Letters from Fr. Dave and Fr. Mast

Fr. David Baumgartel died at about 6:05 AM on Oct. 8, 2002.

Obituary of Fr. Dave from the Chancery Office (click)

First Letter from Fr. Dave to the Resurrectionites (click)
Second Letter from Fr. Dave to the Resurrectionites (click)
Third Letter from Fr. Dave to the Resurrectionites (click)

First Letter from Paul * to the Resurrectionites (click)
Second Letter from Paul * to the Resurrectionites (click) * Fr. Paul Mast

Fr. Dave Testimonials and Prayer Card

From The Chancery Office

Diocese of Wilmington

October 8, 2002

Dear Reverend Monsignor/Father/Deacon:

This is to inform you that our brother priest Father David A. Baumgartel died today, Tuesday, October 8, 2002, of cancer at the age of 57. A concelebrated Mass of Christian Burial at which Bishop Saltarelli will be celebrant will take place at 10:30 AM on Monday, October 14th at Holy Angels Church, 82 Possum Park Road, Newark, DE. Reception of the body will take place at 3:00 PM Sunday, October 13th at Resurrection Parish. Viewing will be from 3:00 to 7-00 PM with a Wake Service at 7:00 PM. Viewing will also take place Monday morning from 9:00 to 10:00 AM at Holy Angels. Interment will immediately follow at All Saints Cemetery.

Father Baumgartel was born August 1, 1945 in Philadelphia the son of the late Herman J. and Marie Ann (Sembello) Baumgartel. He received his early. education at St. William Parochial School and Cardinal Dougherty High School, both in Philadelphia. He studied for the priesthood at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, Overbrook, PA., St. Mary College, Kentucky, North American College, Rome, Gregorian University, Rome, Urbanianum University, Rome and Angelicum University, Rome where he received his Bachelors and Masters in Sacred Theology, respectively. Father was ordained to the priesthood on July 2, 1973 at the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Vatican City for the Diocese of Wilmington by James Cardinal Hickey.

Father served as associate pastor at St. Elizabeth Church, Wilmington, Holy Spirit Parish, New Castle, St. John the Beloved Church, Sherwood Park, Immaculate Heart of Mary, Wilmington and St. John/Holy Angels Parish, Newark. Father has served as pastor at Christ Our King Church, Wilmington and Resurrection Parish, Newark. He also served on the Diocese Priests' Council.

Father is survived by his brother and sister-in-law, Herman and Eva. Condolences may be sent to Mr. and Mrs. Herman J. Baumgartel, 1136 Elderon Drive, Wilmington, DE 19808.

You are kindly requested to pray for the repose of his soul and to announce his death and request prayers for him at all Masses next Sunday. Each diocesan priest is asked to say three Masses for the repose of his soul.

Sincerely,

Rev. Msgr. John 0. Barres

[signature not shown]

Chancellor

JOB/cac

1925 Delaware Avenue - P.O. Box 2030 Wilmington, DE 19899-2030 - 302-573-3100 -fax 302-254-4044 - www.cdow.org

From Father Dave Baumgartel For presentation at Resurrection weekend Mass, September 7-8, 2002

As many of you know, our Pastor, Fr. Dave Baumgartel has been ill since early July with a recurrence of cancer. Father is at a point now where he wants to share with the Resurrection Community a greater sense of where he is on his journey in dealing with his illness. It was my great pleasure to meet with him at his home on Thursday to share with him, pray with him, laugh with him, and convey the love, prayers, and best wishes of all our parishioners with him.

Father wanted to share two things with us. First, a sense of his health and how he is doing. Secondly, and more important to him, some reflections of his faith journey and how it continues to be completely interconnected with the faith journey of his Parish.

Father came home from Christiana Hospital on Friday, August 30. He is being cared for by the dedicated, loving care of his brother, Hank and sister-in-law, Eva, who have been by his side since early July. In addition, Father has the help of Hospice, who visit each weekday and with his doctors, are keeping him as comfortable as possible. Let's face it, there is no suppressing that Baumgartel spirit!

While I was with him, Fr. Dave reflected on Thursday's Gospel, which was the story of Peter and two of the other apostles who were out all night fishing and had caught nothing. Jesus joins them on the shore and says to them "how's it going, have you caught anything?" They reply that they have nothing for the whole night. He tells them to go out again, but to go farther than they have before. Surprisingly, they do not object. Father found this very interesting, as he says it is the first time that Peter does not object to one of Jesus' suggestions. So they go out farther, into uncharted waters, and they cast out their nets and they catch almost more than they can hold. Father reflected that in his journey he believes he is being called out to go in faith "farther than he ever has before" and like Peter, he feels himself answering the Lord's call without objection, without reservation, and with faith and trust.

