One of the great tragedies (and there are many) of the scandal in the Catholic church the past few years is that the name of priest has been largely besmirched. We've heard about priest after priest acting in horrifyingly inappropriate ways, of abusing their posts and the trust that comes along with it. It's made many of us who grew up Catholic doubt the church as a whole, and priests in general. And that is a shame, because although far, far too many priests have indeed abused their posts, the tertiary victims here are the truly decent human beings who have gone into the priesthood with the most decent of intentions, those who have offered wisdom, guidance and caring to those of us who were (or in many cases, were not) members of their congregations.
One such priest, Father Clyde Chetwynde, was a huge part of my Catholic experience growing up. Whatever devotion I have left for the Catholic church comes largely from his teachings. He was someone I could discuss religion with, confess my sins to, ask my questions of, all without fear of judgment or reproach. He was someone who was devoted to bringing the youth back to the church, and whom parents could trust with their children, never having to fear that he would abuse that trust.
Father Clyde passed away on Saturday, and I, along with all those who were blessed to know him, will miss him greatly. Rest in peace, "God."
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