{"id":2610,"date":"2016-09-03T22:18:39","date_gmt":"2016-09-03T22:18:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spiritdaily.org\/blog\/?p=2610"},"modified":"2016-09-13T13:22:02","modified_gmt":"2016-09-13T13:22:02","slug":"parish-bids-goodbye-to-extraordinary-priest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spiritdaily.org\/blog\/parish-bids-goodbye-to-extraordinary-priest\/","title":{"rendered":"Parish Bids Goodbye To Extraordinary Priest"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.courant.com\/community\/killingly\/hc-kn-danielson-parish-bids-goodbye-to-unlikely-priest-0901-20160829-story.html\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\"><em><strong>From the Hartford Courant:<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<header class=\"trb_ar_h\">\n<div class=\"trb_ar_hl\">\n<h1 class=\"trb_ar_hl_t\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2611\" src=\"https:\/\/spiritdaily.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/fr-whalen-3-jpg-20160829.jpg\" alt=\"fr-whalen-3-jpg-20160829\" width=\"253\" height=\"450\" \/><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"trb_ar_main\">\n<div class=\"trb_ar_la\">\n<aside class=\"trb_embed\" data-content-id=\"89147888\" data-content-size=\"leadart\" data-content-type=\"image\" data-content-slug=\"fr-whalen-3-jpg-20160829\" data-content-subtype=\"photo\" data-role=\"socialshare_item imgsize_ratiosizecontainer\" data-state=\"\">\n<div class=\"trb_embed_media\">\n<div class=\"trb_embed_related\" data-role=\"lightbox_metadata\">\n<div class=\"trb_embed_related_credit_and_caption\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"><em><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong>Fr. Joe Whalen stands in the entryway to St. Anthony&#8217;s Church in Providence, Rhode Island. A white dove is perched above him. (Contributed Photo)<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"trb_embed_related_credit_and_caption\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"trb_ar_by\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"trb_ar_by\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong><span class=\"trb_ar_by_nm_pm\"><span class=\"trb_ar_by_nm_au\" data-byline-withoutby=\"\"><em>by Denise Coffey<\/em>,\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"trb_ar_by_nm_pb\">Staff Writer (used with permission)<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"trb_ar_by\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"trb_ar_sl\">\n<div class=\"trb_ar_sl_text\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong>When Fr. John O&#8217;Neill took to the pulpit at St. James Church in Danielson on Aug. 16, it was to deliver a eulogy for Fr. Joe Whalen.<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"trb_ar_page\" data-role=\"pagination_page\" data-content-page=\"1\">\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong>O&#8217;Neill didn&#8217;t mince words for the crowd that had gathered.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2634 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/spiritdaily.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/fatherwhalen2.jpg\" alt=\"fatherwhalen2\" width=\"384\" height=\"512\" \/>O&#8217;Neill has often told the story of Whalen, a man who entered the priesthood when he was 66-years-old. <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong>His late vocation came after he&#8217;d spent the better part of his life drinking. He had married and had children. He also found sobriety through Alcoholics Anonymous. It wasn&#8217;t enough to save his marriage, however.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong>Five years of trying to reconstruct his life took its toll, but it also led him to the priesthood.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong>After he was ordained, Whalen spent 20 years ministering from the Danielson parish. Little more than a year ago, he moved to Hartford, where the LaSalette Missionaries have a home and infirmary for sick and elderly priests and brothers.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong>&#8220;He shouldn&#8217;t have gotten into the priesthood,&#8221; O&#8217;Neill said with a laugh. &#8220;He had a 10,000 to one shot. He got in. He won heaven.&#8221;<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong>O&#8217;Neill is known for his quick wit, a sporting sense of humor, and a can-do attitude when it comes to the difficult and the unusual. He has been the pastor at St. James for 25 years. Soon after O&#8217;Neill got the Danielson assignment, Whalen came to stay.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong>&#8220;I looked over his application,&#8221; O&#8217;Neill said. &#8220;He&#8217;d been married, had five kids, was an alcoholic. I had to find something positive.&#8221;<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong>Whalen&#8217;s love of Boston sports teams did the trick, O&#8217;Neill quipped.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong>Soon after Whalen joined the parish in 1991, he began a healing oil ministry with a handful of people. The circuitous path he took to the priesthood left him with belief in the possibilities of healing. He had a fascination for angels, and a special trust in the archangel Raphael. He named the healing oil ministry after St. Raphael.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong>&#8220;He was convinced,&#8221; O&#8217;Neill said. &#8220;He was into it and he packed them in wherever he went.&#8221;<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong>That ministry is now in 50 states and 28 countries according to O&#8217;Neill.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong>Every healing service offered people an opportunity to go to confession, attend Mass, hear a sermon, and have hands laid on them for healing. As the ministry grew, as Fr. Joe&#8217;s name became more well known, more people showed up for the services. It became too much for him to do alone.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong>&#8220;He asked me to do some preaching, to hear some confessions,&#8221; Fr. John Welch said.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2635 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/spiritdaily.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/fatherwhalen3.jpg\" alt=\"fatherwhalen3\" width=\"384\" height=\"512\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spiritdaily.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/fatherwhalen3.jpg 384w, https:\/\/spiritdaily.