A prayer request for Fr. Thomas Kraft, OP

I added a new link to the Spirituality section of my blog. It is a link for Fr. Tom Kraft, OP. He is a Dominican priest without whose ministry I would not be Catholic- Okay, that is not the world's best endorsement. By way of redemption, he was instrumental in helping me discern that I was not called to be a priest. So, precisely because of his ability to deal with difficult pastoral cases, like me, he is a gifted, loving, and prayerful priest, the likes of whom the Church could use a lot more - Anyway (Phil Hartman as Vickie in So I Married An Axe Murderer eye roll), he is seriously ill with cancer. He witnessed our marriage and baptized our oldest child. I remember being poor graduate students with a small baby and living in a fourplex and Fr. Thomas coming over to our apartment for a pastoral visit and holding our little guy, ever so tenderly and tentatively. He belonged to a group of fellow Dominicans, who called themselves the Pilgrim Friars, who did some great bluegrass and gospel music- he is a guitarist. One of my nicest memories is of Fr. Thomas, another dear brother, Rob, and I having a Mass, just the three of us, in a small chapel in a Cistercian monastery. In short, he is just a great person and a wonderful priest.

Please pray for him and for all who suffer from cancer in all of its various and debilitating forms. Our hope, I know Fr. Thomas' hope, is in Jesus Christ our Lord. I remember attending a football game with Fr. Tom and somebody, in exasperation, yelled Jesus! He quickly chimed in at the top of his blessed lungs- IS LORD! Amen- Alleluia!