Father John Gerard Hillier

Article 132 - Catechism of the Catholic Church Series Paragraphs 1730 -1742 Did you know that it is a capital offense to practice the Catholic faith in places like Afghanistan, Iran and Saudi Arabia? It is no exaggeration to say that “freedom,” a gift given to us by God, is something that citizens of certain countries are prohibited from exercising, especially with regard to their religious faith. In fact, some national leaders insist that freedom is not a right that people have, but a privilege given to them by the state. There is no real semblance of “freedom” in these countries nor in others like them, especially regarding the practice of Christianity.

Among the poems my dad would often recite from memory was a poem called “Trees” by New Brunswick, New Jersey native Alfred Joyce Kilmer. I fondly recall the opening line: “I think that I shall never see, a poem lovely as a tree;” and the final line would always bring a smile to my face: “Poems are made by fools like me, but only God can make a tree.”

Article 128 - Catechism of the Catholic Church Series Paragraphs 1680-1690 The most beautiful legacy my father left to his family is that he taught us how to live and he taught us how to die. During his lifetime, the words my dad spoke to us, and the example he set, were a perpetual lesson in how to live virtuously. Throughout his life, though deaf from the age of 21 and blind in the years before the end of his life, having battled years of sickness due to tuberculosis and many major surgeries that included the removal of a kidney and lung coupled with cancer and heart disease, my dad never thought of himself as disabled or needy, or otherwise less blessed by God.

Article 127 - Catechism of the Catholic Church Series Paragraphs 1667-1676 For most Catholic families, the grueling task of cleaning out the family home following the death of one’s parents or grandparents includes years of accumulated paperwork, some collectables, bric-a-brac and, of course, sacrament certificates, medals, rosary beads, crucifixes, statues of countless saints (including every possible variation of Mary), relics, water from Lourdes, Fatima, etc., and blessed oil in honor of St. Anne, St. Joseph, St. Jude, and St. Peregrine.