On September 16th Fr. Patrick Soreng, Salesian
priest and principal of Don Bosco Senior Secondary School passed away at the
age of 61. Two Mondays ago Tom and I
were walking to morning mass when we heard that Father has been found unconscious
in his room and not too long after it was confirmed that he had died. We found out later that it had been of a heart
attack. Though I only knew Fr. Patrick
for a couple weeks before he passed away I feel very blessed to have been able
to spend time getting to know him. He
was such as faithful and selfless man of God and his passing hit the community
hard even though he had only been in Gumbo for a few months. In that short time he had made a huge impact on
everyone here and all had grown to love him.
Working at the secondary school Michael and I were able to witness his
love for the youth firsthand. Fr.
Patrick was a true Salesian and gave all of himself to the students at Don Bosco. He believed in them more than they believed in themselves and devoted everyday to letting them know he loved them and wanted the best for them.
The week of
his death was probably the longest week of my life. Not because we were necessarily always that
busy even though there was lots of work to be done with the planning of his
funeral but purely because it was just a lot to take in. I think the day of Father’s death had to have
felt like a week in itself. Yet with all
tough situations God’s light shined in Gumbo more than ever during that long
week. It was so beautiful to see
everyone come together after the death of Fr. Patrick to honor his life. The night before his funeral
and burial a few of us drove out to the gravesite to help dig Father’s
grave. When we arrived most of the
digging was finished but I was able to witness something amazing. Among the gravediggers were a handful of students
from the secondary school. They had come
to the graveyard at 9pm on a Tuesday night to help dig the grave of their
principal. I don’t think I have ever
heard of anything like that happening in my life and I will never forget that night.
That
Wednesday Fr. Patrick’s funeral was celebrated at St. Theresa’s Cathedral in
Juba followed by his burial in Rejaf, South Sudan. He was buried along with other religious of
the Archdiocese of Juba though he had only been in Juba for two months. Yet in only two months he had impacted the
community here with selflessness and a joy that will stay with the people of
Gumbo and the Salesian community here forever. I am convinced that with the loss of Fr. Patrick we have gained an intercessor in Heaven. So Fr. Patrick Soreng, please pray for us!
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