Fr. Wagner will be removed from life support at 3 pm today.
Please pause at 3 pm PST (or whenever you read this) to say a prayer for this holy priest from the Archdiocese of Seattle. As you may know, he spent his childhood in Communist Poland and was prompted to answered the call to the priesthood when he traveled back to Europe for the funeral of St. John Paul II. Pastor of Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Tacoma, WA, he suffered a massive brain hemorrhage while offering daily Mass in mid April. My family knew him when he was a newly ordained priest serving as vicar at St. Mary Magdalen parish in Everett, where my, uncle, Fr. Olson, is pastor. He told us stories of his childhood in Poland under the Communists, and he was so devoted, kind, and solemnly funny. He loved children, was well-read, celebrated the liturgy reverently, and was just an all-around wonderful priest. His CaringBridge site is full of wonderful stories about him in the comments section. Continue reading “Saying Good-Bye to Fr. Wagner and Praying for Holy Deaths in our Families”