Feast Day of Deacon Bill Beckfeld

Today is the feast day of my ordained classmate and friend, Bill Beckfeld. Bill had a tremendous passion and compassion for social justice. I remember that Bill wanted to work with the developmentally disabled community following ordination, but as time went on became more and more active with the LGBT community in the Twin Cities. Bill was a man of deep prayer and very committed to his bride, Mary, his children and his grandchildren. Now, if any are wondering whether I am promoting a cause for Bill’s canonization, well, I wouldn’t mind doing that actually. However, Bill was also incredibly human. He had his fair share of pride, times when he thought he had all the answers and learned the lesson of humility. I still believe the Lord Mayor of London is waiting for Bill to address the damaged caused by Bill’s attempt to apply American rules of the road as he drove in that fair city. I don’t think the car Bill rented will ever recover from the abuse it received (did they ever find the door that got knocked off the car?). Somehow, one's depth perception is not quite the same when you cross "the pond." The City of San Francisco is still waiting for Bill to pay the traffic fines he incurred while in that fair city as well. Bill, but especially Mary, would have my class and I in stitches as she related Bill’s proclivity for mayhem in their travels hither and yon. Bill and I once joked about who was going to have his faculties pulled by the Archbishop first. Bill had a wonderful story about how, as he was assisting at a confirmation with Bishop Welsh, accidentally struck Bishop Welsh in the chin with the thurifier (censer) as he was incensing the Bishop. Bill said the wide eyed expression of surprise in Bishop Welsh’s eyes when the censer struck his chin and the amount of sparks and smoke that flew out of the censer was priceless. Bill learned to shorten the chain on the censer when he incensed Bishops and people from that moment on. When Bill left this world and entered the fullness of God’s Reign on this day, our world got a little darker and sadder, however heaven got brighter. I hope St Peter gave Bill the Rules of the Road. Thank you Bill, my good friend, for your advice, your laughter, your stories, your incredible humanness. I love you, my brother, and you are never far from my thoughts and my heart.