Requiem Mass for Father Walker

From The Catholic Sun: 

At the requiem Mass, Fr. Eric Flood, the North American superior of the Fraternity of St. Peter Society, the religious order Fr. Walker belonged to, spoke about the young priest’s love of celebrating Mass.

“If someone were to ask him if he would still want to be priest if he knew he would someday be killed, he would probably say yes,” Fr. Flood said, “even to say Mass just once.”

He also offered what he said would be Fr. Walker’s advice to the killer.

“His advice would probably be that he should grow in his friendship with God. Fr. Walker would say that there was a thief crucified alongside Christ, and our Lord turned to him and said, ‘This day you will be with Me in Paradise,’” Fr. Flood said.

Fr. Joseph Terra, in spite of his severe injuries, attended the requiem Mass where he sat in a wheelchair near the altar. His arms were bandaged and he kept his head lowered throughout the service that was celebrated in Latin. The faithful of Mater Misericordiae Mission gather daily for the Tridentine Mass.

Fr. Terra, with both hands and arms bandaged, sits in a wheelchair to the right of the altar at the requiem Mass days after the attack.

Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted of the Diocese of Phoenix offered his condolences to the community at the loss of Fr. Walker.

“His two years of being a priest were a blessing to all of us,” Bishop Olmsted said.

He also spoke to the many priests gathered for the somber Mass.

“We feel a great fraternal love and great closeness to one another as we work together to serve Christ and His Church,” Bishop Olmsted said. “We’ve lost a beloved brother.”

In spite of the tragic loss, Bishop Olmsted offered words of hope. Jesus, by His death, overcame death, the bishop said. Christ is not only the perfect High Priest, He is also the innocent Victim, just as Fr. Walker was an innocent victim of a violent crime.

“He fell asleep in Christ and awaked into the loving arms of his Savior, and with that hope we go forward honoring him and seeking ourselves to be faithful followers of Christ,” Bishop Olmsted said.

Read more about the Mass and the arrest.  It includes additional information about the crime, including the news that Fr. Walker was evidently shot with a gun owned by Fr. Terra.

The image below shows Fr. Terra, on the right, seated in the sanctuary in a wheelchair.