A Tr ibute to Deacon Tom Kir sch

For the last few decades, Deacon Tom Kir sch became a familiar face in the St. Philip?s and Mater Dei community. In fact, his wife Dolores Wolf was a 1968 gr aduate of Mater Dei, and in the year s to come, so were his children. Tom and Dolores were blessed with nine children, Cathy ?91, Tom II ?94, Sar ah ?95, Matthew ?95, Mar ia ?97, Charlene ?99, Joanna ?02, Lucas ?04, and Elizabeth ?04. The two suffered the loss of two other children, one to a miscar r iage and one who was still bor n at 16 weeks, Timothy Alber t. As the anniver sar y of Tom Kir sch passing, July 17, 2021, we reflect on the impact he left on this world. As a child, Tom had a strong desire to ser ve the Lord. He took great pr ide in being an altar boy. He would wake up at 5 A.M. and r ide his bike to ser ve the early Mass at St. Benedict's Catholic Church. His brother s often called him ?Deacon?, but little did they know the seed they were planting. After elementar y school, Tom gr aduated from Rex Mundi High School where he continued to ser ve at Mass and par ticipated in other projects to ser ve other s. Tom always encour aged his family to ser ve other s. By tr ade he was a plumber and would always lend a hand to those in need. He used his time and talent to help to ser ve other s at St. Philip Church, Little Sister s of the Poor, and he was a par t of the implementation of the Right to Life of Posey County in the 1970s. Speaking for the unbor n was par t of his pur pose on this ear th and the family was active in many ways. Tom ser ved as a chaperone on many of the tr ips to Washington D.C. with the Mater Dei Teens for Life to attend the March for Life. One of the most memor able events occur red when he took the family to pr ay outside an abor tion clinic in a nearby city. In 2011, the Kir sch family even opened their home to a 19 year old unwed mother, Ravena, who became a par t of the family. Tom loved babies; however, he also taught his family to respect all life, from conception to natur al death, including respect for the elderly. Over the year s, Tom endured many str uggles with his health. At just 33 year s old, Tom had a defective hear t valve replaced. He went on to need a hip and knee replacement from his many year s as a plumber and even str uggled with anxiety and depression. It?s from these str uggles he would look back and realize they made him stronger because he realized that God and his family would always help him through. At the age of 59, Tom began to achieve his long awaited dream of becoming a Deacon. On August 3, 2013, Tom received the Sacr ament of Ordination to the Per manent Diaconate. He ser ved as Deacon at St. Philip Catholic Church and he greatly enjoyed reading the Gospel dur ing Mass. He was able to per for m the mar r iage vows for his youngest son and baptize his daughter- in- law, three of his gr andchildren, and other new member s of the Catholic Church in his role as a Deacon. As time continued, Tom?s health took another tur n. In July of 2019, Tom required another hear t sur ger y which resulted in an unexpected stroke. His ability to help other s was now limited, and he was relying on the assistance of other s to even sit up in bed. For the next two year s, he worked hard with physical, occupational, and speech ther apy with the goal to ser ve as Deacon once more to proclaim the Gospel at Mass. Dur ing these two year s, he took the time to slow down and appreciate the people in his life. On June 27th, 2021, he was over joyed to achieve this goal of once again reading the Gospel from the pulpit. The following Wednesday, Tom had a massive br ain bleed and was admitted to the hospital. He was taken home with hospice care on July 9th and sur rounded by his family, God took him home on July 17, 2021. God gave him and his family such a beautiful gift - witnessing Tom's joy the day he read the Gospel again will always give his family peace.

A T r i bu t e t o D eacon T h om as K i r sch

by Posey County Right to Life

Deacon Tom embracing two young girls outside of a clinic on one of the many trips he was a chaperone.

The Kirsch Family from L to R. Back row : Matthew Kirsch, Sarah Holland, Cathy Nelson, Dolores Kirsch, Tom Kirsch I, Tom Kirsch II Front row L to R: Lucas Kirsch, Maria McClure, Elizabeth Kirsch, Charlene Nolan, Joanna Vandendorpe