New Light on the Internet

My 2008 trip to North Easton, Mass. where I was able to make a Christmas Eve morning visit to the grave site of ‘Rosary Priest’ Fr. Patrick Peyton, turned out to be one of those gifts that was to keep right on giving. The gift that keeps on giving brought some remarkable people into my life and often returned when it was least expected. Its latest return came with a goose-bump-raising surprise piercing straight through the ineffable sadness that surrounds the transfer of Father Paul Nicholson and the Latin Mass from St. Patrick’s Church in Kinkora, to London, Ontario. For me that sadness has been replaced by the most soaring of hope.

Feeling sorry for my melancholy self in the loss of Father and the Latin Mass, I almost missed it. But there among archived items on Father Nicholson’s Facebook page, I found the Rosary Priest again--this time much closer to home. Not only did the ‘Rosary Priest’ of “The Family that Prays Together Stays Together” fame actually visit St. Patrick’s Church in Kinkora on Oct. 7, 1952--but he actually started his world famous Rosary Crusade from the Diocese of London, Ont. I have written about the iconic late Fr. Peyton several times, never knowing that his Rosary Crusade, which drew millions of people, worldwide, began not in the U.S., but in London, Ontario. (Here)

This Sunday brings a farewell to both Fr. Nicholson, affectionately known as “Fr. Paul”, and the long-cherished Latin Mass at St. Patrick’s. The farewell is laden with the worry that the new location of the Mass in London is too far away for many of the parishioners who faithfully followed the Mass at Kinkora for four years--a Mass that brought all those blessed enough to be there, closer to Christ. In the sadness of his leaving, some may be overlooking the huge potential in Fr. Paul’s new role as ‘Mission Preacher for the New Evangelization’. At the invitation of his bishop, Bishop Ronald Peter Fabbro, Bishop of the Diocese of London, Fr. Paul is being given an extraordinary opportunity; an opportunity making St. Patrick’s loss the gain of the so many others his release will bring about. “Freed from the pastoral demands of a parish, I will be able to answer the needs of Catholics locally and internationally,” Fr. Nicholson posted on his popular FaceBook page. As a missionary for the New Evangelization, Fr. Paul will offer himself “to help my brother priests in these challenging times for the Church to preach parish missions and/or retreats. I offer myself to groups of laity (following their individual dioceses' protocols) to assist them in their ongoing formation. I will be vigorously using the social media to proclaim, with confidence and conviction, the glory of the Catholic faith.” If there is anything that belongs out in the open frontier of social media it’s “the glory of the Catholic faith”. Fr. Paul’s light switch is being turned on in social media during one of the darkest and most turbulent times in an era where God is increasingly banned from the Public Square and when Christians are persecuted worldwide. In his day, Fr. Peyton, now on his way to Sainthood, led millions back to prayer through the Rosary. Full of an energetic zeal that can only be described as infectious, the Rosary Priest was blessed with the kind of charisma that lured the likes of Bing Crosby, Jimmy Stewart, Gary Cooper and Charlton Heston, among others to his never-ending crusade. Six decades later, a zealous young priest known as Fr. Paul is bringing The Word to the Net. Fr. Peyton dedicated his life to the Mother of Jesus after crediting Her with his miraculous cure from tuberculosis. In his new role as Mission Preacher for the New Evangelization, Fr. Paul is following in the footsteps of the the Rosary Priest in dedicating his new mission to Mary, Mother of Christ. For one entire year, I was so blessed being able to attend the Latin Mass at St Patrick’s in Kinkora, where I learned so much from Fr. Paul, whose knowledge of theology, hagiography and history and the way he imparts them is unforgettable. Father says the credit belongs not to him but to the Holy Spirit. Meanwhile, Fr. Paul’s Church Militant TV’s regular videos for young catechists, God First are holding some adults as spellbound as the children he calls his “crackerjacks”. What I will carry the rest of my life from Fr. Paul are his poignant reminders that life on earth is a Valley of Tears; that the happiness of the world so many pursue is inevitably ephemeral and fleeting, but the joy of our Creator, eternal bliss. In the end, Fr. Paul Nicholson and his new mission prove once again that good comes from the London Diocese. Farewells are tinged with sadness no matter how and when they come. This Sunday when I see Fr. Paul for the last time, it won’t be “Farewell Father”, but “Go, Fr. Paul, go!” .

Judi McLeod——Bio and Archives -- Judi McLeod, Founder, Owner and Editor of Canada Free Press, is an award-winning journalist with more than 30 years’ experience in the print and online media. A former Toronto Sun columnist, she also worked for the Kingston Whig Standard. Her work has appeared throughout the ‘Net, including on Rush Limbaugh and Fox News.