Visiting Fr. Paul

Looking back now, it's like a bad dream. Fr. Paul died in January and less than a month later Uncle Arch followed.

Dad was a pall bearer at both funerals and he vividly recalls incidences at both which will probably stay with him for a long time. In the case of Fr. Paul's funeral and burial, he will remember Uncle Arch leaning over his brother's casket, grief stricken and obviously feeling the loss of his older brother. Little did we know at the time that Uncle Arch would soon be joining Fr. Paul in heaven.

Those memories were on Dad's mind today when he wheeled his bicycle off 36th Street and made the short climb up the hill into St. John Cemetery, where Fr. Paul is buried. If you were to compare burial spots to stadium seats, Fr. Paul is about 12 rows up behind home plate, or on the equivalent of the 50-yard line at a football field. His final resting place is among priests from other Polish parishes in the Omaha archdiocese.

Much like the rest of the plants in this area, new grass is just pushing up through the soil on the grave. When it fills in, it'll be as plush as the fairway on a golf course. A red vigil light in a gold frame stands tall just a few feet from the headstone. The stone itself is pristine, freshly cut with Fr. Paul's date of birth (Sept. 26, 1925), date of death (Jan. 22, 2008) and an artist's rendering of the ship (CVE 16) he served on during his time in the Navy.

This will be the first of many visits to see Fr. Paul's final resting place. Each will probably bring back a different memory. He touched many lives. He is missed.