Saying Farewell to Fr. Joe Arong, OMI Fr. Joe died on Dec. 6, 2014. He was at a Cursillo Christmas party at noon that day. After the party, he left to get back to his parish at Sacred Heart to celebrate the Vigil Mass. Then he drove off for a meeting with a group with whom he was supposed to go to Alabama and tour and, as I understand it, be guests at EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network). It was along the way that he felt chest pains. He pulled over to the side and called 911. He had already expired when the paramedics found him. Memorial services were held on Dec. 17 at Sacred Heart parish where he lived and served as an assistant. Sacred Heart houses a community of Oblates and is a familiar home to a number of Filipino Oblates who took their sabbatical in the Bay Area. The services started with the viewing, followed by the rosary led by the Cursillo group, and concluded with a Mass, with breaks in between. The first thing to say about this day is that rain was pouring, for which I am thankful to God. California has been suffering a drought lasting 14 years now. The rain is therefore another blessing with which to associate Fr. Joe’s life and death. It was an amazingly huge crowd who came to wish Fr. Joe farewell. People of different ethnicities and races came to the services. They are a reflection of the mixed population of the parish community. But it was mostly a sea of Filipino faces in the crowd who came to pay their respects. The majority of them are cursillistas to whom Fr. Joe ministered as spiritual director. They came from all over the Bay Area. Because of the number of people, the services had to be video’d and fed live to the adjacent school hall which accommodated the overflow of people who could no longer get seats in the church. The whole atmosphere in the church was festive, as only Filipinos can make it for occasions like this. Food was available, and during and between services the cursillistas spontaneously broke into song. Fr. Joe was serenaded not only with the traditional Cursillo anthems like De Colores and the Mananita, but with other hits of yesteryear such as Today, as well as In Moments Like This and He Will Carry You from Cam Floria’s “The Dreamer.” I remembered “I’m In The Mood For Love” which he often sang back in his years at NDU. A faith-filled mourning becomes a hope-filled celebration, and this evening turned out to be a joyous remembrance of Fr. Joe’s life. At 7 p.m. the Mass was celebrated with Fr. Steve Conserva, OMI presiding. He is the Oblate coordinator for the Pacific region of the U.S. Province. There was a good number of the clergy from the dioceses of Oakland and San Jose, and possibly of San Francisco as well. Bishop Michael Barber SJ, head of the Oakland diocese, was also present. The homily was preached by Deacon Bert, a lay deacon who worked with Fr. Joe in the Cursillo. He gave a beautiful reflection on Proverbs’ description of Wisdom as a light that grows in radiance for those who follow her. The choir from its opening song of Mozart’s Ave Verum and throughout the liturgy provided superb solemn music. Bishop Barber led the prayer of final commendation. He thanked the Oblates for coming to Oakland, and for assigning Fr. Joe to Oakland. He knew Fr. Joe for a long time, from when they were both teaching at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park. From the homily, testimonies, and private conversations with the people present, I sensed two qualities that people always remember about Fr. Joe: * His simply being present to those he ministered to. A deacon shared that he considered Fr. Joe as his spiritual director even though he never had formal sessions with him. He said that years of working with Fr. Joe gave him guidance and direction. * His humor and jokes which made him approachable. Fr. Joe will be missed as much as he will also be remembered. Bishop Barber, in his short address to the Oblates present, ended by quoting a prayer from the Eastern Rites: “Eternal memory, eternal memory, eternal memory - grant unto him, O Lord.” Fr. Joe will be buried at the Oblate cemetery in San Fernando on Dec. 20. In the interest of privacy, no photos will posted on Facebook. Rather, you can see some of the photos on the link provided here. If necessary, copy the URL and paste on your browser to access the album. https://picasaweb.google/109294915863367707810/JoeArongMemorialServices? authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCNqZ0J2d5JqhPg&feat=dir
Posted on: Sat, 20 Dec 2014 02:02:35 +0000
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