In an hour I will catch a plane for Pittsburgh in order to participate in the Catholic Identity Conference. Alas, I do not have time to write a few words in praise of a very old and dear friend of The Remnant—as well as a pioneer of the Traditional Catholic movement—Father Eugene Dougherty.
Father wrote for The Remnant for many years, and though he has been in ill health and retirement for some time now, he will be so very missed.
A priest of the old school, Father did so much in the Diocese of Pittsburgh and all around the country to 'preserve the old Traditions', which is the name of one of the hymns he wrote years ago.
I'm so happy to announce that God took care of his faithful son, right up until the very end. This morning I received the following note from my friend and Remnant columnist, Father Ladis Cizik:
Father Eugene Dougherty died peacefully in his sleep at 12:39am this morning on the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
"Woman behold Your son." "Son behold your Mother."
Requiescat in pace.
I had given him the Traditional Latin Sacrament of Extreme Unction and the Apostolic Pardon. He was wearing his Brown Scapular.
Going into Chapel to offer a Traditional Latin Requiem Mass for him right now.
Please keep this Holy Priest of God in your prayers.
Father Cizik
God be praised.
The man who did so much to preserve the Old Latin Mass and all the Traditions of Holy Mother Church—though persecuted and ostracized for his faithful witness—died firmly in the happy embrace of Christ and Holy Mother Church, having received the Sacraments of the dying on his deathbed and at the hand of a friend and a faithful traditionalist priest who was obviously sent by God to help dear Father Dougherty into the next life.
Well done, good and faithful servant.
The last time I saw Father was just before the Catholic Identity Conference a year or so ago. We visited him, unannounced in his nursing home, and while we found him in great spirits, he was obviously not in great health. It was the only time in 30 years I ever saw him not wearing black and his Roman collar, and of course he apologized profusely for it, though obviously he was so very sick that it was more than understandable.
In other words, he was a Catholic priest straight through, all day, every day -- until the very end; an alter Christus all the days of his life. We will miss him very much.
Tu es sacredos in aeternum secundum ordinem Melchisedech. Requiescat in pace.