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/fatherwhalen3-255x340.jpg 255w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 384px) 100vw, 384px\" \/>Welch is an 83-year-old LaSalette missionary. He too is a long time resident and senior priest at St. James in Danielson. Welch called the years he served with Whalen as the best four years of his life. He and the ministry team traveled across the country holding services. Welch saw people healed spiritually. He saw some healed physically.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong>&#8220;I thought this must be God&#8217;s ministry,&#8221; Welch said.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong>&#8220;Fr. Welch was his right arm,&#8221; O&#8217;Neill said. &#8220;He lightened the load; he did the preaching. Fr Joe did the healing. The healing services revitalized him. He was always exhausted until he saw the crowd. When he saw the crowd, he lit up, just like Bob Hope.&#8221;<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong>Whalen took his inspiration from the Old Testament&#8217;s Book of Tobit. In that story, the angel Raphael comes to the aid of a man on a journey and woman bereft.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong>&#8220;That story and the journey of the young man who encountered Raphael inspired him so much he wanted to do this,&#8221; Welch said. &#8220;He wanted to make the oil and pray for the intercession of St. Raphael.&#8221;<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong>Whalen was 93-years-old when he died on Aug. 8.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong>&#8220;He always said he wanted to die with his boots on,&#8221; O&#8217;Neill said.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<div>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 18px; color: #333333; font: 18px\/27px Georgia, 'Droid Serif', serif; font-stretch: normal;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\">He is buried in the St. Francis Xavier Church cemetery\u00a0 Winooski, Vermont.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"trb_ar_cr\">Copyright \u00a9 2016, <a class=\"trb_ar_cr_a\" href=\"http:\/\/www.courant.com\/\">Courant Community<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"trb_ar_cr\">&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8211;<\/div>\n<div class=\"trb_ar_cr\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><em>Mailbag: from Father Whalen&#8217;s assistant and dedicated friend Mary Ann Wichmann:<\/em><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"trb_ar_cr\">\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong><u>FR.\u00a0JOSEPH WHALEN,\u00a0M.S. FUNERAL AND BURIAL<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong>A few moments from the week of August 8th 2016:<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<div>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong>We took note of the license plate of the hearse that transported Fr. Joe to Vermont after his funeral at the LaSalette headquarters in Hartford, CT. (August 11, 2016)<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong>The burial was Friday morning (August 12th)and we were under a flood watch with torrential rains. The rain poured down at morning Mass but the skies cleared at 10:00 AM for the burial, it was overcast\u00a0and the air was very still. Msgr. Lavalley began the readings, suddenly there was a warm, strong breeze that lasted\u00a0a few\u00a0seconds. It turned Msgr. Lavalley&#8217;s funeral book to a different page, he told me afterwards, that\u00a0he was moved to read that reading too. It happened to be John 19: 25-30, Fr. Joe&#8217;s favorite reading when he preached about Our Lady of LaSalette. He loved this reading!<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong>After the burial I was standing by Fr. Joe&#8217;s grave talking to a friend. Suddenly we heard engines in the sky and looked up.\u00a0My friend\u00a0was astounded! He said that flying over Fr. Joe&#8217;s grave were\u00a0five\u00a0<\/strong><strong>World War ll NAVY Fighter planes! There are less than 150 of those still\u00a0use-able\u00a0to fly and they were outfitted to land on carriers at sea.\u00a0He said they were\u00a0extremely rare. (Fr. Joe was a World War ll NAVY vet) I then told him that five was one of Fr. Joe&#8217;s favorite numbers and he always referenced it to the five wounds of Christ.\u00a0<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2623 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/spiritdaily.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Untitled.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"512\" height=\"287\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spiritdaily.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Untitled.jpg 512w, https:\/\/spiritdaily.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Untitled-255x143.jpg 255w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong>Fr. Joe\u00a0gave us\u00a0some wonderful signs that he is now watching over us. <\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong>He was a fighter for Christ, Our Lady\u00a0and for us! We now have a powerful intercessor in heaven!<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong>Death: August 8, 2016<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong>In all ages, priests have been held in the highest honor; yet the priests of the New Testament far exceed all others. For the power of consecrating and offering the Body and Blood of our Lord and of forgiving sins, which has been conferred on them, not only has nothing equal or like to it on earth, but even surpasses human reason and understanding.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong>They are the life line between God\u00a0and man we must always protect and help them.<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong><span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">As a person once wrote: &#8220;<\/span><\/strong><strong><span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">A <\/span>calling where the pay is never great, the hours never short, and the hurdles never few. It didn&#8217;t seem to matter to\u00a0him. A life of greatness precisely because he sought no greatness at all.