Paschal

I'm back at Mount Angel Seminary for a visit this week. In a fortuitous twist, I scheduled my visit when the funeral Mass and celebration of life for Father Paschal Cheline is taking place. Fr. Paschal died last week a joyful man, a holy Benedictine monk, a lover of fine art and music and novels, a teacher to the end, and a soul who impacted thousands of men being formed for the priesthood.

My friend from the seminary Dean Marshall explains some of the gifts Fr. Paschal shared in this memorial piece. My favorite memory is of hearing Fr. Paschal joyfully share Liturgical Tidbits on Tuesdays with the seminarians. He took about five minutes to teach briefly on Mass and prayer etiquette and procedure. The commentary was always lively and applicable. The lesson that most stuck with me is Fr. Paschal's take on the proper pronunciation of "impious." The word appears a couple times in the breviary prayers. Most would say it the traditional American way: imm-PIE-us. Fr. Paschal exhorted us to speak otherwise. "Never say imm-PIE-us again! It's IMM-pee-us!"

Now whenever the word comes up in the psalms, I have a built-in memory of Fr. Paschal. I always crack a smile (not a hard or uncommon thing for me to do). A man who shared small lessons with great joy--that's Fr. Paschal to me. May his rest be eternal and as joyful as his earthly life.