First anniversary of the death ofFather Thomas M. Radaich
April 21, 2015; St. Michael Parish in Duluth
Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter
Lectionary: 274
Acts 7:51 – 8:1A
Psalm 31
John 6:30-35
Homilist: Father William C. Graham
It has been quite a year for us here at St. Michael’s; one of tumult, and grieving, and change and rapid movement. We have, I think, made ourselves very aware that grace is everywhere. We have used the year since Father Tom’s death and burial to mourn our loss, to remind ourselves that life is fleeting and precious, and that we who belong to each other in the saving waters of baptism are joined together in the communion of saints that makes the divide between our life of earth and the heavenly banquet a very porous divide; the veil that separates us from those who have gone before us allows us to see, though dimly, what we wait for in joyful hope.
We remain grateful, I know that I do, to Fr. Tom Radaich for his years of prayerful leadership, and for inaugurating the campaign that, with your hard work and generosity, has given us a renovated space. We should remember with fondness our tribute to him on the day we blessed our new font, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord; as our young people carried water to the font that they had collected from all our diocesan parishes, first they poured in water from the Jordan River; next, water from St. Cecelia’s in Nashwauk, where Fr. Tom was baptized, followed by water from the beautiful font in Grand Rapids, commissioned by Fr. Tom when the new church was built there. And so we have continued to build, to grow, to seek God in prayer, ritual, service, and growing friendships. We do not speak of continuing Fr. Tom’s work; instead, we continueto proclaim the gospel in word and in deed because we saw him do it; we do not look for a legacy; instead, we imitate him as he imitated Jesus.
We continue to pursue the vision that the scriptures and our church’s life of prayer hold out for us, recognizing that in the big net, in the big tent, in the big church, there is room for all of us: all “brothers and sisters / and those of every race and tongue,” all called to the new world where the fullness of God’s peace will be revealed, gathered people of every race, language and way of life, sharing in the one eternal banquet with Jesus Christ the Lord. We, all of us, are called to be “Saints among the Saints in the halls of heaven” (Eucharistic Prayer for Reconciliation I). This very Catholic understanding was key to Father Tom’s ministry among us; it will be his rich legacy. We may remember him for overseeing the building of an extraordinary house for the church at prayer in Grand Rapids, for his development work here, for his care of the Catholic schools entrusted to him, for preaching, teaching and baptizing. For all of that, we thank him and, at the same time, give thanks and praise to God.
And we should seek to remember his heart, the heart he modeled on the heart of Jesus, the compassionate, Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Saint Thérèse of Lisieuxsaid, “you can save a soul by picking up a needle.” The Catechism of the Catholic Church teachesthat charity unites us to Christ in active love,noting that“The saints have always had a lively awareness that their merits were pure grace” (2011). May Thomas our friend be clothed in God’s justice for all eternity.
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