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BY KATHI STEARNS
Staff Writer
ATLANTA--The work of a priest is similar to that of an itinerant gardener.
Planting seeds of faith in various communities, he has usually moved to new
fields before learning if any seeds have taken root, let alone flourished.
But on May 3, after 25 years as an archdiocesan priest, Father Richard Lopez
humbly caught a glimpse of the fruits of his labor as an overflow crowd
gathered at the Cathedral of Christ the King to honor his priesthood.
His mother, Ann, along with his stepfather, Jack Mangin, came from Florida
to attend the jubilee Mass. Concelebrants included Msgr. Tom Kenny, rector of
the cathedral; Msgr. Donald Kiernan, pastor of All Saints Church, Dunwoody;
Msgr. Terry Young, pastor of the Church of St. Benedict, Duluth; Father Richard
Morrow, retired, from the cathedral; Father Paul Reynolds, pastor of St.
Andrew’s Church, Roswell; long-time friend Father Joseph Sanches, and
clergy from throughout the archdiocese.
Father Dan Stack, pastor of St. Joseph’s Church, Dalton, and Father
James Schillinger, campus minister at Emory University, Atlanta, served as
masters of ceremony.
The liturgy, planned by Father Lopez, included individuals who, by touching
his life, have become members of his very large extended family. Readings were
given by Sister M. Florence Gilmore, OP, superior of Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Home where Father Lopez is chaplain, and by Blaire Brooks, representing
students at St. Pius X High School where Father Lopez has taught for 17 years.
Sister Dawn Gear, GNSH, principal of the Archbishop Thomas A. Donnellan
School, Atlanta, and former assistant dean at St. Pius, read the prayers of the
faithful. Members of his family brought the gifts to the altar.
During his homily Father Lopez displayed the warm and human style that has
earned him the reputation of being one of the best preachers in the
archdiocese.
He said that his 25 years as a priest have consisted of both sublime and
ridiculous incidents. He told stories of his experiences to illustrate his
belief that the Creator has a wonderful sense of humor.
“I have no doubt that God has a sense of humor,” he said.
“Just look at the way giraffes walk. And the ones he calls to be his
priests.”
Father Lopez said that throughout his priesthood it has been an honor to
celebrate Mass and bring the Body and Blood of Christ to God’s people.
“For 25 years I have brought your broken hearts, your broken dreams,
your broken spirits and your broken souls to the altar of the Lord,” he
said. “I know that at the consecration all these things change because our
faith teaches us that the last word is not brokenness, but resurrection.”
“For 25 years Christ has blessed me with the inexpressible honor of
saying Mass each day and of bringing God to man and man to God in the ways that
a priest can,” he said. “There are no words to equal what this means,
and I will never be able to love enough in return for what I have been given in
the Mass, in the church, in the hearts of my students and all those I have
enjoyed serving as a Catholic priest.”
At the conclusion of the liturgy, Sister Gear, who helped coordinate the
Mass with Sister Rita Raffaele, GNSH, presented Father Lopez with a special
blessing from Pope John Paul II.
Ordained April 28, 1973 at the Cathedral of Christ the King by Archbishop
Donnellan, Father Lopez served as a parochial vicar at the cathedral, at Corpus
Christi, Stone Mountain, and at St. Jude the Apostle, Sandy Springs.
In 1981 he was assigned to St. Pius X High School to teach religion. In
addition to these responsibilities Father Lopez served as the director of
vocations from June 1978-83 and as coordinator of Marian devotions from March
1990-95. He served as chaplain at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Home for
terminally ill cancer patients from February 1984-June 1985 and was reassigned
there in July 1996.
Msgr. Young, former principal at St. Pius, knew Father Lopez because of
their common interests in English-counter Reformation Catholicism and Carmelite
spirituality. But their friendship deepened because of the letters of
recommendation Father Lopez wrote for his altar servers when they applied to
St. Pius.
“I used to chide Father Lopez about his ability to write a positive
evaluation on every child regardless of the abundance of contrary
evidence,” Msgr. Young said. “It has been a source of joking between
us for years.”
In 1981 Msgr. Young told Father Lopez that he thought he might have a
vocation within a vocation and asked him to be a member of the religion
department at St. Pius.
“His cheerful, compassionate and devout spirit has done much through
the years to enrich the life of the school community,” Msgr. Young said.
“When we had several priests in the school, he was an indispensable part
of the mix. Priest-administrators sometimes have to make difficult decisions
which cause people to be angry and feel hurt. Having Father Lopez on staff,
with his ever present gentleness and empathy, helped to keep deeper insight
into the soul of the priesthood before the community when administrative
decisions might have suggested something else.”
During his years at St. Pius Father Lopez has touched thousands of young
people, according to current principal Donald T. Sasso.
“If the essence of priesthood is being an imitation of Christ to those
to whom one ministers, then I can think of no purer representation of Christ
than Father Lopez,” Sasso said. “He is a master teacher, not only
because of his pedagogical skills, but also because of his Christian witness.
He remains devoted to the education of high school students at a time when many
of his contemporaries have withdrawn from this challenging profession. His
impact on young people is lasting, as witnessed by those who return to visit
with him, and those who insist that he be the priest who marries them or
baptizes their children.”
“Father Lopez is simply a treasure. He is someone who, once you have
met him and gotten to know him, somehow changes your life for the better simply
because of the encounter. It is difficult to estimate his impact and the
subsequent ripple effect of his presence on the lives of so many. His jubilee
appropriately served as an expression of his priestly vocation, his prayer life
and his love for his daily Mass.”
Teachers and former St. Pius students echoed Sasso’s words of praise.
“Father Lopez is the best of teachers, for he teaches through his
life,” said Mark Kelly, athletic director. “His love for everyone is
evident because he truly sees God in each and every person. For this reason he
brings the best out in each of us, his students and his colleagues. God has
blessed us with Richard Lopez and we are all closer to God because of
him.”
“His students see him as an inspiration, a giver of ideas, a model of
one who gives totally of self to community as well as to church,” said
Jeanie Brieske, head of the religion department. “He has been honored by
his students as favorite teacher and teacher of the year, and they continue to
return to St. Pius to see him in friendship whether it is for private and
personal reasons or to share some news of celebration.
Bryan Small, a St. Pius graduate now studying for the priesthood, explained
the effect his former teacher has had on his life.
“Seven years ago I thought I was lucky to have Father Lopez as a
religion teacher,” he said. “Now I know that it was more than luck. I
never met a priest who was approachable or even simply human up until then. As
time passed there stood before me a man who celebrated his humanity, was never
ashamed of his faith and delighted in his priesthood. In the years that
followed I have had the grace of knowing him as a teacher, the privilege of
having him as a mentor and the joy of being his friend.”
“He makes you feel good,” said Jene Morgan, the school
receptionist. “He radiates goodness and makes you want to be better. He
sees the good in everyone and is never critical. Oh how he loves the Blessed
Mother and just as she leads us to her Son, so too does Father Lopez. He tells
me that I remind him of his mother. He is just like a son to me; if he were my
son I would be so proud.”
In honor of the occasion, donations may be made to endow the Father Richard
Lopez Scholarship at St. Pius X High School or to Birthright, Inc. Checks
should be made payable to the Father Lopez Anniversary, c/o Sister Dawn Gear,
The Donnellan School, 4820 Long Island Drive, Atlanta 30342.
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