Father Bill

On Friday, Father William DeBiase, OFM of Saint Francis Inn in Philadelphia visited Trinity High School.  This was Father William's second visit to Trinity having been here about 2-3 years ago.  When we were in Philadelphia this summer, Father William asked me when he could visit again and I suggested he come up around the time of our Cardboard City event and he was able to make it.

Some of the folks who have chaperoned the Trinity trip to Saint Francis Inn in the past - Mr. Sheehan '79, Mrs. Bourque P'14, Mrs. Veillette P'13, Mr. Wentworth P'13, and Mr. Mitchell P'09 and '11 - took Father William out to dinner on Thursday night (I couldn't attend as I was rocking out at a Wiggles concert in Boston with my wife and children) and he spent the night at Blessed Sacrament Parish in Manchester, where the pastor is his fellow friar, Father John Bucchino, OFM.

I picked Father William up early on Friday and he spent the day talking to juniors (who are studying social justice) about his work with the poor in Japan, India, and Philadelphia.  He also celebrated Mass in our chapel for juniors and seniors who have volunteered at the inn.  I sat in on a few of his talks and the students were locked in.  Father William was asked what his most powerful moments were working with the poor and he said there were so many but the one that came to mind was when he found a girl who had overdosed on drugs lying on the street in front of the friary in Philadelphia.  He said he picked her up and brought her to an infirmary which he said reminded him of the Pieta - just as Mary carried the broken Christ, here he was carrying the same broken Christ who was in this girl.  You could have heard a pin drop and at this point I was in tears!

Perhaps the highlight of the day, however, was when we surprised Father William with a surprise guest - Bishop Libasci.  Father William and Bishop Libasci are from the same parish in Queens and Bishop Libasci served Father William's first Mass in 1965.  We brought the bishop into the room and completely took Father William by surprise.  They hadn't seen each other in almost 50 years and when the two embraced the students erupted in sustained applause.  Before leaving, Bishop Libasci asked Father William for a blessing and got down on his knees and had Father bless him.  It was so moving.

Again, tears.

After a full day I treated Father William to lunch and dropped him off at the airport.  It was a whirlwind day but one of the most powerful I have experienced in my 7 years at Trinity High School.  You could tell that our students completely "got" Father William and just gravitated to him.  After one of his talks, some girls came up to chat with him and one said to him, "I just have to give you a hug."

The.  Real.  Deal.