think about him tom mezcal and we know jesus is here in matthew 18 it says again truly this is the words of jesus again truly i tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for it will be done for them by my father in heaven for where two or three gather in my name there am i with them so there's one more person here today the lord so we assemble to commend father tom to god to give testimony on his behalf we want to say some good things about him so i want to tell you a story that tom enjoyed there's a story about a priest in rural new mexico who who was assigned to a parish and he had trouble finding the parish he got there at the last minute on his first day of office as the new pastor and there were cars parked all around the church and he wondered what was going on so he went into the sacristy and they said oh thank goodness you're here father because we have a funeral george died and the priest said well okay i'll vest up we'll do the best we can i don't know anybody but we'll certainly honor this man george he was 82 years old and so he did and as the funeral went along it came time for the homily and the priest said look i just got here i don't know anybody and i don't know george so i'm going to sit down now and ask someone to come up and say something good about george and he did and nobody moved and so he got up and said look i know it's difficult to speak in in public but george lived 82 years and deserves to have some words some good words said about him so i'm going to sit down now and ask someone to come up and say something good about george nobody moved the priest is getting annoyed now he got up and he said look people i'm the new pastor and we're not leaving here until someone says something good about george and at that moment there was a boy an old boy in the back of the church by the door with his cowboy hat in hand and said well padre his brother was worse for those who know me that's the 95th time they've heard that joke but tom loved that joke in fact a few times they say tell me the one about george so there you go brother tom mescal lived a blessed and good life boy did he ever born to a loving family in chicago he was second generation irish first his grandparents came from ireland as a matter of fact his grandfather was a chicago police officer and he was killed in the line of duty he was hit by a drunk driver it was in 1928 and tom's father was also a chicago police officer and he retired and so their son didn't become a cop he became a lawyer and a judge he went to st leo's school in chicago both grammar school and high school some of his mates are here today so impressive some live in albuquerque same some came from chicago to celebrate tom's life with us today he had he had wonderful children he was so proud of regina and tommy they followed him as you know into the legal profession and uh he was so proud of them still is and four grandkids when the regina celeste are little regina she's not so little when she was born the first grandchild he instructed the family i will be called papi and so it is and so it has been so as regina celeste his eldest granddaughter his uh abel his grand first grandson therese his granddaughter and finally walter who's been sitting very quietly bless your heart walter he loved you very much don't forget papi because he'll never forget you and he had great and we all know a great and important legal career most most here in albuquerque in new mexico you've read the obituary you know you know many of you are co-workers with tom and have known him for many years very successful and then he had another vocation 18 years as a priest in the archdiocese of chicago and he served there among the poorest of the poor he was the pastor of saint adrian's parish for 10 years actually pastor for six administrator for four years and uh i'm convinced saint adrian's is still open and doing good business because of tom's presence there he did so much to keep that beautiful parish alive it's a tough part of chicago but it's a little less tough because of saint adrian's parish i guess to sum it up michael and june edwards his brother-in-law and sister-in-law said it best father tom was a wonderful man who loved the lord he was constantly doing for others he was a magnetic man who loved to laugh and share stories he loved his children and grandchildren and was so proud of how hard they strived to be what god wanted them to be you know many people have said it's remarkable he went from judge to priesthood from the bench to the altar but i don't think it is remarkable i think i see it as a natural progression and for those who know tom i think you'd agree with me a quote from the archbishop gabriel katya he's the holy sees permanent observer to the u.n you may know that there is a red mass conducted each year at the beginning of the supreme court session in washington a red mass right before the supreme court meets and archbishop katya and last year in 2021 presided at the mass and he said this to lawyers and judges he said justice has to do with something sacred and that those who practice its administration are at the service of something larger and greater than themselves something sacred and you're doing something for others greater than themselves the psalmist agrees psalm 15 those who do justice will live in the presence of the lord very happy to read comments last week from former chief justice of the new mexico supreme court judith nakamura she said this or the article said she remembers mescal being torn between the legal profession and the religious life she said the priesthood actually seemed like a natural fit for him she said he was a good genuine person in many ways the law and religious life have similarities helping people in need