Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Msgr. Jim Fennessy, a beloved son, brother, uncle, and a legendary priest of Jesus Christ, has gone to his eternal rest. This unexpected news came early Tuesday morning. He leaves behind a legacy of compassion and priestly charity, having brought the joy of Gospel to literally everyone he ever met.
St. John Vianney, the patron saint of parish priests, once said that “the priesthood is the love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.” The priest is a man who lives not for himself, and not for some generic sense of philanthropy, but rather who lives for the things that matter most to the Lord Jesus Christ: the salvation of souls, the expansion of the Kingdom of God, the triumph of sacrificial love over sin and over death itself. I don’t know about you, but whenever I heard that bellowing laugh and the trademark “Good to see ya!” I experienced the kindness, the joy, the closeness of the Heart of Jesus Christ.
His decades of ministry have brought the grace of God to countless people in the Archdiocese. Think of all the confessions he heard, the mercy he extended to us sinners (yes, I too have been to confession with him), how many funerals for the people entrusted to his pastoral care, how many times he held the Precious Body of Our Lord in his hands, bringing heaven to earth in the Eucharist. Even after retiring from being a pastor, he refused to stop living his priesthood, striking a deal with Msgr. Marren to live here at All Saints and to continue serving. And what an absolute joy it has been to have him here!
He has loved the Sacred Heart of Jesus and has in return poured it out on us.
The parish will share his funeral arrangements once they have been confirmed by the archdiocese. Please pray for his peaceful repose, for his sister and her children, for his closest priest-friends, and for all who have been graced by God through their encounter with him.
Agus go mbuailimid le chéile arís,
Until we meet again,
Go gcoinní Dia i mbos A láimhe thú
May God hold you in the palm of His hand
Eternal rest grant to him, O Lord
–and let perpetual light shine upon him.
May Msgr. Fennessy’s soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God,
–rest in peace.
Peace in Christ,
Fr. Michael Silloway
Pastor