Entering Death

I pray that you will have the blessing of being consoled and sure about your death.

May you know in your soul there is no need to be afraid.

When your time comes, may you have every blessing and strength you need.

May there be a beautiful welcome for you in the home you are going to.

You are not going somewhere strange, merely back to the home you never left.

May you live with compassion and transfigure everything

negative within and about you.

When you come to die may it be after a long life.

May you be tranquil among those who care for you.

May your going be sheltered and your welcome assured.

May your soul smile in the embrace

of your Anam Cara.

—from Benedictus: A Book of Blessings

Father Tim Power loved his life as a human being. He loved

being a Catholic priest. He told me it was a great joy to serve

as a priest for 50 years in the Church renewed by the Second

Vatican Council. He loved his Irish heritage, making several

journeys to the land of his ancestors. Celtic spirituality fed

his spirit.

But most of all, he was in love with God. And that is why he

wasn’t afraid of death. He was ready and actually excited

about “going home” and being embraced in the purest

circle of love. For Tim, death was all about belonging to God

forever, just as he belonged to God during his time on earth.

I offer this blessing

by John O’Donohue,

the late Irish spiritual

writer. I think it

captures perfectly

how Tim made himself

available to death.

—Father Bill Murtaugh

The Great HomecomingFather J. Timothy Power

10/13/1939 — 9/21/2016

page 2

Tim is my Dad’s brother, and uncle to me, my seven

siblings, my cousin Sandy, Sandy’s late sister Pam,

and all our children and grandchildren. My Dad died

at the young age of 42. We kids were teenagers and

little kids living in Indiana. My husband, Hugh, and I

moved to Minnesota right after our wedding in 1969.

I feel I have had the honor and privilege to know and

be close to Tim and his sister, my aunt Francie. It

has given me the gift of feeling and being close to

my father’s family.

Tim’s homily when he married Hugh and me 47

years ago was about the Velveteen Rabbit by

Margery Williams. Tim loves children’s books and

his homilies many times reference the wisdom within

those pages. In the book, the Skin Horse tells the

following to the Rabbit: “Real is something that

happens to you when you are loved for a long, long

time. It happens bit by bit. You become. It takes

a long time and can hurt. You can’t break easily

or have sharp edges or be carefully kept. By the

time you are REAL your hair has been loved off,

you are loose in your joints, and you are shabby.”

We three – Tim, Hugh, and I – all now resemble

that well-loved and quite shabby rabbit, but it

doesn’t matter because we know we have been

well-loved and have become REAL.

Tim has taught us how to use the grace of time

on this earth with our loved ones and many

others. He has shown

us how to die while

living and how to live

while dying. And he

has done it with grace

and humor. Whether

you have a total time

of 77 years or only six

months left of your time

on this earth, your life is

a blessing to those you

touch.

Uncle Tim

Tim has had the grace of some six months of time

in hospice with no pain, time to love, converse with

friends and loved ones, to talk about memories, to

see hurts resolved, to always let his amazing laugh

loose, to share the stories and cartoons and letters,

and to know the fact that only in adversity do we

have the crucial memories that can sustain us in our

beloved life. Thank you my REAL Tim for all of these

blessings. –Kathleen Power Smith

Tim loved spending time at Whitefish Lake.

page 3

Saint Francis wrote his beautiful Canticle of the Creatures

toward the end of his life as a type of testament to his

spirituality. After giving praise to God, the celestial and

terrestrial worlds, he ends his song with the following lines:

All praise be yours, my Lord, through those who grant pardon for love of you;

through those who endure sickness and trial.

Happy those who endure in peace, by you, Most High, they will be crowned.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Death, from whose embrace no mortal can escape.

Woe to those who die in mortal sin!

Happy those She finds doing your will! The second death can do no harm to them.

I have been reminded of these words every time that I have

visited Tim Power over these last months, especially the key

concept of Francis: Sister Death. Tim has embraced his own

death in such serenity and peace that it appears as if he is

completely living in the Spirit of Francis.