Father wants everyone in Resurrection to continue to accompany him on his journey as he casts his net in faith. He feels very deeply the love, support, prayers and incredible outpouring of concern that our Community is offering to him. He has been deeply moved by the Parish Taizé prayer as well as a home Taizé that was given at his request upon his return from the hospital. Despite his own condition, he is continuing to be our Pastor: praying for us, asking about all the ministries of the Parish, and remaining connected with as much as he can.

In the coming weeks, now that Father is home, there will be opportunities for many of us to be connected in ministry with Father. Already Barbara Kelly, JoAnn Huhn and Al Drushler, from our Resurrection staff, have begun contacting members of our parish who have medical and health care background to begin to arrange for around the clock assistance for Father. In addition, Beth Bell is coordinating delivery of meals so that we can help Hank and Eva with the essentials. If you have the time, skills and ability to serve in either of these ways, please contact these folks or the Parish office to offer your help. Please feel free to direct any questions to either the office or myself.
-- Bill Wreynolds
In closing, if you would all extend your hands in blessing upon Father Dave while I offer this prayer:

"The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you.
The Lord turn his face toward you and give you His Peace."

First Greeting - Resurrection Parish (from Fr. Paul Mast)
September 28 & 29, 2002

Peace be with you.

This is my first greeting to you as the temporary administrator of the parish. Peace be with you and with your families and friends. This weekend as I speak at all the Masses I embrace each of you in the peace of Christ.

I already feel that the peace I offer rests upon you and has come back to me in the warm and wonderful ways you have welcomed me. This peace will strengthen me in my ministry among you as temporary administrator.

In that capacity I am here as one who cares for your souls and to join you in being a care giver for your pastor. Before I say anything about myself I need to honor David.

He is a special person in your lives and rightly so. He has been among you for only one year touching your lives with the cheerfulness of Christ and the joy of the Holy Spirit. He is so very good at spreading both. Cheerfulness and joy are two gifts God gave David in abundance. They took hold in this community, for now you are giving them back to him in the cheerful and joyful ways you are ministering to him. Every time I visit him his words speak highly of you and his tears speak of the ways he misses you. Your love for him is bearing fruit in the way he is becoming one with the peace of Christ in his suffering and dying. It leaves me standing in awe of God and in admiration of you.

David's letter to you in the bulletin two weeks ago touched me deeply. I am honored by the confidence he has in me and by the hope he has that we will stay focused on his desire that we truly live the identity of the parish as a resurrection people. I pledge myself to join you in making his desire our own.

Whenever a new priest comes among you the occasion evokes curiosity and questions. Though I am new as an Administrator, I am not entirely a stranger. During the past several years I have assisted on weekends. Each time I felt at home here. You are thirty three years old as a parish. I am 30 years a priest. So, I am well aware of your history and unique identity as a parish in our diocese. I respect it and I hope you continue to be proud of it.

In anticipating some of your questions about me, I tried to think of a way to compare myself to your pastor. All I could come up with is "I am a Paul, not a David." By that I mean I am soft-spoken, but not an introvert. I am a thinker, but I talk passionately when things are clear to me. I make decisions slowly consulting along the way, but I am not a procrastinator. I use my head a lot, but I also have a heart that hugs spontaneously and hurts easily. It is hurting with you as we bear some of David's suffering in the hope that God will teach us what we have not yet learned about the meaning of suffering in our own lives. I am a cheerful man, but I cry easily when sadness invades my life. Your pastor's cancer has stirred such sadness. As a result, I have shed many tears with David and reverenced your own. They are part of this mystery you and he are experiencing as shepherd and flock. It is a mystery in which tears sometimes say more than words. Finally, I am a prayerful man. I thirst for holiness in quiet and in public so I can recognize it in the messiness of life.

I tried to anticipate what else would you like to know about me? I am a native Delawarean, born and raised in Kent County. My parents, Amos and Julia, are still living. They are married 61 years. My father is 90 and is living at the Silver Lake Convalescent Center in Dover. He suffers from rheumatoid arthritis and is showing signs of Alzheimers. I try to visit him twice a week. My mother is 81 and in good health. She volunteers with the Ladies Auxiliary of the Clayton Volunteer Fire Co., is active at St. Polycarp's Parish in Smyrna and shops daily at Wal-Mart in Dover. I have three brothers and one sister, four nieces, four nephews, two grand-nieces and one grand nephew. I have one living Uncle and three Aunts. One of them, Sr. Josephine Mary, my mother's oldest sister, is in the convent 65 years. She is dying of emphysema at Camilla Hall in Immaculata, PA. I try to visit her once a week. My astrological sign is Leo. I am an EFNJ on the Myers-Briggs scale and a #3 on the Enneagram.

I am a priest 30 years. Fourteen of those years I was away from the diocese getting three graduate degrees and a certificate in spiritual direction. The last six years I have worked in the Chancery Office as the Director of Deacons and most recently of the Ministry Formation Institute.

