| Today Monday, November 21, 2011, Rev. Msgr. William J. Lyons of the Archdiocese of St. Louis passed away. He was a Spiritual Director at the North American College, as well as a Beloved Priest and Friend.
His funeral was celebrated on Friday, November 25, 2011 by Archbishop Robert Carlson, Archbishop of St. Louis. Photos of the Funeral Mass are available here.
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Bill was one of the most powerful “fathering” influences I have had. He was a great Priest in the deepest sense of the term. He was truly a man for others and like Jesus he often seemed indifferent whether he had “a place to lay his head” as long as he was doing his work. He was the most gifted spiritual director I have ever met and he spent his life doing this important work. It is amazing to me that, without thinking I can list about 20 middle-aged men whose lives have been powerfully impacted by Bill’s friendship and counsel. There are Priests serving around the world that Bill helped to form in their walk with Christ and their ministry. He had a beautiful selfless honor about him and I will miss him.
Bill spent his lifetime making my world better. I have no words great enough to say thank you in the way it should be said.
Fr. Bill, you helped form me into the priest I am today. Go forth to your priestly reward.
Thanks for everything Fr. Bill…
Bill Lyons was a friend, confidant, spiritual director and father figure for me. Bill greatly influenced who I am today and, as has been mentioned in this thread already, so many other people in much the same way. It really is unbelievable how many lives this one man impacted along his journey. What a gifted, gracious and deeply spiritual man. He will be deeply missed.
Fr. Lyons, I love you. Through his example, Fr. Lyons taught me to be myself. He lived his desire for heaven while on earth, spending hours every day in the Eucharistic chapel (sometimes sleeping). Thank you Father for praying with me during my grandmother’s funeral while we were in Assisi. I’ll be over here in Michigan praying with you this Friday.
Bill was an inspiration to me at an important stage of my life and in many of my fellow college students. I will truly miss him. His kindness and manner helped mirror Christ for me and I will be forever grateful to him and thankful for having known him. Rest in Peace.
Bill served as my spiritual director while I was at the NAC. His wisdom and compassion as a priest inspires me today. We are all blessed to have known such a holy and loving priest of God. What a gift the Lord has given to us. Rest in Peace, my dear friend.
As his paternal first cousin I send condolences to Bill’s colleagues at PNAC. From his earliest days growing up in Newton, Massachusetts, Cousin Billy Joe was always an integral part of our family, adding his quaint touch of humor whenever possible. I will gather a few anecdotes and look for some early pics to share.
I have known Bill for over 30 years. He was an important influence in my life. From humility (he beat me in racquetball a hundred times) to charity (he turned me on to the Jesuit Volunteer Corps where I spent time in St. Mary’s Alaska), he guided me as I grew into an adult. Most recently he surprised me by con-celebrating my mother’s funeral in St. Louis in July of this year. He was loved and he will be missed, but his influence will live on.
Bill always brought a ton of joy to an occasion. He truly loved the Lord and loved sharing this love with others. He was like a grandfather to me during my time at the NAC and I will always treasure his guidance and example. Rest in peace.
As someone who had the wonderful experience of knowing this fine man, first in the seminary and then later at UMSL Newman Center, I want to celebrate Msgr. Lyons finishing the race. He not only helped those studying for the priesthood as a spiritual director, but helped those men and women who were acquainted with him to love God and love God’s people. Bill accepted everyone in their faith journey with gentleness and kindness, but I will especially remember that wry smile and wicked sense of humor. Well done, faithful and prudent servant!!!
Father Lyons was a beloved member of CSC at Wash U. So many benefited from his counsel. My talks with him the past ten years made me aware of his gentle goodness.
Msgr. Lyons was truly a unique man with a capacity to lead individuals by quietly pointing in a certain direction. He opened doors, eyes and friendships that last and span the globe. He facilitated my introduction to Fr. