Memorial Day 2016

Today we remember all the fallen soldiers who died to keep our country free.  We remember Father Joseph and we remember Jesus Christ.  For as our pastor told us yesterday at mass, He to is a fallen soldier who paid the ultimate price for the freedom from our sins.  So I hope you all had a wonderful time with family and friends this weekend and God bless you all.

Prayer Quilt

Father Joseph slept on his couch for about the whole month before he passed away.  We had obtained  hospice bed for him about the same time but he was not ready to make that transition.  It was almost as if he was telling us once I am in that bed I will have transitioned into the next phase.  So we never pushed him into anything he was not ready for.  Thursday night before he passed, Fr Kevin and I had to help Father Joseph for several hours with some tasks.  It was incredibly painful to see him go through these tasks again not taking anything away from him.  Before he went back to the couch,  we discussed with him the option of this bed that was very comfortable and would help him with some of the  pressure sores he had on his body that were being irritated by sleeping on the  couch and the fact that this bed could be adjusted with height and head and leg position.  He agreed to try it.  A few weeks earlier  I  had made with bed linens that were similar in texture to the couch so that it would feel similar on  his broken down skin.  I searched in a closet and found a quilt made by a homeschool group out in Kennesaw, GA from St. Catherine's.  One side was made of a fabric bought at a store with prayers on it.  The other side was square quilt pieces they put prayers on from different families and some had drawn pictures.  I just picked the prayer fabric side again for the texture against his skin.  The square side may have had some bumps or stitching that he may or may not  of been sensitive to.  When he passed away and the funeral home came to take him away, I picked up the quilt and found that the underside where his head wound was positioned as he lay there was on top of the square someone had stitched in the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Thank you for those who made this  blanket and the amount of time, love and prayer you put into it.  He was "surrounded" by this even to his final days.  Keep praying for him.  God Bless all of you. 
Sacred Heart of Jesus pray for us.

Last View of the Ocean

This was taken during our trip to Puerto Rico.  This was his last trip to the beach.  Video is a bit shaky but I wanted to share with those who are unable to make a trip to the beach. God works in mysterious ways as it so happened that the four of us who were able to make the trip were the four along with mom and dad who were at his deathbed.

It is Mother's day today as I post.  Father Joseph really loved his mother.  I truly believe more than she ever will know. Please give your mom a hug and a kiss today for all that she has done for you through your life.  God bless

Incensing the Altar

This was the last time he incensed the altar. This was at the confirmation mass for his niece Christina Vivanco. January 23,  2015.

Never an Opportunity Miss

Father Joseph spread the word in very creative ways

He found a website where he could design his own front plate for his car.

These were his various license plates.

 

 

Priests who assisted "soldiers"

 

His little sister Elizabeth drew this.

Fellow Priest saying final farewells