Editor's Note

In God’s Hands

In 1981, Father Pedro Arrupe, Superior General of the Jesuit Order, suffered a stroke that left him paralyzed on his right side and virtually unable to speak. By 1983, when he resigned due to ill health, the only way he could communicate was with his eyes or the pressure of his left hand.

The Jesuits had called a General Congregation to accept Arrupe’s resignation and elect his successor. At the opening session, Arrupe was wheeled into the hall, and a prayer which he had written was read to the assembly:

“More than ever I find myself in the hands of God. This is what I have wanted all my life from my youth. But now there is a difference; the initiative is entirely with God. It is indeed a profound spiritual experience to know and feel myself so totally in God's hands.”

Surely this is an Easter story, a story of suffering and a kind of death giving way to, even being necessary for, a radiant, new spiritual life.

A radiant, new spiritual life is the hope and prayer of many in our Diocese for Father Frank Stangl, who went to his eternal rest on February 2^nd at age 79. I met Father Stangl last fall at Holy Trinity Church in Williamston, where he would often celebrate Sunday Mass. He was a friendly man, and we spoke briefly about common roots in Missouri. I learned that he had taught Scripture there, and his scholarship and his enjoyment in teaching were obvious in his homily. It was only after his passing that I learned about the incredibly varied scope of his life in ministry. You can read more about Father Stangl on page XX.

Beginning in January, with the Respect Life Rally in Raleigh and the March for Life in Washington, DC, and throughout the 40 Days for Life campaign during the season of Lent, so many in our Diocese have witnessed through prayer and presence to the sacredness of human life, from conception to natural death. In this issue you’ll see some pictures of those events.

Thank you, as always, for your letters of critique and encouragement. You can reach me at 715 Nazareth Street, Raleigh, NC 27606 or reece@raldioc.org.