2. Pray Always
Most mornings, when I was in the rectory courtyard doing Tai Chi, I would hear a sound; a loud click and then the scrape of wood on wood as the chapel window opened and I knew Bud was in there to spend some time with God. He spent an hour, sitting in the same chair doing contemplative prayer.

Some people said he used that hour to tell God what to do. There certainly was some of that. You could always tell whom Bud was trying to get to agree to write a script or agree to a part, because he would pray for them at morning prayer. I can't tell you how many mornings we prayed for Tom Fontana.

I also recognized that in that contemplative time he practiced the hallmark of Paulist Spirituality, an openness to the Holy Spirit. We hear about it in the reading from Romans. We open ourselves to God and we let the Spirit pray through us to God and then listen to the still voice that only knows one word. Which leads us to the next commandment.

3. Love Everybody
Love, is God's one word vocabulary and Jesus is that spoken word. He came to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind and to let the oppressed go free. That was Jesus' mission and I saw Bud throw himself into that mission body and soul. Having said that, I also know he fought with a lot of people. Sometimes the fight led to greater intimacy when he made up, after his own fashion.

Father Ellwood E. Kieser, C.S.P.
March 27, 1929-September 16, 2000