July 3, 2009
The Second Half
Timely gift
BY DEACON JIM AND ANN CAVERA
Our family lived one block south of St. Stephens Church in Grand Rapids, Mich. On the same street, Graham McDonnell’s family lived one block north of the church. Graham and his sister Sheila were about 10 years older than the Cavera boys and they were our favorite sitters when Mom and Dad went out for the day. In addition to playing games with us, Graham had a lively imagination and liked to play tricks on us, so we had to be on our guard. He even taught us how to play tricks on our parents. Graham went off to college, served time in the Navy and then went to Maryknoll to study for the priesthood. At age 15, I had the honor of serving as an altar boy at his ordination in our home parish.
After ordination, Father Graham went to New York to work with Father Keller in the Christopher Movement where he learned how to use radio and television as a tool for evangelization. Two years later he was sent to Japan as a missionary priest and this work in Japan became his lifelong passion. He loved to travel and became a noted professional photographer. On one of his trips to Israel with a group of Japanese students, he wandered off to take pictures, fell in a hole, broke his leg and became friends with his Muslim ambulance driver. The driver and his family cared for him during his convalescence and he later spoke of those weeks as the highlight of his trip. The words “never met a stranger” would be a fitting description of him.
Throughout the years, whenever Father Graham returned home, he often stayed at our house, especially after his parents died and his sister moved away. In 1975, just two weeks before my mother passed away, he arrived unexpectedly and celebrated Mass in her bedroom where she was confined. What a blessing that was for Mom and Dad. Often, he showed up at our back door with little or no warning, knowing Grandpa Joe always had room for him. One year, in the middle of a ferocious midnight storm, Grandpa answered a knock at the door and found a smiling, drenched Father Graham. In 2004, I drove half the night to be with my dad before surgery, only to discover Father Graham was already there. He had “stopped by” on his way to Europe. He had a knack for being there when we needed him the most.
This past Sunday, we drove to Grand Rapids to celebrate Mass with Father Graham at St. Stephens. He is still a parish priest in Japan, a difficult assignment in a country where Christians are a small minority. I had the great joy of once again serving on the altar with him as we celebrated his 51st anniversary as a priest. This Sunday, in spite of the fact that time had slowed his steps and diminished his voice he still had a twinkle in his eyes that let us know he was the same creative young man who kept us on our toes.
The church is blessed with so many Father Grahams, men enabled by the Holy Spirit to show up whenever and wherever they are most needed. Good priests, like golden threads, weave in and out of our lives stitching hearts together in seamless ways that defy time.
Deacon Jim and Ann Cavera are former residents of Evansville; their award-winning column is a regular feature of the Message. Contact them at www.catholicseniorspirit.com.