Trusting in Divine Providence
GREENSBORO — Filing in from both sides of the courtyard of St. Pius X Church, nearly 2,000 friends, family, clergy and religious gathered Wednesday to pray for and say goodbye to Monsignor Anthony Marcaccio.
The beloved longtime pastor of the Greensboro parish passed away July 19 due to complications from appendiceal cancer. The Mass of Christian Burial came after 1,700 people paid their respects during a wake that stretched seven hours on Tuesday.
Bishop Michael Martin, OFM Conv., celebrated the priest's funeral Mass, his first as bishop of the Diocese of Charlotte. He reminded the congregation how they’d been enriched by their pastor of more than 24 years, and he offered to walk with them in their time of mourning.
Dozens of clergy concelebrated the liturgy, including Father Timothy Nadeau, a close friend of Monsignor Marcaccio and the pastor of Good Shepherd Parish in Saco, Maine.
Father Nadeau delivered the homily, inspired by the Gospel reading about when the apostles were caught in a storm while in a boat on the Sea of Galilee.
In it, Jesus walks on water toward their boat and says, “Take courage, It Is I; do not be afraid.” (Mt 14:27)
“Jesus didn't avoid cancer. Jesus didn't avoid death. Jesus didn't avoid water. He confronted it,” Father Nadeau preached. “The gentleman, the brother, the priest that we've gathered around this day – he followed Jesus’ call.”
Father Nadeau also noted that many people knew Monsignor Marcaccio had an “allergy to pain, an allergy to needles, an allergy to all things medical, but he knew this momentary life situation would produce some weight of glory for God, so he carried it.”
Then he quoted from Monsignor Marcaccio’s own words: a letter he had written to his parishioners just weeks prior:
“Trusting myself to Divine Providence and the kindness of your prayers, I will carry this cross henceforth with renewed confidence that God is mysteriously working on these prayers. May it all be for the glory of God and the spread of the gospel.”
Monsignor Marcaccio’s siblings – Charles, John and Celeste – were all present with their families at the funeral Mass.
Charles, asking to be called “Chuck,” the eldest of the siblings, offered remarks, thanking the parish while including lighthearted comments about who the favorite child of the Italian American family was – clearly, the baby of the family who became a priest, he said.
Parishioner and friend Derek Ritzel also spoke to the congregation, describing the closeness of their pastor to Jesus and to many of them, and how his holiness was recognized by all who knew him – including strangers and even those from different cultures who spoke other languages.
Bishop Martin offered concluding remarks at the end of Mass, noting the difficulty of losing a pastor. He added that their pastor had an impact across the diocese and the universal Church.
“The faith community has a big question mark in their hearts right now. Where do we go from here? What's the future going to be like?” he said. “I would suggest to you in my brief knowing of Monsignor Marcaccio that he would want you to put aside those questions to say: ‘Get behind me, Satan. That's not of this world.’
“We believe in the power of the Holy Spirit made manifest in the Church – through lots of different people and lots of different ways. This has been one of those manifestations of life in the Spirit. I believe firmly that he would want all of us to look forward to the future of this parish community – not with a dampened sense of Church, but a strengthened sense of Church.”
Bishop Martin will celebrate Masses at the parish the weekend of Aug. 24-25.
“As your bishop, I'm with you in this time of mourning,” he said. “But I'm with you more as we look forward to a future here at St. Pius that will continue to build up the People of God in the spirit of Anthony, your pastor, and all the men and women who have done so much to build this community and will continue to do so much to build this community.”
— Annie Ferguson. Photos by Mary Ann Luedtke.
Read more about the life of Monsignor Anthony Marcaccio here.
