Thank you, Fr. Eldon, for loving the People of God and working to make the Church better. We'll miss you, but we rejoice that you and Fr. Lou are now shaking things up in heaven!
Friends
I just learned that Fr. Eldon Reichert S.M. went home to God this morning, March 20, 2010 at 8:00 a.m. He had suffered a stroke some nine years ago and was lovingly cared for by the Marianist community at Mercy Sienna Woods in Dayton Ohio. For the past week he has been under 24 hour hospice care with his family, friends, and Marianist brothers sitting with him. He went into respiratory failure a week ago but recognized everyone until the very end.
Fr. Eldon was a member of FutureChurch's founding steering committee and played an important role in writing our first mission statement. He was instrumental in the success of our first benefit dinner with Fr. Richard McBrien, personally convincing some 40-50 people to attend as walk-ins the night of the event (I kid you not). So many people came that the caterer's were stretched to the max. This gave rise to what has since been fondly remembered as "the miracle of the multiplication of the chicken."
Fr. Eldon was enthusiastic, energetic and heroic in his dedication to the poor in the St. Aloysius neighborhood where he served and in the City of Cleveland. He was a gifted priest and spiritual director to many a searching soul. He had a special love for the most abandoned and regularly visited brother priests imprisoned for sexual abuse. Eldon was a beloved friend of Fr. Lou Trivison whose Resurrection parish supported his ministry at St. Al's. Fr. Lou visited him faithfully in Dayton for the past nine years.
Fr. Eldon has donated his body to Wright State University Medical School. The Marianist Commuinity plans two memorial services in mid April, one in Dayton and one in Cleveland.
I will let you known when exact dates, times and places are made public.
In conclusion, I share what Fr. Eldon's friend and pastoral minister, Ginny Pippin wrote about him:
At this time of year, the words, "...and weren't our hearts burning," seem appropriate. When Louie Trivison and Eldon Reichert walked around Cleveland together, pored over their weekly homilies, and worked diligently for the Church because they loved it and wanted to make it better, our hearts burned with possibilities. Gratefully, what they and others have started will continue...
Amen, Alleluia, Amen.
Chris Schenk