Readers will remember that I took note this week of the sudden death of Fr. William Finch, pastor at my in-laws’ parish in Maryland.

The Catholic Standard has more, from the funeral mass:

Father Lee Fangmeyer, pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Derwood who was Father Finch’s dear friend and brother priest, strained to hold back tears as he delivered an emotional homily at the funeral Mass. The church was overflowing with teary-eyed parishioners, nuns and numerous archdiocesan priests. Because of the large crowd some people were forced to stand outside for parts of the Mass.

Father Fangmeyer said “this Easter … we keep hearing this is the day the Lord has made, so rejoice and be glad, but for many of us it still feels like Good Friday.”

But the priest reminded the grieving crowd what Father Finch always preached – to have courage in the face of everything. Father Fangmeyer also commented on the sad, but beautiful, timing of his friend’s death. He said the Gospel reading for the day – that of Mary Magdalene weeping at Jesus’ empty tomb and later her encounter with the risen Lord – was a reminder to always look to Christ for strength.

“Where does He (Jesus) come? In her weeping He comes and stands before her,” Father Fangmeyer said.

Father Fangmeyer said although Father Finch was known for his determination and his ability to lead – what was most impressive about the late pastor was his ability to make others “love what he loves.” Father Fangmeyer joked that Father Finch had a love of cooking, dancing, wine and hot fudge sundaes. But most of all the priest loved Jesus, and he wanted others to enjoy Jesus with him.

Father Finch was named pastor of St. Raphael’s Parish seven years ago, and since then he has left it dramatically different. He envisioned that the parish nursery school would one day become an elementary school. That became a reality, and now there are 100 students from kindergarten through third grade.

In a Mass marking the opening of the school in 2006, Father Finch said that the school’s job is to “teach as many as possible the message that we are to love God with our whole being, and love our neighbor as ourselves, even those who don’t look like us or share our belief.”

Many remember Father Finch living out this ideal of Christian love when Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana in 2005. He asked his parishioners to reach out and offer places to stay to those affected by Hurricane Katrina. The pastor himself, not knowing if anyone would accept his offer, traveled to Houston to invite displaced persons to come back to Rockville with him and start a new life. Twenty-one accepted his offer and accompanied him on the 40-hour bus ride back home.

“We are going to take care of them very well,” he said.

Parishioner Priscilla Quackenbush, said she felt very close to the priest. He always showed a deep love for the Eucharist and he made others feel this way about the sacrament too, she said. Quackenbush said Holy Thursday was a meaningful day for Father Finch to die because it was the day the Eucharist was instituted by Jesus. Quackenbush said the priest also made a point to show the First Communion class a prayer he has framed in the sanctuary and says before every Mass. It reads “Priest of God say this Mass as though it were your first Mass, your last Mass, and your only Mass.”

Check out the Standard link for more about his life and legacy.