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Homilies | Monday, March 04, 2019

A witness of hope, priestly integrity and joy

Archbishop Wenski's homily at funeral Mass for Father Lawrence Lyons

Archbishop Thomas Wenski preached this homily at the funeral Mass for Father Lawrence Lyons, which was celebrated March 4, 2019 at St. Helen Church, Fort Lauderdale.

Father Larry Lyons celebrated his 90th birthday last November. The Lord blessed him with length of days and, through his 64 years of priestly ministry, the Lord has blessed countless numbers of people. But given his advanced age – and the fact that he was retired from active ministry for more than two decades – we could say that there are probably many more people “on the other side” to welcome him into Eternal Life than there are here today “on this side” to bid him farewell. But the number of people here today does witness to the impact of this priest on the lives of so many people.

Many people here today knew him both as a chaplain at our neighboring Catholic Health Services facilities but also as a client. Since the 1990s, he lived next door and stayed over the years in each of three facilities: St. Joseph Towers, St. Joseph Assisted Living and St. John’s Nursing. As the director of Catholic Health Services, Joe Catania, said in Father’s obituary: He will be missed. Joe, you and your staff took very good care of him. When I visited him after Christmas, he expressed his gratitude for all care and kindness shown to him by CHS. Thank you for all that CHS does for its clients – and for what you all did for Father Lyons.

Today, some of Father’s relatives are here – and we are grateful to the Lyons’ family for the gift of this man whose earthly pilgrimage has now ended with his return to the Lord. Trusting in the mercy of God, we commend his soul to the Lord and pray that the Lord will give him the reward promised to those who were “good and faithful servants” in this life.

Before coming to the Archdiocese, Father Lyons was a member of the Society of St. Edmund. Holding several academic degrees, he was eventually assigned to Venezuela where he worked in seminary formation. This was, in part, a response to Pope St. John XXIII’s call in the early ‘60s that countries rich in vocations would send 10 percent of their clergy to work in Latin America because of the shortage of priests there. He did that for a good number of years – and when he felt that Venezuela had a growing number of native born clergy, he came to South Florida where, because of our rapid growth, we had – and still have – a critical shortage of priests.

Before settling in as a chaplain next door, he served here in the Archdiocese in both of our seminaries. He taught at St. Vincent de Paul Seminary when I was still a student there over 42 years ago.

Every person’s life is lived under the sign of the Cross. Experience shows, especially when that experience is interpreted in the light of the wisdom that age gives, experience shows that life’s difficulties, by God’s grace, contribute to peoples’ growth and the forging of their character. From adversity comes a light that can brighten the years of old age, for as St. John Chrysostom said: Tribulations not only do not destroy hope, they are its foundation. And so, especially in his mature years as he coped with the trials and challenges of aging, Father Lyons gave us a witness to hope, a witness of priestly integrity and the joy that comes from walking through this life as a friend of Jesus.

As priests we know our own human frailty and like Larry, we are privileged to carry this immense treasure of our priesthood in earthen vessels; and so we are not shy in asking for prayers for Larry – and when we die, we beg your prayers for us, confident that the love of Jesus Christ who gave us the gift of the priesthood is stronger than death.

For the priests here, it is a special bond that unites them to Larry Lyons, a priestly bond of solidarity and communion. This special bond is “stronger than death” – for we were ordained like Melchisedek of old, “priests forever.”

We pray confidently, comforted by the words of St. Paul: “If we have died with him, we shall also live with him; if we persevere, we shall also reign with him.”

In gratitude for his faith, his long years of priestly service, and his perseverance in his vocation, we commend him to Mary, the mother of all priests, whom we invoke as the Queen of the Apostles and the Mother of the clergy.

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