&#8221;<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: large; text-decoration: underline; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #333333; background-color: #f3d7ec;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: small;\">THE KISS OF CHRIST<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; text-transform: none; color: #525252; font: 14px\/21px Arial, 'Arial Unicode MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; widows: 1; letter-spacing: normal; background-color: #fafdff; text-indent: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;\" align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; text-transform: none; color: #525252; font: 14px\/21px Arial, 'Arial Unicode MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; widows: 1; letter-spacing: normal; background-color: #fafdff; text-indent: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;\" align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #800080;\"><strong style=\"font-size: large; color: #333333;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Lo, there He hangs,<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; text-transform: none; color: #525252; font: 14px\/21px Arial, 'Arial Unicode MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; widows: 1; letter-spacing: normal; background-color: #fafdff; text-indent: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;\" align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: small; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #333333;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Dying figure pinned against the wood.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; text-transform: none; color: #525252; font: 14px\/21px Arial, 'Arial Unicode MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; widows: 1; letter-spacing: normal; background-color: #fafdff; text-indent: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;\" align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: small; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #333333;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: small;\">God, grant that I might love Him<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; text-transform: none; color: #525252; font: 14px\/21px Arial, 'Arial Unicode MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; widows: 1; letter-spacing: normal; background-color: #fafdff; text-indent: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;\" align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: small; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #333333;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: small;\">even as I should.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; text-transform: none; color: #525252; font: 14px\/21px Arial, 'Arial Unicode MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; widows: 1; letter-spacing: normal; background-color: #fafdff; text-indent: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;\" align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: small; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #333333;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: small;\">I draw a little closer to share His love divine,<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; text-transform: none; color: #525252; font: 14px\/21px Arial, 'Arial Unicode MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; widows: 1; letter-spacing: normal; background-color: #fafdff; text-indent: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;\" align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: small; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #333333;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: small;\">and I softly hear Him whisper,<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; text-transform: none; color: #525252; font: 14px\/21px Arial, 'Arial Unicode MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; widows: 1; letter-spacing: normal; background-color: #fafdff; text-indent: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;\" align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: small; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #333333;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: small;\">\u201cOh foolish child of mine, if now I should embrace you,<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; text-transform: none; color: #525252; font: 14px\/21px Arial, 'Arial Unicode MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; widows: 1; letter-spacing: normal; background-color: #fafdff; text-indent: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;\" align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: small; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #333333;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: small;\">My hands would stain you red,<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; text-transform: none; color: #525252; font: 14px\/21px Arial, 'Arial Unicode MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; widows: 1; letter-spacing: normal; background-color: #fafdff; text-indent: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;\" align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: small; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #333333;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: small;\">and if I bent to kiss you,<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; text-transform: none; color: #525252; font: 14px\/21px Arial, 'Arial Unicode MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; widows: 1; letter-spacing: normal; background-color: #fafdff; text-indent: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;\" align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: small; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #333333;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: small;\">My thorns would pierce your head.