Que en Paz Descanse

Sadly, our friend and coworker Fr. Mike died just hours after we posted the last entry asking for prayers.  It all went so fast that we're just now processing all that has happened during the past week. After about a week in the hospital, the doctors told him that he had liver cancer. The cancer was also causing lots of blood clots. One of those clots killed him just 3 days later while he slept. We went in to visit him in the hospital on Thursday, the day before he found out his diagnoses. None of us had any idea it was so serious. He had obviously lost weight and had difficulty breathing, but other than that was the same old Mike. He joked, had us sneak him extra water behind the nurses' backs and complained that there was nothing good on television. We told him how big Joshua was getting  - the hospital wouldn't allow us to bring the baby in for a visit.  We made plans to get together once he was better and get caught up. 

Funeral services here last three days. The body is put on display for two days and then is buried on the third. We had the wake in Puente Alto, the poor parish where we worked together.  The church was filled all three days, with standing room only.  He has one sister, who made it down and was touched by the turnout and the love that the people felt for her brother.  She decided to have the body cremated and bring his remains home with her to the US. Once she saw all the emotion at the funeral though, she had second thoughts.  She now understood that Fr. Mike had much more family than she knew about.  We'll miss you, friend.