the great homecoming 10/13/1939 — 9/21/2016 · my dad died at the young age of 42. we kids were...
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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.
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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...
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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