Monday, November 16, 2020
He was a gentleman, in the Cardinal Newman sense of the term. I first met him when I arrived in Regina three years ago when I was a Seminarian, and he a well-respected and experienced Monsignor of the Church. Like everyone else, he was aware that I had neither family nor friends in the Diocese. So in a sense, one can say he held all the cards in his hand. Despite this, what struck me after our first meeting at Holy Rosary Cathedral after the Saturday morning Mass, was the courtesy and respect he showed me. Nothing excessive, simply the courtesy and respect one would expect from one human being to another, from one adult to another. And this was the hallmark of all of our subsequent meetings, as infrequent as they were. Courtesy and politeness. Civility. There was no subtle attempt at bullying or infantilization (the scourge of the Priesthood universally); no attempt to exploit the hierarchical nature of the Church to compensate for whatever insecurities he may have had (the various stages of formation in the Church might well invite bullying among the insecure); no offering of unsolicited and unnecessary advice (the classic manner in which condescension is cloaked). None of that! It was simply genuine concern as to how I was doing in Regina, and gratitude that I had decided to become a Priest. He treated me with the respect due a 55 year old man, with some experience of the world, and not as some 30 year old male ingenue who had to be reminded of his place. His was an important reminder that, even though they are a dying breed, there still exists Priests who put Sanctity (which, as corny as it sounds, boils down to "niceness," to "kindness," to "gentleness"), in the first place. And in that sense he renewed my Faith that the Priesthood is a Vocation worth pursuing, and has etched himself on my memory. Thank you, Monsignor Miller. May perpetual light shine upon you and may you rest in peace, Amen. Fr. Ricardo Escalante
