Homily given at the funeral of Fr. Stephen Chrysler McCabe, O.P.

1 June 1932  -  26 February 2008

The Gospel Story of the Journey to Emmaus is a good starting point for our remembrances of Father Stephen Chrysler McCabe. He would emerge from the kitchen with some wonderful observation about music or literature as he was preparing a meal for us. How very many of us have been the recipients of his hospitality and kindness? In the Emmaus story there are overtones of the feeding of the five thousand and the Last Supper. The disciples are led from disappointment to recognition as they come to know Jesus in the breaking of the bread. Many of us have spent some of our finer moments feasting with Stephen, and his great love for beauty and the grandeur of music have opened our eyes to unexpected delight.

Once we drove past the house where he was born in Bellfield North Dakota. We had gone to Montreal to hear Hans Kung speak and we were returning to the west to vacation with Stephen’s cousins in Montana. Stephen was a great traveler. Growing up in Medford, we are all fond of the story of the twelve year old Stephen traveling to San Francisco by himself on a Greyhound bus to go to the opera. When he showed up at the YMCA, they called the police thinking he was a runaway, only to have a phone conversation with Marion his mother assure them that he was indeed there to go to the opera. Later he made more friends in the music scene as he attended Santa Clara University. He joined the Dominicans and as fate would have it, he was assigned his place in choir next to me. Stephen always hoped to expand the world of his friends. I recall his taking me to the opera to see Tannhauser. That night “the fat lady” did not sing until very late in the evening. (This is my classical allusion to Yogi Berra, the sort of academic reference Stephen would have preferred.) We were famished, and afterwards went for a hamburger at “New Joe’s.” We were in our black suits and Roman collars. As we rose to go, we were told that the gentleman in the corner had taken care of the check. We looked up to see a Mafia-like figure raise a hand and say, “Fadder, I used to be an altar boy.” It was another era. Ordained in 1962, Stephen finished his studies and taught theology at Dominican College for seven years. He was involved in a series of leadership positions over the next few years.

Stephen did not fit easily into the pre-Vatican II church. But he also would not really be comfortable with Vatican II or post-Vatican II religious sensibilities. Stephen was the enemy of “feel good” religion. His interest and keen intelligence sought a broader more classical frame of reference. I loved to send him into a mock rage, by singing the latest folk song that someone had rigged with religious words. Perhaps one of Stephen’s greatest gifts was that of being a mentor. He had a great capacity for friendship and would often befriend young persons and help them grow in ways they never would have imagined--all through his encouragement and his ability to see the best in others. “Uncle” Stephen is held in great esteem among family members. Stephen would write all of his sermons and you were in for a treat and some excellent writing as he would read his sermons and hitch up his glasses just so, with the palms of his hands.

His greatest energies were spent in internal ministries: being prior several times and then vicar provincial and provincial in 1981. You will remember that this was a time of great change and strong factions in the church. Stephen tried to encourage the brothers with a certain evenhandedness, and his deepest preference was always for a generous, intelligent Catholic Tradition. My key understanding of Stephen lies in beauty, the great traditions of our culture and learning, and his beloved music.

After being provincial the political fallout tended to isolate Stephen. He did not have a special ministry that he could fall back on. This was hard for me to understand because in our Dominican life, the best of friends can have vastly different positions on almost every issue. You would expect your brothers in go in a new or different way. Sometimes the randomness of democracy can be brutal. Perhaps, this is the result of Stephen having given so much to internal ministries. Although he would not indulge in such sentiment; he had given his best to his brothers.

This isolation was source of pain for all of us and many generous gestures were made to bridge this gap. Yet even here, Stephen’s friendships prevailed. The Anchorage Community was especially present to Stephen and I know he appreciated the concern of his brothers and the loving support of his family. New friends found joy in his encouragement and his love of good music.

I have chosen the Emmaus story because it also reveals a deeper thread in our time with Stephen and the values he cherished. Luke tells the story not just to show us how the disciples “came to know Jesus” in the breaking of the bread. He had a deeper objective in mind. Luke was teaching his community how a full understanding of Jesus needs to be based on Moses and the Law. Jesus is also the fulfillment of prophecy and Torah. Jesus is grounded in life itself. In just this way, Stephen had a concern for the larger picture, one that is blessed by beauty, love, and the very music of creation. And now we of a certain age, wait. We stand at the entrance to the greatest opera house and each of us in our time will see and hear the full splendor of God: A God alive with love for every human being. But don’t worry! Stephen has the tickets.

--Fr. Kieran Healy, O.P.

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