Francis believed that those who have surrendered in their lives

prepare themselves for the great surrender of passing over into

God. How do we surrender according to Francis? We must

do three things (and I do not believe Francis meant this as an

exhaustive list). We need to extend mercy to others because

we have been forgiven ourselves. We must not only endure

our own illness and trials, but we must also endure

with others as they go through the same (this is what

compassion is, suffering with others as the ultimate act

of love). And we also must endure in peace.

These three qualities of mercy, compassion, and

peace have characterized Tim Power’s life and

ministry. He has shown me over the years what

it means to be a merciful, compassionate, and

peaceful human being!

–Steven J. McMichael, OFM Conv.

Father Tim Powerand the Spirit of Francis of Assisi

One of Father Tim’s great stories is how he came

to be J. Timothy Power. It seems the family

plan was for him to have the first name of

Timothy as his great uncle prepared to baptize

him. However, when it came time to produce

the baptismal certificate at the time of his First

Communion, his family discovered that his uncle,

doing the baptism in Latin as was the custom

at the time, ended up naming Tim after himself:

John Timothy Power. Ever after that Fr. Tim

signed his formal name as J. Timothy Power.

An endearing characteristic of Fr. Tim is his ability

to put aside his innate introversion and mix and

mingle with people at all the appropriate times.

Watching him personally greet families before Mass

and catching him asking about events in people’s

lives as they entered church on a weekend, belies

the fact that he would much rather enjoy a quiet

time with some favorite reading.

The and Other StoriesJ

Telling self-deprecating stories to illustrate a point is another Fr. Tim

practice. One in particular comes to mind in which he urged us to

make the best use of our time in this life. He recalled a recent incident

in which he had car trouble in some small community. He recounted

that he became quite impatient with the mechanics who seemed to

be taking much longer than he thought necessary with the repair. He

was about to let his frustration get the better of him when he suddenly

realized that there was really no rush for him that day and that he

could probably make much better use of his time

in prayer. –Shari Steffen, Pax Christi Trustee

page 4

Fr. Tim’s preaching on Sundays, weddings, and funerals captured our attention, touching our heads and

hearts with multiple stories reflecting the gospel message. Because of a desire expressed by Tim and the

Parish Council in 1991 to open preaching to diverse, qualified voices, Patricia and I co-founded Partners in

Preaching, a ministry to train lay people for preaching within a liturgical context. For those of us privileged to

preach at Pax, the model was Tim.

In the autumn of 1997, in Cincinnati, Ohio, the Catholic Coalition on Preaching hosted its third National

Conference. Father Tim and I were invited to present a breakout workshop on the ministry of lay preaching. Also

in attendance were several members of Pax Christi’s lay preaching team. Their encouragement of the two of us

was clear, not only in hugs and well wishes, but also in the bouquets of flowers delivered to each of our rooms.

Our workshop went well, as did the entire conference. I found myself filled

with gratitude. In the process of checking out from the hotel, I brought my

bouquet of flowers down to the main ballroom and placed them before a

lovely statue of Mary. Catching sight of Tim, I asked him what had become of

his bouquet.

“I gave it to the woman who cleaned my room, “ he replied.

At times, I still place flowers before a statue of Mary in our home. But thanks

to Tim’s example, I remember that flesh and blood people are the most

appropriate recipients of our grateful sharing.

–Patricia Hughes Baumer, Pax Christi parishioner

Preacher, Storyteller of God

Statue of Limitations

page 5

Maureen Dudley and Ann Gaul blessing Tim on his

25th Anniversary as a priest.

