Our Humble Father Leo He Never Made a Fuss
in memory / father neil pezzulo Father Leo came from a generation described as “The Greatest Generation.” There is certainly a whole lot of truth to that. I was raised by parents of this generation and I believe that what made the entire generation great were not their accomplishments, bravery or even their ability to meet and triumph over all challenges; rather, it was their mature silence about it all. Simply put, they went about their business without making a fuss. When Father Leo was young, he was on a warship being torpedoed. In what I believe will become an iconic quote in Glenmary history, he described that night simply. “It makes a fellow take stock in their life and think about a few things and decide what is important,” he said. Honestly, I believe that he totally understated the experience, which would be common for his generation. He didn’t want to make a fuss. Because Father Leo and I came from different generations and experiences as missioners we didn’t know much about each other until one evening during the summer of 2004. I had recently arrived in Waldron, Ark., and Father Leo was passing through. He was going to spend the night and continue on his way the next morning. Despite having other plans, we stayed home and talked.
He told me stories about growing up in Cincinnati and of the adventures he had with his brother Paul. He had stories about Glenmary and Glenmarians I had never heard before. Even as I was sitting in western Arkansas, I had no idea that he was the Glenmarian who came to the area first and “opened it up” for Glenmary. While Father Leo was in Texas and Oklahoma opening up the territories and starting Catholic communities, he also would take in and help others. If a fellow Glenmarian had hit hard times, Father Leo was the guy who would be there for them, walk with them and help restore them to the health they needed in order to be the very best missioner they could be. Once again, you’d never have known this about him without asking. A few months ago, I was speaking with a priest who had studied with Father Leo when he was the Director of Education for Glenmary. This fellow had, in his words, hit a wall in his formation. One evening Father Leo sat with him and listened. He didn’t offer advice or directives. He listened and supported. When the conversation was over, it was clear to this fellow that he was being called to a different life than what he had exSummer 2019
pected. To this day, some 35 years later, he is still grateful for that evening. That night had truly changed the direction of his life. And no one knew. Leo's story is one that could fill multiple pages on its own. He was the founding pastor of several missions, he was a major pioneer in Glenmary's effort to establish home missions in Colombia and he is remembered fondly by many. Every one of us who remembers Father Leo has a story to tell about him, and I'm pleased to share mine with you here. It is a memory that I cherish. There is no doubt in my mind that on any given day in his 67 years of mission ministry, he was the face of Christ, a life line to Jesus, a solid faithful force in the lives of those he served. He was a brother, a friend, a servant of God. He was a priest and a member of the greatest generation. He and his generation were great not just because of what they accomplished, but how they did it all in humility. Father Leo simply went about his business as a missioner and didn’t make a fuss. GLENMARY CHALLENGE
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