you admire people like him who pursue what they really want to do father tom lived his faith as a matter of fact as i reflected back on our friendship these past 30 years that's the only thing he ever talked about he had no interest in sports believe it or not he didn't have any interest in politics the only one of 330 million americans today that wasn't interested in politics it just didn't interest him everything was about his faith in jesus christ and his love of holy mother church everything and you know here in albuquerque he'll never be forgotten certainly not by the brothers the the little brothers of the good shepherd some of them are here today uh the little brothers were an organization begun by brother matthias barrett years ago and they are workers among the poorest of the poor we have a large homeless population in albuquerque and they're there for them feeding them and helping them getting them counseling trying to help them be sober and and trying to get job training and you name it they do it they love the poor because they love christ as mother teresa said and they would agree that she saw christ in the distressing disguise of the poor tom was the lawyer for the good shepherds the pro bono attorney for them and especially for brother matthias he had a great devotion to matthias as a matter of fact he had a dream to begin a canonization process on this wonderful saint and i intended one day to speak to archbishop wester about that i think it's a bully pulpit you know i think we have his support uh uh brother matthias is truly a gift to that community one quick story on matthias uh someone told he went to awake and the deceased person at the wake had a fiddle or violin on their chest and uh brother matthias says what is he doing now with a fiddle on his chest and they said well he loved to play the fiddle we said thank god he didn't love to play the piano faith was everything to tom always went to daily mass i'm a retired priest i confess to you i don't always go to daily mass i often offer in my house but not every day i do miss mass not a sin but not like tom never miss mass now mind you before he would go to mass 7 o'clock in the morning it's winter in chicago it's snowing and it's bitter cold and the wind's blowing and he's got a 7 a.m mass to attend and before he leaves the house he has to put on this apparatus he had on his leg he almost died in 2013 to i don't know it was a meningitis type disease and he took massive doses of steroids for a long time and he lost power in his lower body lost much of it and so he had a this apparatus that went from his foot and included this shoe it went from his uh that's why he wore those goofy shoes that was the apparatus and it went up to his it took him a long time to put that thing on and yet he was at mass at seven o'clock winter chicago wow every day the rosary pray the rosary every day with his son tommy tommy's here in albuquerque he's in chicago i don't know if you got any work done in your law office tommy see is is the lawyer in he's praying again you know also they they play they prayed at one o'clock the chaplet of the divine mercy and he loves saints oh he how he loves saints and he knew all about the saints he called him by their first name and he had this tremendous devotion to saint josephine she was born in sudan she was captured by some arab traders and made a slave she landed up with her owner in italy where she was freed and she joined the kenosha sisters and the rest was service to god in his holy church saint josephine bakita tom loved her and a few years ago he commissioned a statue beautiful color statue to be installed at saint adrian's parish representatives from the kenosha community here in in albuquerque attended that uh beautiful ceremony he loved her in fact in some of the diners and restaurants you'd go to there'd be a little picture of josephine there as well you know i was shocked last week to find out that saint josephine makita's feast day is february 8th today isn't that something well the odds are 365 to 1. isn't that something she's at it he's at it again praise god he loved to go to the holy land the newspaper article said he was there a dozen times tom was in the holy land at least 24 times 24 times a fanatic with the holy land i went with him twice i remember my last trip there i think it was in 2018 we had mass in the morning at the tomb of the holy sepulchre that's the the grave of jesus now we were we were staying in a hostel the sisters of zion on the second station of of the four 14 stations of the cross okay it's called the via doloroso it's only a half mile long from start to finish and so to make that six o'clock mass we would have to leave the hostel about 4 30 because tom was really slow he walked with a cane and literally walked through the dark streets of the arab quarter of jerusalem at 4 30 in the morning the only thing out there were feral cats in the israeli army we hoped amazing i was like behind him go what am i doing and then one last story about his visits and his saying he loves saint damian of molokai and saint mary and cope the two great saints of molokai i had the i was fortunate to be able to spend a month serving the people there it's still a restricted area and there are still some dozen people or so they're suffering from hansen's disease we the correct name for leprosy they're not contagious they don't have to stay there but they elect to stay there and so the priest that serves them and has for the last 10 years or so of course he's irish so he was in ireland and so i took his place for a month and tom visited and he had to leave early he was supposed to say three days he only could say two because his legs were so hot and humid and there was no air conditioning and