April 17, 2024 While most people don’t spend many of their days interviewing people about their ministries, for me, that’s basically just Tuesday (or any other day of the week). I do it all the time. Without question, conducting such interviews is my favorite part of my job, but it’s pretty ordinary for me. Until it isn’t. On April 2, I traveled to Elderwood of Uihlein at Lake Placid, a nursing home in that community, to interview Father Daniel T. Keefe, who had just celebrated his 95th birthday and was preparing to celebrate the 70th anniversary of his ordination in May. I planned to write and publish the article either later this month or in early May, closer to the anniversary date. The quotes I typed during that interview are now being used for a much different purpose, as Father Dan died April 11, only 9 days after that interview. God made that ordinary day something I’ll likely remember for the rest of my life; God made it extraordinary. I had the privilege of hearing Father Dan, through the struggles associated with age, reminisce about his nearly 70 years as a priest. I was blessed to hear him tell parts of his story as, unbeknownst to any of us involved, the final paragraphs of that story were being written by our loving God. I was blessed to attend Mass with him. In my 25 years serving as a reporter in at least some capacity, I’ve written probably around a hundred stories about people dying. I’ve never been able to include new, never published quotes from the individual who died in such an article. It was like writing a death story for the first time. I had to throw out my usual formula. I have no doubt God orchestrated the interview and the timing of it. I think God wanted Father Dan to share himself one more time before he ended his ministry here on earth. Please join me in praying for Father Dan’s soul, and praying for those who loved him. (Click here to read Father Dan's story) |
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