Fr. Raymond Rossi

I write this column with thanks and gratitude to God for the gift of Father Raymond (Ray) Rossi who passed from this life to the Lord this past Sunday morning.  While the last few years of Father Rossi's life have been challenging for him due to the effects of Parkinson's Disease and dementia, he surely lived a grace-filled life and was a great blessing to those he served in his priesthood, in the classroom of Catholic High in Little Rock for over 20 years as a Latin teacher, in parishes in Arkansas for 23 years until he retired to a place on the lake in Hot Springs due to poor health.

I was blessed to served as associate pastor under Father Rossi at St. Peter the Fisherman Church in Mountain Home, Arkansas in my second year as a priest from 1987-88.  Father Rossi was pleasant to work with, and he offered priestly hospitality to me as well.  He was encouraging to me and unselfishly let me do quite a bit of ministry as I was learning how to be a priest.  Those early years of priesthood are critical, and I truly appreciate all that I learned from him in the year that we were together.

Father Rossi has the distinction of being the first resident pastor as Sacred Heart Church.  He was a friendly, kind, and gentle servant of the Lord.  Though dementia robbed him of being able to communicate with people with words, he would always reverently receive Communion whenever I, or others, brought it to him and was seen at times going throughout Village Springs Nursing Home blessing employees and residents alike.  He was blessed to have a nephew who saw to his care and provided three wonderful women who took turns being with him, but I know that Father Rossi is much better off now that he is in the hands of the Lord whom he served so well, for so many years.  While I pray for the happy repose of his soul and ask that you do the same, I suspect that I will soon be asking for his intercession as I continue my priestly life and ministry.  GOD BLESS YOU, FATHER ROSSI!  MAY YOU REST IN PEACE!