Several years ago, I had the opportunity to interview Tim on

how he prepared to preach, and discovered the disciplined,

prayerful way he went about it. Most recently, at my

request, he shared with me his thick funeral preaching

file which opens with eight hand-written pages of 241

titles followed by corresponding stories, examples, and

reflections gathered from multiple sources over 26 years,

each with underlined passages or notes that could help

heal people in their time of grief. This kind of disciplined,

decades-long work made him the incomparable shepherd/

storyteller we were privileged to know. Page #237 reflects

his humor and humility. In his handwriting is: “End of Construction. Thank

You for Your Patience.” (The marker on the grave of Ruth Graham at the

Billy Graham Library, Charlotte, NC). –Fred A. Baumer, Pax Christi parishioner

This, in no way, is meant to be a complete story of Fr. Tim’s life with the Eden

Prairie Fire Department, but rather a few stories about how he influences our

lives daily. Tim has always been focused on doing things in this life to make the

world a better place, and he did so by having a plan for what could be, and then

gently going about nurturing the plan.

The Eden Prairie Fire Department will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2017,

and a person who’s never been a firefighter has had a major impact on the

organization for a big portion of these initial 50 years. That person is Fr. Tim

Power. Tim always brought the light to darkness.

Fr. Tim Power and the Eden Prairie Fire Department

Early on, then firechief Ron Johnson recognized the need for a chaplain program. Ron’s neighbor offered his

help to formalize and lead the program. Luckily, that neighbor was Fr. Tim Power. Taking on the chaplain

program was no surprise, as Tim had always been an active supporter of the fire department. He supported

the department by purchasing fundraiser pancake breakfast tickets from Chief Johnson and, as you

would expect from Tim, he would give them to Eden Prairie families in need. Offering to help lead the fire

department chaplain program seemed to fit nicely into a larger plan of serving.

Fr. Tim always seemed to have a plan. After arriving at a few fire scenes, Tim quickly saw the ravages of fire

and its impact on the fire victims. Retired Fire Inspector Chuck Schaitberger recalls that Tim frequently would

show up at the same time as the fire department. As a Fire Investigator, Chuck appreciated having Fr. Tim there

to support the homeowners. Fr. Tim was so good at comforting people; it made the job of investigating the fire

that much easier. Chuck cited a time when a homeowner asked Fr. Tim for a family keepsake from their home.

Given direction, Chuck was able to go in and return with a large family Bible, a priceless item to that family.

Tim set the bar extremely high for how an organization honors those who serve above and beyond. Retired

Fire Chief Spencer Conrad remembers asking Fr. Tim for some assistance with the fire department Firefighter

of the Year Award. Fr. Tim arranged for a beautiful award plaque to be made to honor the selected firefighter.

More importantly, Tim showed up every year to present the award, coupled with his brief and powerful words

of perspective. Somehow when reflections come from Tim they are always more impactful. He was able to go

beyond the obvious deeds of the recipient and point out their more subtle strengths and how they fit into the

mission of being a firefighter. Yet another example of Fr. Tim bringing the light and shining it on somebody else.

A number of years ago Tim presided over the funeral of the mother of Assistant Chief Kip Springer. Kip passed

along some words Fr. Tim spoke that day, which continue to resonate with Kip and also embody what Fr. Tim has

meant to the Eden Prairie Fire Department: “Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you

can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as you ever can.”

Father Tim has always been there to lend an ear, a hand in support, and his full heart to anyone who needed

it. His presence alone would fill the room with peace. He will be deeply missed and fondly remembered by

all who were fortunate enough to have known him.

Fr. Tim’s impact on the EPFD can never be properly recognized. His deeds have placed an indelible mark on

the organization and upon all of those who have served and been served by the EPFD. He will never really be

gone; his legacy is forever in our actions, our mindsets, and our grace.

George F. Esbensen

Fire Chief/Director of Emergency Preparedness

City of Eden Prairie

page 6

Fr. Tim Power and the Eden Prairie Police Department

Thank you Father Tim

On behalf of the Eden Prairie Police Department, I would like to express our

deepest sympathy to Pax Christi on the passing of Father Tim Power. Father Tim

was a faithful servant to the residents of Eden Prairie in many ways, including

serving as a chaplain for the Eden Prairie Police and Fire Departments.