yet he got to visit the grave of saint damian and then follow damian's life and mary and cope and another man named joseph dutton that we hope will be uh canonized one day i appreciated his visit to spend that time with him in the land of damien you know tom really learned to embrace the cross we talk about that a lot it's easy to talk about more difficult to do it in his last days he had the great opportunity to do just that i visited him on saturday he died on a tuesday morning regina just flew in that saturday and was by his bedside when i visited i'm not sure she could see her father her eyes were welled up with tears she knew he was dying and i anointed him and gave him the last sacraments of the church and i asked him he couldn't speak his lips were bloody i think they were chapped he couldn't speak but he could hear he was there you know his eyes were very clear and i leaned into the bed his bed and i said do you want to live and he went and i said but are you ready to see the face of jesus and he went he was and i gave him a crucifer he had a crucifix and he put it in his hands and he embraced it as best he could he had a bit of palsy and he embraced that cross that's what we all got to do if you want to follow me you must pick up your every day and follow me what an example he gave us that day he received the final sacraments and i was reminded of a devotion to saint joseph he had about death when he visited me we would meet he'd come to my house and we'd we'd have dinner i was one of the few cooks that pleased him well he was very grumpy about his food i have some stories that are not appropriate for this forum he loved this prayer he had another prayer that you'll find on your prayer card to saint joseph but he loved this one as well oh blessed joseph you gave your last breath in the loving embrace of jesus and mary when the seal of death shall close my life come with jesus and mary to aid me obtain for me this solace for that hour to die with their holy arms around me jesus mary and joseph i commend my soul living and dying into your sacred arms amen and then i gave him the apostolic pardon so it's a blessing at death it carries with it a plenary indulgence if one is in the correct state and he was i'm sure we talked about that he used to tell me you make sure i get that and i said well make sure i get it you know we're the same age and through the holy mysteries of our redemption may almighty god release you from all punishments in this life and in the life to come may he open to you the gates of paradise and welcome you to everlasting joy the apostolic pardon don't leave home without it father tom knew and trusted in god's mercy boy did he ever he knew death is the beginning of eternal peace i want to conclude with words from saint cyprian bishop and martyr of the early church because they applied to tom on tuesday morning february 1 3 a.m or so his daughter was awakened by an angel to be with him at that hour saint cyprian said what an honor what happiness to depart joyfully from this world to go forth in glory from the anguish and pain in one moment to close the eyes that looked on the world of men and in the next to open them at once to look on god and jesus the speed of this joyous departure you are suddenly withdrawn from the earth to find yourself in the kingdom of heaven well done my good and faithful servant says the lord come share your master's joy so father tom who in baptism was given the pledge of eternal life that he may now be admitted to the company of the saints we pray to the lord lord hear our prayer for my papi who ate the body of christ the bread of life that he may be raised up on the last day we pray to the lord for our brother father tom who served the church as a priest that he may be given a place in the liturgy of heaven we pray to the lord lord hear our prayer for our deceased relatives and friends and for all who have helped us that they may have the reward of their goodness lord hear our prayer for those who have fallen asleep in the hope of rising again that they may see god face to face we pray to the lord lord hear our prayer for the family and friends of um pappy that they may be consoled in their grief by the lord who upped at the death of his friend lazarus we pray to the lord lord hear our prayer for all of us assembled here to worship in faith that we may be gathered together again in god's kingdom we pray to the lord r jesus yourself [Music] you shall cross [Music] you shall wander for in safety [Music] you shall see the face of god [Music] i go before you always come follow me and i will give you [Music] if you pass through raging waters in the sea you shall not drown if you walk amid the burning flames [Music] is [Music] [Music] i go before you always [Music] pray then my sisters and brothers that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to god the almighty father [Music] grant we pray almighty god that through these holy mysteries thomas your servant and priest may behold with clarity forever what he faithfully ministered here through christ our lord r the lord be with you lift up your hearts let us give thanks to the lord our god it is truly right and just our duty and our salvation always and everywhere to give you thanks lord holy father almighty and eternal god through christ our lord in him the hope of blessed resurrection has dawned that those saddened by the certainty of dying might be consoled by the promise of immortality to come indeed for your faithful lord life has changed not ended and when this earthly dwelling turns to dust and earthly dwelling and eternal dwelling is made ready for them in heaven and so with angels and archangels with thrones and dominions and with all the hosts and powers of heaven we sing the