Christmas Supplement

Boy surprises family with solo at Christmas Eve Mass

By Mary Ann O’Riley Lassuy (Special to The Criterion)

My favorite Christmas memory happened many years ago. It was Christmas Eve in 1934.

A crystal clear sky was filled with bright, shiny stars, and a soft layer of freshly fallen snow covered the ground and lined the branches of the trees. It was magical.

Mom, Dad and the five of us children piled into our—even then—vintage car, a Durand, and headed for Remington, Ind., because our town of Wolcott, Ind., did not have a Catholic church.

Sacred Heart Parish had a school for first- through sixth-grade students. Our brother, Jim, attended the parish school.

We filed into the church and settled into our pew. The altar was decorated with flowers and candles.

The Christmas crèche was awaiting the arrival of Baby Jesus, who was to be placed in the manger by Father Fitzgerald.

The organist began playing the organ and a beautiful, young voice began singing “Silent Night” then “O Little Town of Bethlehem” and “Ave Maria.” It was extraordinary.

My sister and I turned to see who the vocalist was and we were surprised to see that it was our little brother, who was then in the fourth-grade. Only he and our mother knew of the “special surprise.”

To top it off, there was a second surprise. When we turned around, sitting behind us were our grandparents, several uncles and our favorite aunt, who had driven through the snow from Hoopeston, Ill., to share in the special surprise.

That multi-talented little boy grew up, went to war in Europe, came home and went to college, studied art in Chicago then music and dance in New York, and performed on Broadway as well as in Canada, Texas, and up and down the East Coast.

He finally gave up show business, came back to Indianapolis and became a mortician. Our three brothers were all morticians.

Finally, as we always thought he would, he entered the seminary. That little boy became Father James K. O’Riley. He served as God’s servant in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis for more than 25 years until he joined the celestial choir in 2004.

He filled our lives with prayer, joy, laughter and music—all starting with our “special surprise” at midnight Mass and our parents’ decision to send Jim to Catholic school.

(Mary Ann O’Riley Lassuy is a member of St. Malachy Parish in Brownsburg.) †