Dearest Father Phil,
As far back as I can remember even before you were in the seminary you came to visit me in the hospital in Chicago. You held my hand and we laughed and prayed. That sweet twinkle in your eyes filled my heart with happiness. Made my soul stronger for the journey. Your humble, holy, wise and kind ways I won’t ever forget. Phil our whole family loves you beyond words. I keep my prayers fairly simple talking to God like my friend and the one phrase that consistently gives me hope comes from a traditional song we’ve all sung since we were kids...”Be not afraid I go before you always come follow me and I will give you rest”. God Bless you Phil we love you so very much.
Ellen, Frank, Katie, Patrick, Maggie and angel Marty..💕💕🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Fulton Sheen once said "there was a time when there was more piano movers than piano players in the priesthood." Fr Tighe, you have been both.
I watched you from afar, from up close and at times from a seat in your office. You have this tremendous gift, what professional scouts call 'the X factor'. A God given instinct of navigation within a wide range of given situations and often under tremendous pressure. How to be masculine without being machismo, how to be sensitive without being sentimental, how to be firm without being harsh, how to be at your wits end without blowing a gasket. I watched you manage all these things with unbelievable precision and tact from an inner faculty of recollection. I could literally see you draw from your deep well within. Those are the images I most took to heart. Watching you take a deep breath of faith in the midst of an exhaustive battle. If I had to compare you to one athlete I would have to say it would be Walter Payton. The same grace and grit, knowing when to lower the pads, when to hurdle and when to run out of bounds.
On behalf of my family and I, I just want to say, thank you for showing us how to fight the good fight, how to finish the race, how to keep the faith. Through the grace of God, you've earned the crown of righteousness through being the good and faithful servant. We love you.
May God bless you and keep you Fr Tighe. Please let me know if I can come take care of you some day or night to provide you and your family some relief. I am off of work until the end of the month and I would be honored. I am an experienced hospice nurse and former parishioner of St. Catherine of Siena. God bless, we love you.
Heather
Dear Fr Tighe,
We continue to pray for you, and we miss you. Thank you for your posts to keep us updated. We have been blessed with good health so far this year. Please know that we do think about you and thank you for making such an impact in our children's lives. They continue to be practicing Catholics and we all rely heavily on our faith. God bless you Fr. Tighe. Love The Fenstermakers
As far back as I can remember even before you were in the seminary you came to visit me in the hospital in Chicago. You held my hand and we laughed and prayed. That sweet twinkle in your eyes filled my heart with happiness. Made my soul stronger for the journey. Your humble, holy, wise and kind ways I won’t ever forget. Phil our whole family loves you beyond words. I keep my prayers fairly simple talking to God like my friend and the one phrase that consistently gives me hope comes from a traditional song we’ve all sung since we were kids...”Be not afraid I go before you always come follow me and I will give you rest”. God Bless you Phil we love you so very much.
Ellen, Frank, Katie, Patrick, Maggie and angel Marty..💕💕🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