Pastor's Message Archives

Looking back at the weekly messages of Father Paul Counce, first published in The Carpenter, our weekly Parish Bulletin

In Memoriam: Father Pat Mascarella

Published: February 03, 2019

Dear Parishioners and Friends,

            As I sit down to write my weekly column for The Carpenter, I have just returned from the Funeral Mass for Father Patrick Mascarella. As you surely have heard by now, Father Pat passed away on January 23, the day after undergoing some long-planned cardiac surgery. His unexpected death has left us all with a profound sense of loss. It was edifying to see so many St. Joseph Parishioners – and over 60 clergy – in attendance over at the funeral at St. Aloysius, his family’s “home” parish.

We’ve lost a very well-known member of our family of faith. As Father Pat’s eyesight diminished and disappeared, the world to him became less visible, but he became very visible and well-known to the world! Although officially retired, he stayed very active. Not just in our St. Joseph Cathedral Parish, where he was a proud resident of Spanish Town, but all over Baton Rouge: assisted by his loyal service dog “Pace,” he lobbied the legislature for increased aid to persons with disabilities, he took classes and eventually earned a Master’s degree at LSU, and of course he continued to help out as a priest, assisting wherever he could. He used to joke that after 50+ years of priesthood in the Diocese of Baton Rouge, he just “didn’t know how to stop”! His “last weekend of the month” homilies here were a standard part of our worship and spiritual edification, and he also helped me with Lenten confessions – I will truly miss his priestly help.

But even more I’ll miss a friend. Father Pat was an assistant priest back at Our Lady of Mercy Parish when I was growing up there, and his education and zeal for the Lord’s work was a big influence on my wanting to be a priest. After I entered the seminary he remained a valued spiritual friend and guide: he was one of the few priests I knew who took time to write letters back and forth with me in those pre-email days! We used to laugh over who had the worse penmanship! I served with him as a transitional deacon at St. Isidore the Farmer Parish in Baker back in 1978, and the next year after my priestly ordination he preached at my “First Mass.” And we served together for decades on the diocesan Priests’ Council and its Continuing Education Committee. It just won’t be the same without him around.

Which of course prompts me to ask you to use Father Pat’s leaving us as the inspiration to pray for a new vocation to the priesthood to take his place. We not only need more priests, we need them to be hard-working and devoted to the intellectual and spiritual life like Father Pat was. We need them to be “father” to the whole community and “brother” not just to their own families but to the other priests who depend on them for fraternity and help. While we don’t need them to be physically blind or disabled in some way – although as Father Pat proved this hardly was disqualifying! – we do need them to be sensitive to human need and suffering, not just in neighbors nearby but wherever Christ’s comfort must grow. Your prayers, and your encouragements especially of young people to think deeply of the importance of religious life, are especially important, and for them I thank you!

                                                Remaining yours in Christ,

                                              

                                                Very Rev Paul D. Counce

 

See All Headlines

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR MAILING LIST