Father Tim was one of the original chaplains when the program started in 1992.

In his role as a volunteer chaplain he served on-call, responding to people in

crisis in the community. He would arrive on the scene of an accident, fire, death,

or crime, and in his insightful and patient manner, he would console anguished

people, providing them with spiritual care. Oftentimes he would show up at a

scene before the call had gone out requesting a chaplain. It was like he

just knew when and where he was needed.

As first responders, we often need spiritual care as well, and Father Tim

was there to provide it. He would show up at the department during or

after a major event and provide comfort to those who had witnessed

tragedies – police officers, investigators, dispatchers, and anyone else

impacted by an incident. His calming presence, compassion, and discretion

made him an invaluable member of our team. We considered him one of us.

In addition to his ministry of presence, Father Tim served on the Eden Prairie

Crime Prevention Fund board for more than decade, retiring in January 2016.

While serving on the board, Father Tim consistently displayed thoughtful

wisdom and guidance by example. He focused his board work on promoting

safety and trust, building relationships with the community and police

officers, and increasing crime prevention awareness.

During his recent illness, Father Tim was no longer able to visit us at the

police department, but we felt his presence in our daily work. We remembered

the compassionate way he treated others, his selflessness, and his generosity.

While Father Tim will no longer grace the doorway of our department, his

legacy will live on in the life lessons he taught us. Rest in peace, Father Tim.

Sincerely,

James G. DeMann

Police Chief

City of Eden Prairie

Fr. Tim in his Police Department uniform.

Fr. Tim in his Fire Department uniform.

page 7

page 8

ear and a responding body. Tim knew that so

well. Thus, it was no accident that for one of the

final Masses of his life, a Eucharist celebrating

his 50 years of priesthood, Tim chose two of the

lesser known parables of Jesus in Matthew as the

gospel for the celebration. He quietly proclaimed,

as though he had written it himself, “The reign of

God is like a mustard seed…. The reign of God is like

yeast which a woman took and kneaded into three

measures of flour….” Both of them are stories of the

slow yet inevitable growth of the Kingdom, one so

earthy, the other so feminine.

Tim waxed eloquently about how he had witnessed

that growth at St. Timothy’s, at St. Edward’s, and at

Pax Christi, and how grateful he was for the years

of his life and of his priesthood. St. Francis de Sales

once said: “The only wisdom is humility.” Even as

Tim preached, we gathered around him and knew

that, for us, Tim was — and will always be — the

farmer who planted the mustard seed, the woman

who kneaded the yeast. Long live J. Timothy Power!

Long live our Shanachie!

–Dick Rice

J. Timothy Power –

Our ShanachieWe will all remember Tim as a story-teller. We will

tell the stories we recall from weddings and funerals

that he presided. We will recount the stories that

touched us when we came to Church down and

depressed and savored when we came joyful and

grateful. Yes, Tim was a story-teller, and yet more

than a story-teller.

The Irish have a word for what Tim was and will

always be for us. That word is SHANACHIE. In the

Celtic world, the shanachie was the right hand of the

chief. He carried the history of the clan, but more

importantly, he was keeper of the wisdom of the

people. Tim embodied the history of Pax Christi,

but also of so many families, whose loved ones he

had married, baptized, given first communion, and

buried. Deeper still, Tim was the Wisdom person of

our community. Briefly put, Wisdom “is God’s way

of looking at things.” Tim always pointed us to our

God, always reminded us of who was “Chief.”

