The first part goes back 100 years. At this time in 1914, European nations had just begun World War I, which would eventually embroil the United States. The outbreak of war would be the final heartbreak for an ailing Pope, Saint Pius X, who would die on August 20. Baseball star Babe Ruth made his Major League debut as a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox. And if you could afford $440, you could buy a new car, a Ford Model T. Be careful driving it, though, for there were another 1.7 million cars registered in the United States, and in Cleveland they were trying an experiment with red and green lights to control the traffic.
This Tuesday would have been the 100th birthday of my father, Richard E. Hissrich. My sisters, my brother and I were all hoping to take some time off this week so that we could get together and observe the centennial, but we could not make it happen. A family gathering was something of a tradition this time of year. The last time we got all four of us together with Dad present was at my sister’s house in Virginia in 2009 for Dad’s 95th birthday. I have a picture in my mind of Dad sitting on the couch in Mary Lou’s house, reading a story to his great-granddaughter.
That brings me to my second part of this column, the handing on of wisdom from one generation to another. We do it in families, we do it in the Church with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and we do it in schools. Believe it or not, St. Malachy School begins a new school year on Thursday. Summer certainly goes much too fast, but I do find a joy and an excitement with the beginning of a new school year. One of my gifts has always been working with the school and CCD in my parishes. I am particularly looking forward to starting a new year in a new school. I arrived here when the school year was winding down, so I didn’t get the chance to get into the classrooms as a teacher last year. I love bringing the teachings of Christ to a new generation. And I hope to do it with the same patience, good humor and peaceful joy that my father brought to our family. In the classroom, I am more like my mother, who went to college on a drama school scholarship and who kindled my love of acting. But I try to bring elements of Dad into the classroom as well.
When my father was a young man, he spent some time in the seminary. When I announced my desire to be a priest, he let me know that he supported me in whatever God had in mind for me. In his later years, he said that God didn’t want him to be ordained because the Church had enough priests. God wanted him to have a son who would be a priest when the need was greater. Especially as we begin the new school year, I pray that I can pass on the wisdom to help the next generation to trust God’s will, as Dad taught me. And as we begin the new school year, I can only imagine what the year 2114 will bring to the children and grandchildren of our current St. Malachy students.
Father H