hymn of your glory as without end we acclaim [Music] [Music] is [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] in the highest [Music] you are indeed holy oh lord and all you have created rightly gives you praise for through your son our lord jesus christ by the work power and the working of the holy spirit you give life to all things and make them holy and you never cease to gather a people to yourself so that from the rising of the sun to its setting a pure sacrifice may be offered to your name therefore oh lord we humbly implore you by the same spirit graciously make holy these gifts we have brought to you for consecration that they may become the body and blood of your son our lord jesus christ at whose command we celebrate these mysteries for the night he was betrayed he himself took bread and giving you thanks he said the blessing broke the bread and gave it to his disciples saying take this all of you and eat of it for this is my body which will be given up for you in a similar way when supper was ended he took the chalice and giving you thanks he said the blessing and gave the chalice to his disciples saying take this all of you and drink from it for this is the chalice of my blood the blood of the new and eternal covenant which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins do this in memory of me [Music] the history of faith [Music] therefore o lord as we celebrate the memorial of the saving passion of your son his wondrous resurrection and ascension into heaven and as we look forward to his second coming we offer you in thanksgiving this holy and living sacrifice look we pray upon the oblation of your church and recognizing the sacrificial victim by whose death you willed to reconcile us to yourself grant that we who were nourished by the body and blood of your son and filled with his holy spirit may become one body one spirit in christ may he make of us an eternal offering to you so that we may obtain an inheritance with your elect especially with the most blessed virgin mary mother of god with your blessed apostles and glorious martyrs with saint joseph and saint thomas saint francis saint claire and with all the saints on whose constant intercession in your presence we rely for unfailing help may this sacrifice of our reconciliation we pray o lord advance the peace and salvation of all the world be pleased to confirm in faith and charity your pilgrim church on earth with your servant francis our pope and me your unworthy servant my brother michael the order of bishops all the clergy and the entire people you have gained for your own listen graciously to the prayers of this family whom you have summoned before you in your compassion o merciful father gather to yourself all your children scattered throughout the world remember your servant paul you've called today from this world to yourself after he was united with your son and death by kids also be one with him in his resurrection when from the earth will raise up in the flesh those who have died and transform our lowly body after the pattern of his own glorious love through our department brothers and sisters too all for pleasing to you after passing from this body give kind admittance to your kingdom there we hope to enjoy forever the fullness of your glory you will wipe away every tear from our eyes receiving you our god as you are we shall be like you for all the ages who praise you without ever christ our lord through whom he restored the world all values will him and with him and in him oh god almighty father in the unity of the holy spirit all glory and honor is yours forever [Music] [Music] oh man [Music] at the savior's command and formed by divine teaching we now dare to say our father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against them and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil deliver us lord we pray from every evil graciously grant peace in our days that by the help of your mercy we may be always free from sin and safe from all distress as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our savior jesus christ lord jesus christ who said to your apostles peace i leave you my peace i give you look not on our sins but on the faith of your church and graciously grant her peace and unity in accordance with your will who live and reign forever and ever amen may the same peace then of our lord jesus christ risen from the dead be with you always [Music] on [Music] of the us [Music] [Music] lamb of god [Music] [Music] is behold the lamb of god behold him who takes away the sins of the world blessed are those called to the supper of the [Music] only say lamb word and my soul shall be healed the body of christ amen the body of christ i will come to you in i will lift you from all your [Music] you as fears choice [Music] [Music] do not be afraid i am with you i have called you each by and name me i will bring you home i love you and you are mine [Music] go so so [Music] foreign [Music] everywhere [Music] yes [Music] me ah [Music] day [Music] foreign [Music] is [Music] is [Music] foreign [Music] let us pray having received the sacrament of salvation we implore your kindness o god for thomas your servant and priest but as you made him a steward of your mysteries on earth so you may bring him to be nourished by their truth and reality as unveiled in heaven through christ our lord you may be seated for a moment once again on behalf of all of us in the archdiocese of santa fe i want to extend to the family and all of you as dear friends thomas's friends our sympathies consolation and our promise of prayer we um i know that father mescal was incarnated in the archdiocese of chicago but his heart is here in the archdiocese of santa fe so don't tell cardinal stupid she doesn't have to