Back in 2010, my dear friend and former Cathedral friar Fr. Masseo Gonzales informed me that a new friar was coming to St. Thomas Aquinas Cathedral and was very interested in doing Extraordinary Form Latin Masses. Fr. Masseo knew I was involved with RPC, so I passed along this information to Kathy. She was skeptical at first, but soon found this to be true. So began our relationship with Fr. Francisco Nahoe.
More than four years later, Fr. Francisco has allowed us to bring the splendor of chant and polyphony in Novus Ordo and EF Masses to numerous Northern Nevada (and beyond!) Catholics who either had never experienced it or had not heard it since Vatican II. Even if they didn't like it, they couldn't say they hadn't been exposed to it. Fr. Francisco has also worked tirelessly in helping the poor, defending life, and protecting religious liberty in his time in Reno.
He departs St. Thomas Aquinas and Reno as one of the best friends RPC has ever had. This mere post on a website/blog is insufficient for us to express our gratitude for what Fr. Francisco has done; we would never have accomplished what we have over the last four years without him. Of course, we can pray for him:
O Jesus, our great High Priest, hear our humble prayers on behalf of your priest, Father Francisco. Give him a deep faith, a bright and firm hope and a burning love which will ever increase in the course of his priestly life.
In his loneliness, comfort him. In his sorrows, strengthen him In his frustrations, point out to him that it is through suffering that the soul is purified, and show him that he is needed by the Church, he is needed by souls, he is needed for the work of redemption.
O loving Mother Mary, Mother of Priests, take to your heart your son who is close to you because of his priestly ordination, and because of the power which he has received to carry on the work of Christ in a world which needs him so much.
Be his comfort, be his joy, be his strength, and especially help him to live and to defend the ideals of consecrated celibacy.
Amen.
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