Tribute to my beloved friend Gabriel O’Reilly who passed away this week: I chose today to post my tribute to my friend who passed this week because it is Father’s Day and in many ways he was a parent to me. Being a Catholic Priest he is also a father in that manner as well. I met Gabriel when I was 24 years old. He was starting a new parish in Davie, Florida and when he learned I played guitar, he assigned me as his music minister. Gabriel was born in Ireland and had come to the U.S. 6 or 7 years before I met him. He was larger than life both in stature and personality. He stood 6’5” and had a charismatic personality that instantly drew people to him like moths to the flame. Since his arrival in America he had wanted his two favorite songs to be played during Mass. Unfortunately they were protestant songs and as such just were not a part of a Catholic service in those days. Once he realized that I had a protestant background, he asked me if I could play “The Old Rugged Cross” and “Softly and Tenderly” during church service. When I assured him I could, he was ecstatic. And so it began a bond that has stood the test of time and has taken on many roles…parent (sometimes I was his parent lol) father, brother, friend, confidant. There is so much I want to share with you my dear friends and will do so in upcoming postings…but my grief overtakes me such that I realize I cannot do this in one sitting. Today though, I want to post my gratitude to my friend Gabriel for always being there for me and for serving so many roles in my life. Having never known my own father and wishing I had never known my mother as she was incredibly abusive mentally and physically, I am so very grateful that God blessed me with people in my life that have given me the love and stability of family. I am especially grateful to you Gabriel for being a part of your world. Thank you for loving me. I shall miss you always. Though I have peace you are with God, you leave a huge hole in all the hearts of all of us that love you. Stay tuned dear friends for some wonderful Gabriel stories over the next days and weeks. I love each of you. Sherry
Posted on: Sun, 16 Jun 2013 20:48:00 +0000
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