Editor’s note: Bill Price, 93, a member of St. Joseph in West St. Paul, wrote an essay about his faith for his eight children, 18 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren. He agreed to share an edited version with The Catholic Spirit.
This is written as my own reflection and is intended to express my own personal feelings based on my life’s experiences, what I was taught and learned throughout my 90-plus years here on earth. My hope is that everyone who chooses to read it may gain something from it that will be of some personal benefit in understanding what my life was like.
As you all know, I was born and baptized in the Catholic faith, as most of you were. So, I didn’t struggle with whether to convert my religious beliefs, as some members of my family and some of my friends did. My beginning was the easy part, and growing up in a Catholic atmosphere carried me through my first 20-plus years or more.
Then life began to get complicated, or so it seemed. Actually, the complications were more of my own doing than anything else, with marriage, family, learning a new profession (civil engineering; farming had only taught me a good work ethic). I became so caught up in being successful in my work that God played a lesser role every year. Then came the big awakening — my wife, Mary, nearly lost her life when we were only 60 years old. I realized then that I had put God on the shelf and almost completely out of my life, and now I needed him the most. lt took hours of prayer and sacrifice to get my values back on track. This is where my Catholic faith came back. Not roaring back, but slowly over a period of a few years. At a time like this, you learn that when you have not taken your religion seriously for a long time you might not be able to just snap your fingers and everything is all right (outside of a big miracle of course).
I also had to fight off a false belief that I could accomplish anything I tried. Even though by this time I was going to Mass and receiving Communion four or five times a week, I was going nowhere with my faith. I began to realize, after much soul searching, that pride was in my way. This is where the sacrament of reconciliation (which is only available to a Catholic) plays a vital role. The sacrament requires a thorough examination of one’s conscience. You really have to look deep inside your soul and ask God for help in finding the truth about yourself. I found that only lots of sacrifice and prayers will get a person out of sin. And I find that with all human weaknesses, you never achieve completeness. We just have to keep on trying and with lots of help from God, we’ll make it to heaven.
With the most peaceful death of my wife July 22, 2022, I was able to see firsthand the greatest reward of being Catholic. Having fallen and struck her head on the floor, she was on her deathbed instantly, unconscious within a few short hours. She received the last sacraments of the dying from a hospital priest and a short time later she received the apostolic blessing from our parish priest.
There are many more blessings and joys connected to the Catholic faith. There is the Blessed Virgin Mary as our heavenly mother, the body and blood of Jesus for our consumption, the communion of saints, the seven sacraments and true interpretation of Scripture.
Knowing that it is the Church founded by Christ himself and that it will stand until the end of time is a source of great comfort. It may be hard to be a Catholic sometimes, especially in our society and culture, but it’s worth every bit of sacrifice and it is full of rewards.
This has been written for anyone to read and as it is my own feelings, it has been done with careful thought and love for the truth.
With love, Grandpa Bill/Dad
Price is retired after a career that included being director of public works for the city of West St. Paul and a civil engineering consultant. From 1997 to 2013, Price traveled 49 times to help build Mount St. Alphonsus monastery just north of Acapulco, Mexico.