\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; text-transform: none; color: #525252; font: 14px\/21px Arial, 'Arial Unicode MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; widows: 1; letter-spacing: normal; background-color: #fafdff; text-indent: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;\" align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: small; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #333333;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: small;\">\u2018Twas then I learned in meekness<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; text-transform: none; color: #525252; font: 14px\/21px Arial, 'Arial Unicode MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; widows: 1; letter-spacing: normal; background-color: #fafdff; text-indent: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;\" align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: small; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #333333;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: small;\">That Love demands a price;<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; text-transform: none; color: #525252; font: 14px\/21px Arial, 'Arial Unicode MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; widows: 1; letter-spacing: normal; background-color: #fafdff; text-indent: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;\" align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: small; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #333333;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: small;\">\u2018Twas then I knew that sorrow was just<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; text-transform: none; color: #525252; font: 14px\/21px Arial, 'Arial Unicode MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; widows: 1; letter-spacing: normal; background-color: #fafdff; text-indent: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;\" align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: small; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #333333;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: small;\">The Kiss of Christ.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; text-transform: none; color: #525252; font: 14px\/21px Arial, 'Arial Unicode MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; widows: 1; letter-spacing: normal; background-color: #fafdff; text-indent: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;\" align=\"center\">\u00a0<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2636\" src=\"https:\/\/spiritdaily.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/fatherwhalen.jpg\" alt=\"fatherwhalen\" width=\"512\" height=\"341\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spiritdaily.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/fatherwhalen.jpg 512w, https:\/\/spiritdaily.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/fatherwhalen-255x170.jpg 255w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/div>\n<div style=\"white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; text-transform: none; color: #525252; font: 14px\/21px Arial, 'Arial Unicode MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; widows: 1; letter-spacing: normal; background-color: #fafdff; text-indent: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;\" align=\"left\"><span style=\"font-size: small; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; color: #333333;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><img decoding=\"async\" id=\"MA30004821-0011\" src=\"aoladp:\/\/MA30004821-0011\/Untitled.jpg\" width=\"221\" height=\"300\" vspace=\"5\" \/><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; text-transform: none; color: #525252; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; font-family: Arial, 'Arial Unicode MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; widows: 1; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-align: center; background-color: #fafdff;\" align=\"left\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><em><strong>[Return to our main <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"http:\/\/spiritdaily.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">blog<\/a><\/span>]<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; text-transform: none; color: #525252; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; font-family: Arial, 'Arial Unicode MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; widows: 1; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-align: center; background-color: #fafdff;\" align=\"left\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><em><strong>[Our bookstore <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"http:\/\/store.spiritdaily.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">page<\/a><\/span>: gifts, books, emergency supplies]<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; text-transform: none; color: #525252; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; font-family: Arial, 'Arial Unicode MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; widows: 1; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-align: center; background-color: #fafdff;\" align=\"left\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><em><strong>[<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"http:\/\/spiritdaily.com\/contactus.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Contact us<\/a><\/span>]<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"trb_ar_cr\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"gsp_post_data\" \r\n\t            data-post_type=\"post\" \r\n\t            data-cat=\"commentary,inspiration\" \r\n\t            data-modified=\"120\"\r\n\t            data-created=\"1472941119\"\r\n\t            data-title=\"Parish Bids Goodbye To Extraordinary Priest\" \r\n\t            data-home=\"https:\/\/spiritdaily.org\/blog\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From the Hartford Courant: Fr. Joe Whalen stands in the entryway to St. Anthony&#8217;s Church in Providence, Rhode Island. A.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[36,43],"tags":[104,359,357,361,360,358],"class_list":{"0":"post-2610","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-commentary","7":"category-inspiration","8":"tag-archangel-raphael","9":"tag-book-of-tobit","10":"tag-fr-joe-whalen","11":"tag-john-19-25-30","12":"tag-our-lady-of-lasalette","13":"tag-st-james-church","14":"entry","15":"has-post-thumbnail"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/spiritdaily.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2610","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/spiritdaily.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/spiritdaily.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spiritdaily.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spiritdaily.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2610"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/spiritdaily.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2610\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/spiritdaily.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2610"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spiritdaily.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2610"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spiritdaily.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}