DYER – After the third evening of a parish mission at St. Joseph, parishioners and guests were getting increasingly restless. That was the expressed goal of the Augustinian priest who led the sessions.
Church members and guests gathered on April 24 for Mass where Father Tom McCarthy, O.S.A., recapitulated the three-day retreat’s main messages in an extended homily.
In his talk, he revisited a key theme and popular quote attributed to St. Augustine, who wrote the rules for the namesake religious order. “You have made us for Yourself and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.”
The fourth-century saint and convert from a sinful pagan lifestyle was one of Father McCarthy’s main inspirations for the mission title, “Our Restless Journey.” He inquired if the congregants were “embracing or fighting” their pilgrimages of mind and heart.
“As Catholics, Jesus is the center of our lives, especially through the Eucharist and the sacraments. My goal is to preach the love and mercy of Jesus and to let people know how much they are loved,” said Father McCarthy, who is vocation director for the Augustinian’s Our Mother of Good Counsel Midwest Province and is the director of St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel in Chicago.
“We’re all called to conversion,” said Father McCarthy, noting that St. Augustine opened up to the day’s first reading – St. Paul’s letter to the Romans, chapter 13 – to begin his journey into the Church. “That’s the restless journey. We’re called to do our best to be our best and to say ‘Yes,’ to Jesus.”
Over three days of storytelling-style preaching and joining in fellowship events, Father McCarthy connected with the St. Joseph parish family by sharing about his journey through his youth, education and religious vocation. A native of the South Side of Chicago, he attended St. Adrian parish school in Marquette Park, and St. Rita Cascia High School, where he later taught and was an administrator.
Telling stories both happy and sad, Father McCarthy spoke about his journey of life lessons and seeing the hand of God in the mercy and love shown through his people. One such story was of a heroic teenager who often came to the rescue of bullied classmates.
“A little freshman who was shorter than normal goes up to one of the (cafeteria) pop machines and put in what was, back then, probably 30 cents,” he explained. “A sophomore came, pushes him, takes his can of pop and says, ‘Thanks, you dumb little freshman.’”
Student body president and captain of the football team, Eddie Duffy, immediately sprang into action. He dragged the sophomore back to the pop machine. “Six feet and three inches, 350 pounds, huge shoulders, big head and no neck … Duffy said, ‘We don’t do that at St. Rita,’” Father McCarthy recalled. “He said to the jerk sophomore, ‘Take out 30 cents.’ He said to the freshman, ‘Kid, what pop do want?’”
“R-r-root beer,” Father McCarthy retold, of the diminutive student’s response. “Eddy said to the jerk sophomore, ‘For the next five days, you will meet this freshman by this pop machine and you will ask him what pop he wants.’”
Father McCarthy added, “Eddie Duffy is my hero.”
Sadly, Duffy, known as the Mayor of 63rd street, died at age 18, while being caught in a riptide during a vacation “In 2005, I got a two-page, tear-stained letter from Mrs. Duffy.” Eddie’s mom said she was heartened by Father McCarthy’s retelling of her son’s story during his missions. “You have no idea what you’ve done for me, knowing 25 years after he died, that my Eddie is still touching hearts,” she wrote.
Art and Gayle Tkacz joined St. Joseph parish in 2020. As relatively new members of the church, they were particularly grateful for friend and fellow parishioner Mark Gabrione, who coordinated the event and got word out to many area faithful.
“I thank Mark for bringing (Father McCarthy) to St. Joseph’s. It was a very moving three nights,” said Art Tkacz, who talked about “Seeing God in others,” even those who have differences in core beliefs.
Phil and Maria Coniglio were among many couples who helped fill the church on the three recent spring evenings. Members of the Dyer parish for many years, they consider St. Joseph their spiritual home – one whose foundations for the future are strengthened by such mission events.
“It was God who asked us to go, he told us that this was a mission for St. Joe’s and He led us there,” said Maria Coniglio.
Phil Coniglio added, “I strongly believe that the mission brought us closer as a parish and as a family.
He said the Augustinian theme was of “restlessness in a good way … life should not be at a standstill.”
As such, Maria Coniglio said she accepted Father McCarthy’s goal of “evangelizing and sharing his stories with other people.”
Father McCarthy often repeated the words “Follow your heart and never, never give up.” He also joked about his verbosity, pledging to conclude the first two days’ talks with the help of volunteers – a young boy the first night, and a young girl the second night – who were asked to shout out when it was 7:31 p.m.
Parishioner Judy Nowacki joined in fellowship over pastries and refreshments after the Mass and talk on April 25. Her husband Joe was the cross-bearer during Mass, a role he volunteers for, reprising his service at the altar during his youth.
“When I saw the (large crowd) here on the first day, I was just tickled and extremely happy,” she said. “I wasn’t quite sure how it was going to turn out, and it was beyond my wildest expectations.”
Gabrione said he was relieved that bulletin announcements, and door posters helped attract an engaged audience who are committed to a faithful and restless journey.
“We look back on where we’ve been, where we are today and where we’re going,” said Gabrione. “Keep the faith, but also keep giving it.”
Caption: Augustinian Father Tom McCarthy delivers an extended homily based on the day's Scripture readings and his parish mission entitled, "Our Restless Journey," to more than 100 faithful and guests at St. Joseph church in Dyer on April 24. Father McCarthy, who hails from the South Side of Chicago, is vocation director for the Augustinian’s Our Mother of Good Counsel Midwest Province and is the director of St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel in Chicago. (Anthony D. Alonzo photo)