Dec. 3: Won’t Back Down

Two weeks after he was beaten and robbed in St. Margaret of Scotland’s parish rectory, Father Daniel Mallette, an 80-year-old priest on the South Side of Chicago, was back on the job, saying, “It feels great to be back.”

On December 6, 2011, Father Mallette was awakened at 12:30 a.m. by two men who broke into the rectory and forced him out of bed.  They demanded he open the church safe.  He was hit in the face and kicked; several ribs were broken.  The men took $600, but not before one of the robbers said to him, “This might sound ridiculous, but could you pray for me?”

Despite the incident, Father Mallette’s commitment to serving the people of God hasn’t wavered.  An ex-boxer who has served at St. Margaret’s since 1977, he told reporters, “This is the job I always wanted.”

All of us will face challenges, maybe even severe ones, on the path to living out our callings in life.  Pray to God for help.

But we are not among those who shrink back and so are

lost, but among those who have faith and so are saved.

(Hebrews 10:39)

Heavenly Father, we can do all, endure all, be all in You!