Sad News

Last night the pastor at my church had a heart attack and died. I was with him when it happened. It is still so unreal and I think I'm in a bit of shock. I keep replaying all the events over and over in my mind and I just can't believe it actually happened.

I sang with the choir for Holy Thursday Mass. At the end of Mass, everyone processed out of the church with the Blessed Sacrament into the hall for adoration. Most of the choir members left after Mass and the church was pretty much empty. I hung around chatting with Fr. T (my spiritual director.) While we were standing there the pastor, Fr. B, came up to us and said that he wasn't feeling well. We told him to sit down and got him some water. He began complaining of chest pains and we could tell that his condition was deteriorating. Thankfully a nurse was near-by and she helped out. I called 911 while the nurse and Fr. T had Fr. B lie down.

The 911 dispatcher had a bunch of questions and Fr. B was answering all of them for me. He was still conscious, but he was in pain and was short of breath. He kept asking, "Where is the ambulance? Are they here yet? Did you give them the right address?" His pain was getting worse and you could tell he was scared. He said to Fr. T, "Anoint me, anoint me. Get the oil." Fr. T had the oil in his pocket and immediately anointed him.

It felt like an eternity waiting for them to arrive. At first they were at the wrong building and the dispatcher called me back. I went outside to help the ambulance find us. By the time I came in with the paramedics he was unresponsive. The nurse had gotten the AED machine from the school and had shocked him once. It didn't work.

The paramedics probably spent 15-20 minutes working on him. They used their AED three times with no success. It was flatline each time. They gave him epinephrine shots and continued compressions the entire time. Eventually they wheeled him out to the ambulance and rushed him to the hospital. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Even as I type this it feels like an out-of-body experience. I am in shock and it is all very surreal. I can't believe that I was just talking to Fr. B and now he is gone. Just like that. It all happened so fast - from not feeling well, to chest pains, to being unresponsive. And now he's gone.

He was 55 years old and just celebrated his birthday on Wednesday.

My hubby was remarking that while Fr. B's life was cut short, he did have a "happy death." You know how St. Joseph is the patron of that? Well he died right in front of the St. Joseph statue in our church. It was relatively quick, he had just finished Holy Thursday Mass, and he was anointed by his brother priest before he lost consciousness.

Please join me in praying for his soul, for his family and for our parish community. I have no idea how the priests will be able to function through services this weekend. I am not sure how the parish will get through this time.

May his soul rest in peace and may perpetual light shine upon him.