A Solemn Catholic Funeral - Thomas A. Fuentes, R.I.P

A Solemn Catholic Funeral - Thomas A. Fuentes, R.I.P.

In pursuit of the truth - www.cinopsbegoneblogspot.com - Pentecost Sunday, May 27th/12

Preface: Tom Fuentes was pro-life. He is a role model for all Catholic-label politicians in America. He was joyful and an authentic Catholic soul in the public arena. May today’s gifts of the Holy Spirit shower on everyone as we live our lives and also ponder death, judgment, heaven or hell.

Frank Mickadeit, Register Columnist wrote in Orange County Register, Thurs, May 24/12

Fuentes directs from beyond: “ Tom’s overarching goal was the funeral to be an expression of Catholic faith, or as one mourner remarked as we stood in the courtyard of Santiago de Compostela [Catholic Church in Lake Forest, Calif.] after Wednesday’s Mass: “Solemn and Catholic with a capital ‘C’.”

“The night before I saw Tom lying in the plain pine casket built by Trappist monks for $1,000... Of course, he was wearing the robes and regalia of the Knights of Malta, the exclusive 1,000-year-old lay order. That was the dichotomy of Tom. He loved the simple but couldn’t resist the formal…

“The 18 Carmelite nuns in their black, brown and white habits who sang were there because his aunt had been a Carmelite for 63 years. The main celebrant of the funeral Mass, the Rev. Eugene Hayes of St. Michael’s Abbey, was there with a nine-member chorus chosen because of Tom’s long affection for the Trabuco Canyon Monastery.

“Monsignor Lawrence Baird, one of the few speakers who could match Tom’s own eloquence, was chosen to give the homily… And the incense, I can remember Tom complaining one time that too many churches used “cheap” incense. “Good incense,” he’d said, “comes from the Middle East. He tapped an Orthodox priest, Father Andrew Cuneo, to procure the “good” incense…

“And not in the least, his strong spirit of ecumenism. In fact, in addition to Bishop Tod Brown, Hayes, Baird and, by my count seven other Catholic priests on the altar, Fuentes set aside an area up front for an orthodox priest (Cuneo), a Protestant minister (Kent Crawford) and a Jewish rabbi (Daniel Lapin).”…

Martin Wisckol wrote: A Zest for Politics and Life - Orange County Register, Thurs. May 21/12: “He was a love guy,” T.J. Fuentes Jr. 25. “He loved life and everything that came with it.” Fuentes’ elder son went on… “In these past months, he taught me the right way to die,” he said. “He made sure every person who visited left our home knowing how much they meant to him.”

“Thomas Alexander Fuentes was a sixth-generation Californian who was Chairman of the Orange County Republican Party from 1985 to 2005. He built the county party into a national powerhouse in terms of reputation and fundraising, and by the mid-1990s had helped Republicans take control of every congressional and state legislative seat in the county.

“My dad had a great power of attraction,” eulogized Joey Fuentes, 18, Everyone from presidents to toddlers wanted to be next to him.” …

“He was active with the church, serving as communications director of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange from 1977 to 1989, and receiving several papal honors, including being named Knight of Malta. Additionally, he was co-founder of the Second Harvest Food Bank of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

“T.J., Joey and Michelle, 26, recounted lessons learned from their father, his mentorships, his love of cigars and garage sales, and how much he enjoyed a good time…

“Speaking at Tuesday service at Santiago de Compestela Catholic Church were Baugh, political commentators Hugh Hewitt, and Bruce Herschensohn, conservative publisher Tom Phillips and fellow Claremont Institute board member Brian Kennedy.”

George H. Kubeck - “For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather of power and love and self-control.” 2 Timothy 1:7