There is an Irish adage, which I just made up, that

you can tell the heart and soul of the story teller by

the stories he chooses to tell. Stories both reveal

and hide. They almost demand both a listening

Tim was a gentle soul. He was also a gifted

storyteller; perhaps one of the most essential gifts

for a priest/presider. Given the sheer number

of Masses, baptisms, weddings, and funerals, he

presided over, week after week, year after year,

(over 160 weddings one year as I remember) he had

the knack for condensing messages down to their

most essential. Tim got to the heart of things with

a simplicity that was not simplistic. And he had a

wonderful sense of humor.

This was beautifully expressed in his body language

while giving a homily. He walked around the altar

while he spoke, (without notes, I would add) in such

a casual, friendly manner, one arm around the Bible,

the other free to gesture. And when he got to the

heart of the message, he came to a stop, closing

his free and open hand into a gesture that was like

distilling the essence of something to a fine point,

as if he were standing on a treasure. The way his

Tribute to Tim Powershoulders were poised and the timbre of his voice

said several things at once: “This is the heart of the

Gospel friends, wake up to it. Live it. And, I am at

home in this role; I deeply enjoy this task.”

I greatly admire Tim’s quiet vision: that a large

community like Pax would be well served by having

outside voices become part of the community from

time to time. A gifted mime/liturgist came, so did

a family therapist, and I was fortunate to follow

them, having been invited to work with parish

leaders around their spiritual lives. I, a Protestant

clergywoman, was also invited to preach (31 years

ago). A great privilege, that was risky. It still is risky.

But Tim took the risk. I will always be grateful for this.

May the treasures of a life of faith that he shared

with us so richly be matched by the countless new

treasures he will receive in his new life.

–Julie Neraas, Presbyterian Minister and former visiting staff

page 9

Every parish in the Archdiocese, actually every

parish in the church universal, is established by

decree of the bishop. Then the newly formed parish

receives a priest who is appointed its first pastor.

From that point on, the priest is not only identified

as the first pastor, but he also bears the distinction

of being the parish’s founder. Tim Power carries

both of those mantles as the first pastor of Pax

Christi Catholic Community and its founder.

Much has been written down and also shared

through oral tradition about the beginning days

and years of the formulation of Pax Christi Catholic

Community. I do not need to repeat or elaborate on

it further. What I would like to share is the founder

and first pastor has a unique and special place in the

history of the parish but also in the hearts of those

who established and worked alongside of him as the

parish began to take form and shape.

From my vantage point, being immersed into the life

of Pax Christi, I was privy to some first generation

of parishioners giving testimony to the WAY Pax

Christi went about being the Catholic Community

Reflections from a Former Pastortoday. To an individual, they simply have said and

keep saying “we did it together.” Tim’s enduring

gift, as the first pastor and founder, was to engage

each person; their time, talent, and material

resources, collaborating to build Pax Christi into the

faith community it is today. As generations ponder

Tim’s ministry and recall his unique role in the life

of Pax Christi, it will be to remember this: “a faith

community formed and shaped by the gospel must

include each member who stands around the table

of the Lord and be nourished and inspired by Word

and Sacrament. Then, each member is sent out, to

minister to one another and those most in need.”

Tim Power established that ideal from day one, and

this ideal continues to guide the present generation

who gather at Pax Christi to this very day. It is and

will always remain his gift to Pax Christi.

–Fr. Patrick Kennedy

Tim proves that you can get a “C” in religion and still be a priest.

page 10

page 11

After serving as founder and pastor to Pax Christi Catholic

Community for over 23 years, Fr. Tim Power addressed the parish

lay leadership group he helped build for the last time. He knew that

because the parish was part of a much larger local church, change

was inevitable and his influence and the creativity that blossomed

while he was pastor could fade over time. Gone were the sung-

homilies, the actor playing a homeless man in the pews, visiting

staff, and the Leaven Center. At risk were many other unique

features of Pax Christi that attracted so many of the members

from across the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area.

Fr. Tim addressed the group as one would expect a true

servant leader would. He diminished his role as pastor and

told us that the work done over the first 23 years would

carry on if we do just “one thing”. That “one thing” was to

continue to build and maintain a strong Lay Leadership

model as intended by the Second Vatican Council. It

was what Pope John XXIII envisioned.

