May 20, 2018
This weekend I learned of the passing of Bill Rall.
That name might not mean much to most of you, but he was a father, grandfather and seminary classmate of my dad’s.
Bill was a high school teacher, later counselor and deacon, and spent most of his life in Crestline, Ohio, a little town halfway between Columbus and Cleveland.
Bill was a high school teacher, later counselor and deacon, and spent most of his life in Crestline, Ohio, a little town halfway between Columbus and Cleveland.
These
men, these classmates of my dad, came from little towns in Illinois,
Iowa, Ohio and Pennsylvania came to The Pontifical College Josephinum in
Columbus, in the mid 1950s as teenagers trying to figure out if they
should become priests. Most of them did not, but almost all of them
spent their adult lives devoted to the Church.
These men - Mike Heydinger, Tom Meyer, Bill, among others - became like the uncles on my dad’s side of the family, the spiritual and masculine role models for me to follow. Their kids and Donna and I grew up together even though we lived in different states.
This morning, I had to proclaim the first reading at Mass, the Acts of the Apostles passage about the apostles speaking in tongues, and going into the world. I’ve lectured for 28 years, and before today, I’ve never gotten choked up on the altar. All I think about were my dad, Tom, Mike, and especially Bill leaving the Josephinum, receiving those tongues of fire, and proclaiming the Gospel in their own way.
Bill was a kind and patient man, a loving husband and father, and a true servant to God and his people. I wish I had spent more time with him as I got older. May his years of physical pain be behind him, and may God reward his humble servant who spread the word, the best way he could.
These men - Mike Heydinger, Tom Meyer, Bill, among others - became like the uncles on my dad’s side of the family, the spiritual and masculine role models for me to follow. Their kids and Donna and I grew up together even though we lived in different states.
This morning, I had to proclaim the first reading at Mass, the Acts of the Apostles passage about the apostles speaking in tongues, and going into the world. I’ve lectured for 28 years, and before today, I’ve never gotten choked up on the altar. All I think about were my dad, Tom, Mike, and especially Bill leaving the Josephinum, receiving those tongues of fire, and proclaiming the Gospel in their own way.
Bill was a kind and patient man, a loving husband and father, and a true servant to God and his people. I wish I had spent more time with him as I got older. May his years of physical pain be behind him, and may God reward his humble servant who spread the word, the best way he could.
Dave is quite an excellent writer. He and Donna grew up with and have stayed in close contact with the sons and daughters of several of my classmates and enjoy joining with us at some of our gatherings, clergy and lay. Bill and Carol Rall's family were very pleased with what Dave wrote about Bill and his classmates at the time of Bill's wake and funeral. As Tom has written elsewhere in the blog there were hundreds of people at Bill's wake and funeral. It was a very upbeat gathering. Seven priests concelebrated the funeral and another four to six deacons. It was a wonderful send off for Bill to his eternal reward.
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