Monday, August 6, 2012

This is a guest post from Father Paul Jarvis, of the Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis, who is currently serving as Pastor of St. Joseph's Church in Rosemount, Minnesota. In 2007, the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis collapsed killing 13 persons(all thirteen names of the deceased can be found at the end of the link). One of the deceased was Peter Hausmann, a parishioner at St. Joseph's Church, Rosemount. His story of heroic goodness resonates especially in light of the recent senseless act of hatred at the Sikh Temple in Wisconsin


St. Joseph’s Church in Rosemount held a memorial Mass for Peter Hausmann on the fifth anniversary of his death, Wednesday, August 1st at 11:00am. All were encouraged to BE LIKE PETE…who spent his life being like Christ. After initially surviving the collapse, he saw two people trapped in a car (actually three, as the mother was pregnant), and he died trying to save them.
He saw a need. And he acted.

No disrespect meant to Michael Jordan, after whom a Nike ad was created: Be like Mike. But winning at basketball is one thing. But winning in life, in paying the ultimate price for others, through one's life, is another thing. So, fellow Minnesotans and Christians and people of good will...BE LIKE PETE.

Be like Pete, giving of yourself in many many many small ways, so that if and when you are faced with a challenge that calls for heroic self-sacrifice, you'll just do what needs to be done.

INTERESTING ANECDOTE: One of Pete's brothers told me that three or four weeks prior to the tragic event, Peter was in his brother's kitchen, and out of the blue he commented:

"You know, dying while trying to help someone would be the most glorious way to go."

I frankly don't know if God gave Pete foreknowledge of how he would die in self-sacrifice for another, but it sure is wisdom for all of us to pray on.

Not for Pete's sake, but for your own....today and tomorrow...do something that calls for self-sacrifice for another. Preferably someone NOT in your circle. Be like Pete.


Fr. Paul Jarvis

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