Now God has called me to serve Resurrection Parish. I said "Yes" out of love for God, David and you. I trust this is enough about me for now. Whatever else needs to be said will be spoken as we come to know each in the breaking of the bread and the opening of our lives to that saving grace that brings us from grief to comfort, sadness to hope and death to new life.
Be patient with me as I readjust my schedule to be available and present as much as possible. I have some commitments I have been able to clear while others are non-negotiable. Unfortunately one of those falls on the weekend of Confirmation. Be patient as I learn your names and discern the desires of your heart so I can bring them to God in my prayer. I entrust myself and you to the God who has inspired you to write the history of Resurrection Parish by the way you have lived it as a gospel of life.

In his poem, "Leaves of Grass" Walt Whitman wrote, " the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse." I hope what I have shared will be taken as my verse in this new chapter of your faith life. What verse will you contribute?

Thank you.

[Spoken by Fr. Mast at all the masses on the weekend of Sept. 28 and 29, 2002.]

January 12, 2003 [bulletin insert from Fr. Mast]

Dear Resurrection Family,

Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd. When I came among you four months ago your shepherd and pastor, Father David Baumgartel was in the final stages of surrendering his life back to God due to inoperable cancer. That Experience was full of grace for me and for you. I was in awe of how God used David's dying to teach me profound lessons about the quality of life before death and how care-giving said volumes about shepherding the shepherd into eternal life.

During November we connected the month of All Souls with the pastor's death and grieved his passing with the Tuesday Masses with David. It was a celebration of his life through tears, stories and memories. Because his story was so intimately connected with the Jesus story, the "Tuesdays with David" was a special way for the parish to be consoled by God.

Now a New Year is upon us. While we look back at all the marker events of last year that tested the fabric of life as Resurrection Parish we must also look ahead to the event of the naming and arrival of a new pastor in the Spring. This brings me to the focus of this pastoral letter.

Each and every parishioner engages in some form of prayer and discernment whenever you are faced with a life transition. The parish must do the same. To this end, I have proposed to the Parish Council that the 90 days of Lent and Easter be designated as a season of prayerful waiting with the Lord in preparation for the naming of a new pastor. Hopefully, it will be a very special way for resurrection Parish to use the 40 days of Lent as preparation for celebrating the 50 days of Easter.

This process will be entitled Jeremiah 29. The verses 11-14 specifically relate to our situation. This scripture passage keeps our focus on God's "plan to give you a future full of hope." Jeremiah 29:11-14 is an invitation for us to assume the posture of a listening heart and the attitude of prayerful waiting for God to reveal "the plans I have for you......plans for your welfare, not for woe!" As a faith community the tradition of sacred scripture is a source of divine revelation whenever human believers are faced with life transitions.

I have already adopted Jeremiah 29:11-14 for my own discernment. It will keep me focused on what God wants for me, and not what I want for me or what you may want for you, as I enter a phase of transitioning from Administrator of Resurrection to pastor of whatever parish God has in mind for me. It will remind me that my coming here last September was of God and not of me and either my staying or leaving this spring must also be about God. My prayer, therefore, is to get out of the way so I can be free to "know well the plans I have for you, says the Lord" (Jeremiah 29:11). I have learned over the years how some of the messes in my life have been the result of manipulating my plans over God's plans. Honoring that lesson of life in this time of prayerful discernment is a way to practice care-giving on myself. I ask you please to practice that same kind of care-giving toward me by respecting my need to listen, pray and wait. I promise to do the same with you.

I will be sharing details about the Jeremiah 29 process through bulletin articles beginning next month. It will involve Taizé Prayer around the Cross, Stations of the Cross and faithsharing during the 40 days of Lent and a Novena to the Holy Spirit during the 50 days of Easter. Sharing details about the ways we will ritualize the process is meant to both catechize you and invite you to engage this journey of spiritual renewal. Hopefully, by the time Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, March 5, our hearts will be ready to seek God's plan for the parish by retreating to the desert of prayerful listening and waiting. And when Easter concludes on Pentecost Sunday, June 8, we will find how God "will change your lot" (Jeremiah 29:14) through the fire and love of the Holy Spirit event. I invite you to join me in praying that this faith journey from the desert to the Upper Room will result in not only preparation to welcome a new pastor, but in the renewal of our hearts to pastor him as a Resurrection people. If you welcome him as you have welcomed me, he will know how much of a blessing you are.

Thank you for your patience as I have tried to adjust from being a diocesan office head to a parish administrator. I apologize if I have offended anyone during this adjustment phase. I feel like someone writing a brand new chapter in the book of his life without any references or footnotes. I close with some encouraging words of St. Paul: "God has called you and He will not fail you." (1 Thess. 5:23). As we move forward together may these words be our hope. A am,