Words of Remembrance
Church of St. Joseph, Needham, February 1, 2008
Funeral Mass for Father Daniel J. Kennedy, Jr.
On behalf of our family, I would like to thank Cardinal Seán, Bishop Hennessey, Father Westcott, Father Armano, and Monsignor McGann. I would also like to thank everyone at St. John the Evangelist in Winthrop who have helped him, Father Bourke and especially Joe Mazzone who will be ordained to the diaconate tomorrow. I also want to thank everyone who has been so kind to us in the past few days.
Many have asked; “What can we do to help you?” I have a suggestion for your consideration on what could be done to help our family. Please pray for vocations to the priesthood. Every morning when you rise from bed offer your entire day for an increase in vocations to the priesthood. Thank you!
Shortly before his Ordination, while Danny was having breakfast with me here in Needham, he looked me straight in the eye and with great ‘conviction’ said; “Dad, I intend to be GOOD at this”… and, he was!
I am also reminded of a story that I wanted to relate at his Ordination Reception but did not because I didn’t want to incur his ire. As you may well know, he was not reticent in expressing consternation and I feared for my life if I had told this story. As the Lord said; “Be hot or be cold but don’t be lukewarm.” I don’t think anyone would ever accuse Father Dan of being lukewarm! Now, I can tell the story with fear of reprisal.
Many years ago when he was 7 years old, he played an exceptional hockey game at the Fitzpatrick Hockey Rink in Holyoke against a team from South Hadley. He scored (6) goals in that game; quite an accomplishment for a young boy. On the way home that night when we were driving past the old Westfield Sanitarium on East Mountain Road he looked up at the stars in the sky and said, “I wonder what God is doing tonight?” I was shocked by that remark as most young kids would have been thinking about the (6) goals, the pinnacle of a young life, yet he wanted to know ‘what God was doing tonight’. I really don’t remember what I said, probably, “God must be pleased that you scored (6) goals.” (Actually, he could have scored more goals if he didn’t spend so much time in the penalty box).
Now, ‘he’ knows what God is doing tonight!
Shortly after he arrived at St. John the Evangelist he was called to the hospital to anoint a dying woman. The woman asked him if ‘he’ knew what Heaven was like. He told her that he had no idea what Heaven was like. Then he added, “In a few days, ‘you’ will know what Heaven is like and the rest of us will still be down here scratching our ‘heads’. In his own unique way he was able to offer her, hope of Heaven. After he left the hospital the dying woman told her daughter that she wanted that young priest to say her Funeral Mass. A few days later a call came to the Rectory requesting that Father Kennedy say the Funeral Mass for the woman. That staff at the Rectory queried him and said, “You just arrived in Winthrop and already people are requesting ‘you’ to say Funeral Masses?”
Now, ‘he’ knows…..what Heaven is like…and the rest of us are still down here scratching ‘our’ heads.
I have been fearful that this day would occur; for me it is not totally unanticipated. In at least three consecutive generations in the history of our Kennedy Clan, parents have been asked to return a son to the Lord. This marks the 4th generation. Consequently, for some time, I have been prepared to cite a verse which I believe is appropriate and I hope that I can proclaim it with ‘conviction’.
“THE LORD GIVETH AND THE LORD TAKETH AWAY….BLESSED BE THE NAME OF THE LORD.”
In the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
- Daniel J. Kennedy, Sr.
