Bikey Mikey

Yesterday was a rather sad day for me. My uncle, Father Thomas Quinlan, passed away yesterday morning, 4-24-2012. To say that my uncle was unusual would be a huge understatement. TQ or Tommy, was also the priest who performed our wedding ceremony nearly 29 years ago.

There is talk of moving the service to the Va Beach Convention Center as it is likely to be SRO and the Church probably won't fit 1/3 of the attendees. Some may read of his "adventures" and not like him...but he always got the seats full.


Some background information is you are interested:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_J._Quinlan

https://hamptonroads.com/2012/04/rev-...ic-priest-dies

bigbadwullf

Sounds like he was quite the "character". Sorry for your loss and the loss of a man of God. Only God can judge his actions, not man.

StanSeven

He does sound like the "character." Religion needs more like him - people who act different from the ordinary who make us wake up, see and hear what's really going on. You must be proud and honored.

leob1

Way too many people forget that clergy are people too(first?). Or they don't want them to be. From a brother to a new priest, to the Pope, they are people just like you and me. Warts and all.
Sounds like T.Q. wanted people to think, something many of us need.
Sorry for you loss. He is in a better place.

bigbadwullf

Our "church" is on a good roll lately. They keep reminding us it isn't Religion that is important, it's your relationship with God that is important. Sounds like T.Q. would have been that type of guy.

teachme

Prayers up for Father Quinlan!

Bikey Mikey

Thanks for the comments. All are true. He wanted people to THINK and have a relationship with God---and not be blind robotic sheep. His death is also hits hard as my father is the same age now. But, my dad doesn't have the same issues. I am prepping myself the day that will come in the future for my father...just hopefully not for long time(he does have quite a few health issues at the moment.)

Anyway, my boss and his wife, at one of my former places of employment, attended one his masses. At the end where TQ greeted the exiting attendees, they stopped and told him I worked for them. TQ responded, "Michael's a ****y Catholic." My boss and his wife were rather offended by the response and when they told me, I laughed and stated, "well, he's telling it like it is." My Uncle didn't mince words no matter who you were. I'm not sure the Catholic Church will ever have another priest like Tommy. The world has lost a great mind.

qcpmsame 

Sorry for your and your family's and the church's loss Mike. Good priest are becoming rarer by the day it seems. TQ must have been quite a person to be around and it sounds like your father's family is a really great group. Prayers for Father Quinlan and for the repose of his soul, may God's light perpetual shine upon him.

Bill

bigbadwullf

The name sounded familiar for some reason. Sure the Quinlan name is noteworthy for some other bits of history(Karen Ann Quinlan). But I see he was in Keyser, WVa at one time. I grew up about 25 miles from there. Must have run into him at one time or another.
But he was there for only 7 months and I was only 5 at the time. Not likely on second thought.

missjean

It sounds like he shook things up where ever he went. That's good, things need to get shook up every now and again.
From his obit in the link - "Time magazine wrote about his once admonishing his parishioners for being 'spiritual white trash who merely drop by church to fill up at God's gas pump.' " Love that! I might have gone to mass more often if one of the priests at the local church was that straight forward.