community 17
Catholic san francisco | October 8, 2015
capecchi: Finding the courage to start over
obituary
Father John Ward, 86 Father John Ward, retired pastor of Blessed Sacrament Parish, San Rafael, died Sept. 26 at Serra Clergy House in San Mateo. He was 86 years old. Born in Oakland, Father Ward Father John attended Catholic Ward schools there until entering the seminary as a high school freshman. He was ordained from St. Patrick’s Seminary & University in Menlo Park at St. Mary’s Cathedral by Archbishop John J. Mitty on June 11, 1955. He served at parishes including
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St. Paul, San Francisco, Mater Dolorosa, South San Francisco and St. Charles, San Carlos before being appointed pastor of Our Lady of the Pillar Church in Half Moon Bay where he served for 15 years. He was named pastor of Blessed Sacrament Church in San Rafael in 1990 retiring in 1995. He lived at the Marin Catholic Faculty House until moving to Serra Clergy House in 2006. A funeral Mass was celebrated Oct. 2 at St. Gregory Church, San Mateo. Remembrances may be made to the Priests’ Retirement Fund, Archdiocese of San Francisco, One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco 94109.
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tained me while I had been there was completely gone,” Kathy said. She didn’t dare articulate that awful feeling, so she proceeded in social mode, posing in group photos with a tight smile on her freckled face, catching up with friends, eating with her grandparents. When she retreated to her room for the night, she tried to explain away her feelings – typical jitters, sure to diminish – and eventually fell asleep. It wasn’t until the following week, when she had begun losing sleep and struggling with her new teaching position, that Kathy shared her concerns with her superior, beginning a painful process of discerning out of the vocation she had once felt so sure of. It seemed liked a strange reversal. Was she now saying no to God? Had she fallen from grace?
Four months after professing her vows, Kathy moved into her parents’ basement. She attended daily Mass with her mom, experiencing a profound wave of peace each time she received Communion. She started to rebuild her life. Today, after five years, heaps of prayer, regular spiritual direction, countless convent dreams and some counseling, Kathy loves life again. She lives with a friend in an apartment near Minneapolis, teaches preschool, attends a Catholic studies master’s program and communicates with guys on CatholicMatch. Marriage, is a genuine desire of her heart not a default vocation. She’s waiting on God’s perfect timing. Capecchi is a freelance writer from Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, and the editor of SisterStory.org.
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