COYLE, Bernard V., Rev. Father 1840-1901
COYLE
Posted By: Bruce Kuennen (email)
Date: 11/8/2018 at 18:03:10
Rev. B. H. Forkenbrock went to Cedar Falls last Wednesday to be present at the funeral of the late Rev. Father Coyle, whose death occurred Tuesday from a sudden attack of gastritis, complicated by heart trouble. The passing of this good Father takes from the ranks of the Catholic clergy one of its beloved priests, and one of the grandest of men.
To speak of Father Coyle as a christian would be to class him with the horde of pretenders as well as the truly devout; to say he was a Christian is not enough — he was almost divine; in public life he was the ideal priest; in private life he was a prayerful, silent, studious man; the hardships and privations that some men suffered that they might attain groat wealth were suffered by him that be might bring himself to God; he fought alone and unaided the hard struggle to ordination, which goal he considered but the beginning of the mysterious journey he has just commenced to travel; he has built churches, schools and parsonages but denied himself all things that savored of luxury and pomp.
The friendless found a friend in him; the poor a benefactor and the afflicted a comforter. The elements of spiritual grace, manly courage and conviction were so well mixed in him as to inspire respect and reverence in the hearts of the highest as well as the lowest.
His was not a faith that was satisfied with a fat purse and a leading position among Christ's workers; his was a faith so nearly divine as to be only satisfied by suffering the hardships of the unfortunate ones, in being one with their sorrows and burdens; spiritual cares weighed heavily upon him; his religious obligations were too sacred to be lightly pushed aside and the announcement of his sudden death comes not as a calamity unexpected. May the turf lay lightly upon his hallowed dust.
Source: New Hampton Gazette, November 5, 1901 accessed at New Hampton Public Library Digital Archives
TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE: Surname and year of birth from Find-a-Grave
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