Ezio Blasoni SM, Death of a Marist: John (Jack) Michael Stafford O'Neill, Marist Messenger, 2001:

Born 23-01-1927
Professed 02-02-1952
Ordained 23-07-1956
Died 27-03-2001

Fr Jack worked from 1958 to 1977 in Fiji including time in Rewa, Levuka, Napuka, Bemana.

He worked from the Home Mission House, then at the parishes in New Zealand, of Napier, Timaru, Pt. Chevalier, Epsom, Ponsonby.

Extracts from the homily by Fr Ezio Blasoni SM (1 Corinthians 9:19-23, Matthew 25:31-40)

On Tuesday evening, Fr Tony Williams and I prayed with Jack. At the beginning of our prayer I thought that we might be praying on Jack's behalf. Not a bit. When we thought we had finished, Jack continued to pray. And the prayer that he prayed was the Gloria, in Latin: - the great prayer of praise of God that we often pray in the Catholic Mass.

At the closing of his life on earth, Jacko was still praising God, because he was dying as he had always lived with sure faith in the loving-kindness and in the mercy of God. He was sure that, in God, love and mercy meet. His response, as always, was to praise God and to give thanks to God. In words, with which he was quick and clever, and in the way that he embraced all that life on earth had to offer, Jack constantly praised and thanked God.

More often than others, Jacko had to embrace the mystery of pain and suffering and hurt. He could be easily hurt and deeply hurt. But like God, and as Christ's faithful priest, he was quick to forgive. He didn't hold on to useless, destructive resentment.

He would rather praise God for his grace and favour. Praise God who is slow to chide and swift to bless. Praise God who is Glorious in his faithfulness. Father Jack wanted to be like that God. He loved his life on earth and he helped thousands of others, and I mean thousands, known and unknown, to love their lives too.

The gospel that we have heard proclaimed today tells us a lot about how Jack helped others to love their lives. It tells us a lot about his faith and ministry as Christ's priest. The gospel passage has no parallel in the other gospels. It's a most fitting tribute, therefore, for Jack who had no parallel, as man and priest.

On behalf of his Father, Christ comes to save every person in every period of history. Jacko knew that. For Jack, no one was excluded from God's love and mercy.

Come take as your heritage the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Jack knew that. If there was a place for Jacko, there would certainly be a place for all of Jacko's friends. He knew that God judges us by our faith and by our words and acts of love and mercy, not by any achievements we might think we have.

Each of us here, and many unknown to us, and many unknown to Jacko himself, received from this faithful priest of God loving kindness and mercy in the forms of food, drink, visits, telephone calls, friendship, card tricks, winners, losers, jokes, laughter, tears, consolation and - now and then - irritation.

And each of us here, in our turn, had opportunities to do for Jack what Jack so generously did for others. When he was weak, he needed you and you gave him love and mercy in return.

I am aware that he, very generously, gave most of you the opportunity to care for him. In your homes, in your cars, in your holiday baches, in smoke-filled halls, and in beer-reeking bars you looked after Jacko. I know that some of you even had the chance to rescue him from the brink of death. He could frighten us from time to time.

And when you did these things for Jack, you knew that you were doing them for your friend. You know that you were doing them for Christ's priest. But did it occur to you that you were doing them for Christ himself? Because you were. In so far as you did this to one of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.

One of Jack's greatest gifts as Christ's faithful priest was to be alongside, and offer his life on behalf of, all people without exception. He knew that God's mercy has no limits. He was willing to go where no other priest would go. He was ready to do what no other priest could do.

He was able to do these things because of his assurance of the loving kindness and mercy of God. Like St Paul, he could truly say: for the weak I make myself weak. I made myself all things to all people in order to save some at any cost. Many priests would never have the courage to do that.

But, Jack, you lived with the courage of the gospel, for the sake of the gospel. And now you enjoy the reward of the gospel. The Son of Man has come in his glory to take you into the company of Mary, whose name you bear with honour, and into the company of all the saints, including the wonderful saints of your own family.

Despise not, O Lord, the work of your hands but pardon and set us free from the wounds of our sins. RIP