February 5, 2010

My Journey to God

Remembering Msgr. Kavanagh

Jan. 20, 2010

I lost a friend this morning,
And I cried a great big smile.
He went to be with Jesus,
He’d been ready for a while.
His title was Monsignor,
That’s a priest with lots of heart.
And the short time that I knew him,
He truly lived the part.
I learned he loved his mother dearly, and his family and his friends,
And last he loved a group of us who nursed him ’til the end.
He could have been a poster child at 98 for sure,
The Jesus in me loves you, his message ever pure.
So as the days ahead unfold and troubles get me down,
I plan to stop and listen for the whisper of his sound.
A “Hi there, how we doin?’ ” or a simple “Man o’ war,”
A “Hey now, you hang in there” or an “Oops,” now what’s that for?
A “Well now, ain’t that something?” or a “Hey now, wadda you know?”
I knew that with whatever he said his smile was sure to show.
I know I’ll miss the kindness of that smile upon his face,
And his simple little message that he shared with such a grace.
The Jesus in him loved us, with this we all were blessed,
And when he simply waved his hand it told us all the rest.
So now it’s time to say goodbye.
I believe Joe Tuohy said it best,
“And thank you for everything, Father.”
Now in peace we pray you rest.

By Suzette Phillips

(Suzette Phillips is a member of St. Barnabas Parish in Indianapolis. She works for Huser HomeCare and was a caregiver for Msgr. Richard T. Kavanaugh at St. Paul Hermitage in Beech Grove. Msgr. Kavanagh died on Jan. 20 at the age of 98 at the Hermitage. Joe Tuohy, who is mentioned in the poem, was a longtime friend from St. Therese of the Infant Jesus [Little Flower] Parish in Indianapolis. He called Msgr. Kavanagh every morning from Florida to say hello. They ended every conversation with Msgr. Kavanagh saying, “You hang in there, Joe,” and Tuohy replying, “And thank you for everything, Father.” Tuohy’s brother was the late Msgr. Francis Tuohy.) †

Local site Links: