Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity share a letter from Sister Anne Marie Lom and Joe Thiel, regarding the passing of Franciscan Friar of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe Fr. Paul Gallagher OFM and the further continuation of these Gospel Reflections that he provided for many years. Read more on Father Paul from his friars. Watch for Sunday’s reflection coming soon.
To our readers:
We received word early Tuesday, June 23, that the originator and author of these weekly Reflections, Fr. Paul Gallagher OFM, went to the Lord that morning. He had dealt with an aggressive cancer for several years. May he rest in peace, and may perpetual light shine upon him. A Funeral Mass for Fr. Paul will be celebrated in Albuquerque, NM on July 1, with burial to follow. A virtual wake will honor Fr. Paul’s life. Memories and photos of him can be sent by June 30th to communications@friars.us.
Four months ago in this space, Fr. Paul took the opportunity to express personally some of his history with these Gospel Reflections that he had been writing for decades. He explained the founding of his Gospel Reflections, their function, and the effectiveness of the simplicity of their format. He added that his cancer condition required him to step away from this ministry at that time. He expressed appreciation for your participation in this ministry, his hope that it has blessed you in your personal journeys with God, and his thanks for your prayers and support. And he introduced the two of us as “the new face of the Reflection Questions.”
Fr. Paul wrote that the two of us have been a special part of this ministry for years, and that we are willing to see that it goes on. We will continue editing and distributing the Reflections, as we have done for the past four months together. We are pleased that his legacy can live on, in these, his Reflections, available each week to all who find them useful and inspiring, as we and you do. Because of the wealth of written material he produced and left for us to work with, Fr Paul is still the face of the Gospel Reflection, Background, and Questions, as he is their lead author. They continue to look like and feel like and read like his work, because they are his work.
In Fr. Paul’s last letter to us all, he left us a statement of what the Reflections were established to be, and what they continue to be. What he wrote will continue to be the mission statement for these Gospel Reflections, as they go on: The Gospel Reflections are a way to reach out to people. They center on the Sunday Gospel, and they include some added background material. The simple format brings together insights from Catholic scripture scholars and helps us, the readers, see the Gospels as whole, not just disconnected individual texts that we hear at Sunday Masses. The real heart of the Reflection Questions is that they ask us to see our own life experiences as windows to experience each Sunday Gospel as it is addressed to each of us in our own life journey. They also encourage us to talk with God from our own experience of reflection on the Gospel. The goal remains to help us hear the Gospel as addressed to us, and help us to respond authentically, and share it further.
We appreciate your participation in this ministry. We hope it continues to bless you in your personal journey with God. And we thank you for your appreciation and prayers for Fr. Paul.
Sister Anne Marie Lom, OFM, and Joe Thiel
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