"Forsan et haec olim meminisse juvabit." So wrote the ancient Roman poet Virgil in one of his poems. Loosely translated he was saying, "Perhaps some day it may be of some value for us to recall these things."
That may have been in Father Thomas Ward's mind when he asked me, to the best of my memory and with my journal at hand, to chronicle how Christ the King church and parish came to be. Father Ward made this request when he was pastor of Christ the King.
My memory in now rusty, sometimes squeaky when it comes to details of the past. But let's hope and pray that the words of the poet Virgil will inspire us to bring back memories of happy days, perhaps even happier ones. Remarks about my life, I hope, will shed light on a few of the human-interest incidents that are related as history unravels itself in this story of Christ the King parish.
I am not a prophet, nor the son of a prophet. Neither am I a journalist, not the son of a journalist. However, I am deepy grateful to Sister Mary Suzanne, a teacher in Christ the King School from its beginning, for giving me her classroom notebook, and to Evelyn Letter, practically a chartar member of the parish. who made part of her diary available. Then, too, there is a box of my own old scratch pads. Occassionally in these memoirs the exact date of an occurrence is not available. When such is the case, events are mentioned as they occurred to me. One thing reminds me of another and sometimes the narration is far off from the central theme.
However, there is always a substance there to triger the memory of the reader who enjoyed watching the parish grow.
My pattern of thinking follows that of old "Alfalfa Smith" from Texas who used to say, "Ya gotta get the hay down there where the calves can get at it."
This little booklet was written by an extraordinary person who was a fine priest, a great pastor and administrator, and a true friend to many.
A person who is called to the priesthood is sent by the good Lord on a mission. When Bob Hupp answered that call as a young boy, he knew he was being sent on a mission, but he didn't know what his orders were. He had to trust the Lord that wherever he was sent, the Lord would give him the strength and courage to do what he needed to do.
Father Hupp's mission was a long and fruitful pastoral journey. It is a journey to World War II as a Naval Captain, then working with the CYO and the Good Shepherd girls, among other assignments.
This booklet chronicles Father Hupp's achievements at Christ the King, starting with nothing but faith, hope and love, and building up a community of worship and service. It's not a small achievement; it's a big achievement. Bricks and mortar are part of the achievement, but a bigger part by far, is passing on the faith from one generation to the next, enriching those who come to the parish to be nourished with the food for the journey, to find the light in the midst of darkness, and hope in the midst of troubles and despair.
We salute Father Hupp as pastor. This little book tells his story. It is well worth reading.
Father Val J. Peter, JCD, STD
Executive Director
Father Flanagan's Boys Home (1985-2005)