Gone but not forgotten

Dear John,

I miss You.

You are

(and were)

my constant

in a changing

Cosmos.

But now you’re

in the mystery,

in the one unifying

ground of Being.

With what some call

Him/Her

God

Saviour

Creator

Heaven.

The times

say you are Gone.

Dead.

Incommunicado.

But my body,

my heart,

my deepest sense

feels your blessing presence

and your abiding love.

Yet still I ache

and miss you,

Brother.

John Pearce CP was a Passionist priest.

The Passionists are a Catholic religious congregation founded by Saint Paul of the Cross with a special emphasis on and devotion to the Passion of Jesus Christ. Professed members use the initials CP after their names. A known symbol of the congregation is the labeled emblem of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, surmounted by a cross and is often sewn into the clothing attire of its congregants.

John was my big cuz — our mothers were sisters — Eunice Gaffney and Maureen Pearce — (both of the Edwards family who were born and raised in Renwick Street, Marrickville, NSW to William and Delia Edwards (formerly McInerny).

Growing up, John was a mystery to me for many reasons: he was my elder by 12 years and after his ordination, he travelled widely to deliver his mission across Australia and overseas.

But we rekindled our relationship in mid-life when John became parish priest of St Brigid’s Marrickville. This was the completion of a journey home for both of us and meant that we able to talk candidly as men on a spiritual path, and to be more present in celebrating our wider family. Our parents and their siblings (Eunice, Joy, Maureen, Patricia and Edward) were baptised, confirmed, educated and, except for Joy, married at St Brigid’s. Sister Joy Mary Edwards is a Good Samaritan nun of the Order of St Benedict. John’s funeral was held at St Brigid’s Marrickville on 15 May 2019.

Dan Gaffney’s new book and podcast series, ‘Journey Home — Essays on Living and Dying’, was published in November 2019.

John Pearce was born on July 6, 1950, made his Passionist Profession on January 9, 1971 and was Ordained a Passionist Priest on February 28, 1976.

DOB 6 July 1950

DOD 5 May 2019