Well done, Churchmouse. Requiescat in pace.

Over the fall and winter months, I participated in a Bible Study program at our parish. Fellow blog contributor Harry and his wife Ann were familiar faces in the room. They have participated in several Bible study sessions since joining our parish some handful of years ago. During the time when we would break up into groups and go over our homework from the past week, you always knew that if Harry was in your group, it was going to be a mind-expanding session. For example, if the question asked why St. Paul told the Corinthians not to eat meat derived from pagan sacrifice, Harry would pull out a long printed response from his binder. In it, he would quote the Catechism, Early Church Fathers, and often he would provide a personal reflection on the topic. Never boastful, Harry was an inquisitive and pious man. His was an example for all of us. One week Harry and Ann weren't at the meeting and I was told that he had been diagnosed with an advanced case of lung cancer. He finished his earthly fight last week and passed away at the age of 65.

Harry spent time away from the Church he grew up in. Most of his adult life, in fact. As a young adult in the 1960's, he was dismayed by the various interpretations that resulted from Vatican II. Decades later when his wife entered the RCIA program, he came home with a voracious appetite for what he had missed and longed for after decades in the desert. Daily communicants, Harry and Ann were immersed deeply in the heart of our parish. From the moment I first heard him speak, I told him (and our Pastor) that his voice was made by God for proclaiming Scripture. His name soon showed up on the roster of lectors. My words are dwarfed by the great caliber of Harry's mind. I have been blessed to have him contribute many comments and a handful of  blog entries under the anonymous moniker of Churchmouse. I'll let Harry speak for himself and you too will appreciate the blessing he was. His name will remain as a blog contributor for as long as this blog remains.

My Jesus, Mercy (one of +Ponderings+ all-time most popular)

Is Purgatory Empty?

Don’t Dust the Devil’s Tail (or Sister Maureen Thomas locks horns with Madison Avenue)

A Church Mouse Prayer

Love, Humility and Three Things You Should Always Say to Your Wife

Book Review: From Atheism to Catholicism