A Quiet Hero, A Priest Of Christ, Has Left This Veil Of Tears...

Good and holy priests are in short supply, although that supply -- especially among the traditional ranks -- continues to grow, thank God!

And when we faithful Catholics are privileged to attend a parish that has one of those men who have dedicated their lives to serve Christ, through His people, we should treasure that man of the cloth, and support and pray for his continued holiness...

Some of the stories of how and why a man decides to become a priest of Christ, can be quite interesting.  Such is the case of Fr. Evan Harkins, assigned to a parish in St. Joseph, Missouri...

As a little boy -- at the tender age of EIGHT! -- he went up  to his mom, and said, "I think God is calling me to become a priest."

God was calling him, and he answered with a great zeal, but also with a great gentleness toward his brother seminarians.  From that point on, the rest is history, but this history has not ended well, that is, if one believes that after this life, there is nothing.  But Fr. Harkins knew better, as did the lay faithful that he served, and served well.

Father knew and loved the Traditional Latin Mass and the sublime liturgy that goes with that Mass that made uncountable saints and martyrs down through the centuries.  But even more than that, he was a brother and spiritual father to his flock...  He knew well of his role to guide his children to their eternal home, and see God face to face...  What a responsibility, and yet what a triumph in bringing back a wayward sinner back to Christ and His grace; the only way to Heaven...

For over ten years, Fr. Evan Harkins Transubstantiated the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of his Master and Savior, Jesus Christ, and fed his flock the Bread of Life in the Eucharist...

Sometime during the early part of January, Father began feeling quite ill, with severe stomach problems...  Being concerned for his health, he eventually was prescribed a drug with the purpose of easing the pain and anxiety...

Here is a quote from a letter from Mother Cecilia: "... he stopped at a hospital, as he didn’t think he could make it back to St. Joseph. He was prescribed a medication to help alleviate the pain and nausea. A couple of weeks after that, he relayed to his mother that he had begun suffering from certain panic and anxieties over things that would never had bothered him before. The Sisters who interacted with him at the retreat house could sense that he just wasn’t himself, as did our chaplain who was able to speak to him at greater length."

Fr. Harkins was now on SSRI's...

Here is another quote from Mother Cecilia...

"While we don’t know for sure what exactly was happening in Father’s mind, I can only relate our own experiences with the same type of drug prescribed to Father — serotonin reuptake inhibitors.

"I myself had an experience that I will never forget, and it was absolutely terrifying. I took the pill at night, and could not sleep, finding that I was losing all control of my thoughts and emotions. It was as though my mind and body had been completely hijacked. Needless to say, I stopped taking the drug immediately.

"Another Sister was given a prescription for her stomach trouble. The doctor prescribed a drug that was normally used for depression and anxiety, but also used for stomach problems. When I found her the next morning in a fetal position, sobbing and convulsing, I threw away the rest of the bottle."

My Comment: Is this an indictment of the pharmaceutical companies?  I think that this and other horrible examples point to a lack of concern for those prescribed drugs for whatever reason, hoping against hope that nothing adverse will occur to their patients... But just pick up any magazine and read page after page of warnings regarding the side effects of most prescription drugs!  Truly stunning!

But Fr. Harkins had a terrible reaction to the drugs he was given, so much so, that he was found expired, although all the circumstances surrounding his death are not yet complete.  He was only in his mid-thirties... His parish and family members have been devastated; the world has lost a good and holy priest, but we have to trust in God's mercy (and justice, as both go hand-in-hand), that He will welcome his faithful servant into His kingdom.  All good Catholics must pray for the repose of his immortal soul, and commend him to the Christ that he faithfully served...

Viva Cristo Rey!  Fr. Miguel Pro -- and Fr. Evan Harkins -- pray for us!!

Gene DeLalla