Bumping into God: 35 Stories of Finding Grace in Unexpected Places

contents vii

Introduction

I. Stories of G o d ’s P r es e n c e

4 9 14 19 23

Two Priests The Quiet Teacher A Bookstore One Flight Down Wisdom Teeth and Window Washers God Has a Name

II. Storie s o f G o d ’s W i l l

30 35 39 43 47

Goal Sticker A New Year’s Resolution Kept Celebrating Growth Go Fly a Kite Road Maps and Hardheads

III. Storie s o f G o d ’s Lo v e

54 59 63 67 71

Mrs. La France A Father’s Son A Mother’s Gift Tough Lover Not in My Neighborhood

IV. Stories of G o d ’s G r a c e

78 83 88 92 96

Ode to a Short-Order Cook The Pilgrimage Dreams and Grace Christmas Morning Music Anniversary Reflections

V. Stories of G o d ’s S e n se o f H u m o r

102 107 111 115 120

Being Brothers Laughing through the Tears The Gift of Martyrdom Have a Good Day Sleeping in the Park

V I. Stories o f G o d ’s Fo rgi v e n ess

126 131 135 140 144

A Pizza Delivered A First Reconciliation The Hounds of Heaven A Message from an Angel Thumping Watermelons

V II. Stories o f G o d ’s My s t e r y

150 154 158 163 168

The Christmas Tree and the Easter Cross Holy Week Mysteries Old Snapshots Sacred Heart Gregory

172

Afterword

If you have had an experience of bumping into God and would be willing to share it with Father Grassi for his next book, please send it to him c/o Trade Editorial Department, Loyola Press, 3441 N. Ashland Ave., Chicago, IL 60657.

vi

c o n t e n ts

Stories of

God’s Presence

People look for God’s presence in many places. They gather in the basilicas of Rome or at the red rocks in Sedona. I find God’s presence quite nearby—in the magnificent complexity of the human person.

Are we not, after all, made in the image of our God? This God lovingly created us and walks with us still.

Walks with the priest and the rabbi. Is present in the

Meanwhile the eleven disciples set out for Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had arranged to meet them. When they saw him they fell down before him, though some hesitated. Jesus came up and spoke to them. He said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations; baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. And know that I am with you always;

courage of two elderly

yes, to the end of time.”

sisters, the faith of a

~ Matthew 28:16–20

simple worker, or the innocence of a street person. We don’t have to look very far to find God’s presence brilliantly reflected.

two two priests priests

When I was growing up in the fifties, Chicago was still divided into distinct neighborhoods. And quite often those neighborhoods were designated by parishes. So if someone asked where you were from, the easiest response would be “St. Bonnie’s” or “Mary of the Lake” or “Tommy More.”

This immediately located you and in some instances communicated your ethnic background as well.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel was originally the Irish parish, the mother church of the neighborhood that was the suburb of Lakeview and is now a part of the trendy Near North Side. Big, beautiful homes with front yards and backyards and New York City–sized apartments have since given way to high-rises, fourplus-ones, and town homes. The area has become quite eclectic. But back then it was a classic neighborhood.

Our family was the only Italian one on our

block. In school there were precious few others.

There were some Hispanics, including a number of Cuban refugees and other nationalities. But the Irish were still in the majority, including many of the priests in the rectory and most of the Sisters of Mercy who staffed the school.

The rich parishioners along Sheridan Road and Lake Shore Drive guaranteed good collections and a solvent operation even as the parish’s western boundaries saw an increasing growth in less affluent minorities. Still, the parish would have been considered a plum assignment. The castlelike rectory always housed four or five priests, including a pastor, a senior associate, a newly ordained, and a resident or two whose main ministry was outside the parish.

When people ask me why I wanted to become a priest and when I first considered it, I immediately think of a particular priest. He was a resident who taught at the minor seminary downtown. His homilies made people laugh and reflect. He always seemed to be smiling. We kids would gather around him after Sunday Mass, and he made us laugh. He actually listened to us and was concerned about us. Fr. Gene Faucher was a good priest.

It was his example that convinced me to attend the seminary where he taught. It was he who was a support for all the teens in the parish. He was the one who stepped in when I got into some serious trouble t w o p ri e s ts

with the disciplinarian at school. He also taught me a little Latin. But, most important, he taught me a lot about having integrity, and he inspired me to serve people by accepting them for who they are.

While this priest was at the parish, another priest arrived as a newly ordained associate. It was clear, at least in his own mind, that he was on a fast track, and having this parish as a first assignment was a sure sign of the greater heights for which he was poised.

He never liked my brothers or me, among others who were not Irish. He was in charge of the altar servers and made his displeasure known when each of us was elected Supreme Grand Knight of the Altar (how’s that for a title!) by our peers over his candidates of choice.

My brothers and I didn’t realize this until years later, when we compared notes after a few glasses of wine. This priest had taken me off the altar of the wedding of a young lay teacher who had asked me to be one of her servers. Then he suspended me for not handling the incense respectfully at a novena where none of the other three servers had shown up, and I was stuck trying to balance the thurible and boat (incense holder) by myself (I ended up spilling it on the Oriental rug after charring my fingers).

He left the priesthood a short time later.

The other priest went on to be a highly be

st o rie s o f g o d ’s p r e s e n c e

Religion/ Inspirational

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“Touching and humorous.”

—The Courier

“Just call it ‘Chicken Soup from a Catholic Priest’s Soul.’ ”

—The New World

N ow

“Grassi invites readers of all faiths to share warm memories of life in Chicago.”

—Skyline Magazine

“A unique and interesting book well worth reading.”

—Ray Meyer, former DePaul basketball coach

A natural storyteller, Dominic Grassi invites readers to share his warm, rich, and often funny descriptions of human triumphs and struggles, laughter and tears, youthful pranks and quiet maturity. He shows how God is reflected in the people we meet every day and uncovers grace in the most unexpected places.

Dominic Grassi is pastor of St. Josaphat Parish on the north side of Chicago, where for the past eleven years he has been making its motto, “A church to come home to,” a reality for thousands of parishioners. A lifelong Chicagoan, he has served as an educator, counselor, athletic coach, retreat and vocation director, inspirational speaker, editor, writer, and friend.