April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
PERSPECTIVE
Homily for Father Rooney
Homily for Father Rooney
Father John Rooney was an athlete, an intense athlete. He ran 19 marathons in Boston and New York, and who knows how many thousands of miles he ran -- especially through the streets of his beloved Albany. Surely, he climbed hundreds of mountains, and he even reshaped my nose on the basketball court.
He brought this same intensity to his spiritual journey. He knew his need for God and God's love for him. He learned this from his Irish-born parents, Delia and Patrick. He loved St. Patrick and St. Joseph.
John loved his pastoral ministry and his teaching of our faith. If ever there were a priest who fit the description of a pastor as "one who smells of the sheep" (as Pope Francis put it), it is Father John.
His commitment to youth, especially the CYO (Catholic Youth Organization) -- moving it into the direction of teen retreats and peer ministry -- was creative and inspired. He really delighted in teaching at Mercy High School in Albany and Catholic Central High in Troy. He was very bright and always kept up with theology, especially in the light of Vatican II.
He loved his parishioners at Sacred Heart in Albany, where he served for 25 years, and at Immaculate Heart of Mary in Watervliet, where he served for another six years. He was always visiting people in jail, standing next to them in Police Court and spending time with them daily in hospitals and nursing homes. He was on the scene of every shooting that took place in the neighborhood and at the home of those who had lost a loved one.
Pastoral ministry was the center of his life and his joy. He was and still is a great inspiration to me, and to so many of us. We shared so many friends, including Revs. John Malecki, Pete Young, Joe Anselment, Charlie Gaffigan and Charlie Lockwood. Deacon Mark Leonard told me that "J.J." was like a father to him - and, I can imagine, to many more.
The "Y" on Washington Avenue in Albany was his second home. He was even named its "Man of the Year."
John's last 12 years with Parkinson's disease had been a profound sharing in the passion and death of Jesus, and this time of his life and death draw us into the great mystery of our faith. During all these years, he never asked why, never complained about his illness. There was no self-pity.
John loved his family; his mother and father; Sister Patrick, a Little Sister of the Poor; his sister, Anne; and his two brothers, Martin and Hugh; and of course, his nephews and nieces. During his illness, his nephew, Mike Rooney, kept a good eye on him. He was also befriended by Louise, who was a wonderful help to him.
I think of the wonderful words of Jesus to His disciples at the Last Supper: "I will see you again, and when I see you, your grief will be turned to joy."[[In-content Ad]]
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