ON World Youth Day in 2014, Pope Francis challenged young people with this message: “Do you really want to be happy? In an age when we are constantly being tempted by vain and empty illusions of happiness, we risk settling for less and living ‘small.’ Instead: Think big! Open your heart! As Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati once said, ‘To live without faith, to have no heritage to uphold, to fail to struggle constantly to defend the truth: This is not living, it is getting by. We should never just get by, but really live.’”(Pope Francis, Happiness in this Life. Published by Random House, New York, 2017)
Two priests, who died this past month, lived these words of Pope Francis to the fullest. Not only did they “think big” and opened their hearts, but they also thought “long”—long years of service! They didn’t merely get by in the priesthood; they prospered and achieved! They were Fr. Michael J. Mandala, SJ, 71 years old and Msgr. James J. Loughnane, 81 years old. Both priests left a significant legacy to the people of God in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Fr. Mandala was a Jesuit for 54 years and a priest for 41 years, while Msgr. Loughnane was a priest for 47 years.
I knew Fr. Michael J. Mandala when I was the pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church.
He was the dean in our area and the pastor of Blessed Sacrament Church. I remember him working hard to bring faith and life to a challenging and diverse parish community of Hollywood. He reached out to the “unchurched,” the undocumented, the LGBT, and others who felt alienated in the society. He advocated for affordable housing for underprivileged people and senior citizens. Along with his staff and parishioners, he provided food, clothing, and shower for the homeless. He kept the parish school open despite its struggling enrollment.
Fr. Sebastian described Fr. Michael’s legacy in a few simple and familiar words during his funeral sermon for his dear friend: He had a deep love for God and neighbors.
Msgr. James J. Loughnane is also known as a tireless priest. Not only that he dedicated his life as a pastor, but he also headed various committees and councils in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. When Bishop Oscar Solis left Los Angeles to head the Diocese of Salt Lake City, Utah, Msgr. Loughnane bravely took his position as Episcopal Vicar of San Pedro Region while still the pastor of St. Denis Church in Diamond Bar.
Priests and parishioners will always remember Msgr. Loughnane for his high energy, hard work, holiness, humor, and love for the Church and the priesthood. “He had no other agenda except the welfare of the Church and the archdiocese,” Fr. Sebastian, the presider during his Vigil Service, remarked. “He would go to almost every wedding reception of his parishioners,” one of the eulogists said.
As I reflect on the lives of these two noblemen and their dedication to their vocation, I cannot help but become inspired in my life too as a priest. I’m eager to continue dedicating my life wholeheartedly to serve the People of God. In it, I also find my meaning, purpose, and happiness.
St. Denis Church aptly put on its website the words of Pope Francis to memorialize their loving and hardworking deceased pastor, “One who serves and gives seems defeated in the eyes of the world. Because a life divested of itself, losing itself in love, emulates Christ: he conquers death and gives life to the world.”
In these times when the Catholic Church is undergoing crisis because of clerical sex scandals, we can find solace and hope in the lives of priests like Fr. Michael J. Mandala and Msgr. James J. Loughnane. Some priests and bishops fell and failed the Church by their grave crimes and sins, but let’s not forget those who led an exemplary life of service. Let’s not forget those who are faithful to their vows and vocation. Let’s pray that all of us continue thinking big, opening our hearts, and dedicating our lives to serve God, our families, friends, and communities.
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From a Filipino immigrant family, Reverend Rodel G. Balagtas was ordained to the priesthood from St. John’s Seminary in 1991. He served as Associate Pastor at St. Augustine, Culver City (1991-1993); St. Martha, Valinda (1993-1999); and St. Joseph the Worker, Canoga Park (1991-2001). In 2001, he served as Administrator Pro Tem of St. John Neumann in Santa Maria, CA, until his appointment as pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary, Los Angeles, in 2002, which lasted 12 years. His term as Associate Director of Pastoral Field Education at St. John’s Seminary began in July 2014.