know everything you know that could be our little secret but uh but we're just so grateful for all that that his witness here to the gospel is father carney said so beautifully and his tribute to him were really in so many ways he followed the will of god what a tremendous life he lived and in so many ways doing god's will so he's a witness and example for all of us so you're in our prayers he's in our prayers and we're always one family so hope to see lots of you in the years ahead i want to thank father carney for being such a good friend of the family and for his beautiful tribute to father thomas thank you father john that was very beautiful and to father de palma our pastor here and deacon morris and carlos our server we're very very grateful to the whole staff here at the newman center we're just so grateful to all that you've done for us to allow us to come here to pray we're very very grateful to all musicians who helped us and our videographer and uh to the brother james and all those uh we give our condolences and prayers i'd like to read to you uh the cardinal uh sent a letter and that he'd asked me to read to you and i promised him i would my dear friends family and parishioners gathered to celebrate father mescal's funeral my sympathy and prayers are with you as you gather for the funeral rights for father tom mescal while i am not able to be present i am so grateful to archbishop john wester for his generous offer to preside as we commend father tom to the loving mercy of god with this letter i want to assure you that i am with you in your grieving and assure you that i will remember father mescal and all of you at the lord's table as we pray that god quickly receives father mescal into the fullness of eternal life we also give thanks for his generously life of priestly ministry he was ordained at the age of 56 but had a vocation his entire life father muscle had the unique ability to bring the love mercy and peace of christ to those whom he served in all his pastoral assignments he had a generous disposition and a strong dedication to helping those less fortunate while serving the people of god and he will be remembered for his beautiful devotion to the lord and the eucharist we can only hope and pray that a new generation of priests will follow in his footsteps and serve with that same distinction and zeal let our trust in the risen lord be a source of consolation and hope for us who mourn his passing may father messel's example of lifelong dedication to living the gospel message of jesus christ inspire all of us as we continue our faith journey ever renewed and a joy the world can never take from us sincerely yours in christ blaze cardinal cupich archbishop of chicago there you go buddy god bless you as we conclude our eucharist today we begin the next step the next pilgrimage in faith accompanying our brother thomas to his burial site father john carney will do the burial and now we pray for him together and ask the lord to receive tom quickly to himself before we go our separate ways let us take leave of our brother thomas may our farewell express our affection for him may it ease our sadness and strengthen our hope one day we shall joyfully greet him again when the love of christ which conquers all things destroys even death itself so we take a moment now to thank god for the gift of this great man our response is receive his soul and present him to god the most high receive his soul and present him to god the most high saints of god come to his aid hasten to meet him angels of the lord receive his soul and present him to god the most high may christ who called you take you to himself may angels lead you to the bosom of abraham receive his soul and present him to god the most high eternal rest grant unto him o lord and let perpetual light shine upon him into your hands father of mercies we commend our brother thomas in the sure and certain hope that together with all who have died in christ he will rise with him on the last day we give you thanks loving god for the blessings which you bestowed upon thomas in this life we think of his family his vocation these are signs to us of your goodness and of our fellowship with the saints in christ merciful lord turn toward us and listen to our prayers open the gates of paradise to your servant and help us who remain to comfort one another with assurances of faith until we all meet in christ and are with you and with our brother forever through christ our lord r eternal rest granted to him o lord may he rest in peace may his soul and all the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of god rest in peace and in peace then let us take our brother to his place of rest so [Music] we have one announcement before we conclude go ahead thank you archbishop father we are going to be having a police escort with the albuquerque police department and they did inform me they can handle about 30 cars if you're planning on going please stay in procession no gaps turn your headlights on if you're in the procession you have to stay you can't get out for safety reasons thank you [Music] oh [Music] [Music] i [Music] [Music] is [Music] [Music] a [Music] my savior [Music] [Music] and [Music] when i would [Music] [Applause] and [Music] and sings my soul my savior today [Music] and sings my soul to thee thank you [Music] okay god bless you good to be with you hi frank how are you good to see you oh god bless you

Channel: Lobo Catholic

Views: 991

Keywords: Lobo Catholic, Newman Center, Live streamed mass., Father Michael DePalma, Holily, father Michael De Palma homilies, Bible studies, Aquinas Newman Center, St. Thomas Aquinas Newman Center, Sunday live streamed mass

Id: A0XHNRresBU

Length: 75min 0sec (4500 seconds)

Published: Tue Feb 08 2022