Fr. Tim’s influence is still alive and well as Pax Christi

Catholic Community celebrates 35 years as a parish. The

Lay Leadership model continues to play a critical role in

attracting new members and engaging existing members while receiving accolades from National

Stewardship organizations and the leadership of the Archdiocese.

Eight years ago, the Community Council was working on a restatement of parish values and mission. As in

any organization, values and mission should not change significantly over time. I reached out to Fr.Tim out of

concern that our restatement of values and mission matched the intent of the original authors. His response

was overwhelmingly simple and selfless. He said, “If done prayerfully, everything will be just fine.” It became

clear to me that Fr. Tim was confident in the

established Lay Leadership model and knew if

done in partnership with God, the control was

in the right hands.

Both at his last lay leadership meeting at Pax

Christi and in this instance, I saw the face of

God in Fr. Tim Power. His impact on me as a

leader and other lay leaders will indeed be

around for a long time.

–Bruce Koehn, Pax Christi Trustee

A LEADER BEYOND HIS DAYSSome things stay with you for a long time...

On a recent trip to Iceland I ran across the following

folk tale. It holds a very important moral for us on the

spiritual journey. Here is the tale.

One day, a man named Thordur, set out from his farm

so that he could do some trading in town. It was winter

and the snow had drifted so deeply that he lost his

way. But he continued on, carrying his merchandise in a

bag, hoping to find the trail. At nightfall he came across

some warehouses that he did not recognize. Going up

to them he discovered a light in one of the windows,

and at the same time heard some delightful music.

He knocked on the door and it was opened by a well

dressed man who asked him what he could do for him.

Thordur told him how he had lost his way, and begged,

if it were possible, for a night’s shelter. He was not only

welcomed in but treated to a rich supper along with

some fine wine. The host also promised that the next day

he would do trade with Thordur and promised that his

bargains would be better than any to be found in town.

Thordur woke up the next morning wondering if he had

dreamed this whole thing. But he was not dreaming. A

wonderful breakfast was served him and then he was

led into the trading room, which was filled with every

kind of merchandise. Thordur showed his host his wares,

and received from him in exchange more than half

again what he would have got for them in town. When

the trading was finished the master offered him a gift,

a cloak for his wife and cakes for his children, saying to

him, “These and many other good turns shall you have

at my hands, as token of my gratitude to you for having

saved my son from death. Once, you were standing with

some other young men, waiting for a good wind to take

your boat out. Your companions amused themselves by

throwing stones at some birds on a rock. My son was

asleep under that rock for he had worked through the

night. You stopped the others from throwing stones at

the birds, although they laughed at you and called you

strange. But had you not prevented them from throwing

stones, they would have killed my son.”

Then Thordur prepared to return to his farm and his

host bid him “Godspeed.” After walking a few minutes

he turned to catch a last glimpse of where he had spent

Spiritually Speaking:

Folk Tale Holds Important Moral for Us

the night, but saw nothing except rocks and the edge of

a bog. Then he understood that the kind merchant was

an elf and he hastened home to share his adventure and

his traded wares with his family and neighbors.

The moral of the story is timely and powerful. It tells

us that we may be saving someone’s life when we

confront any kind of brutality or stupidity. We need

to have the courage to say “Stop that!” when we see

any misuse of power, any expression of greed, at the

utterance of any lie (even if it be a little white one), or

even the throwing of a stone at a little bird. Saying it

early and often may save a life.

P.S. I have been writing in this column for over 10 years

and find that it is time to take a breather. So, for the

time being, this is my final contribution to “Spiritually

Speaking.” My thanks to all of you who have graciously

taken the time to read these articles. To you all I say

“Godspeed.” –Fr. Tim Power

As printed in the Eden Prairie News - October 9, 2008

page 12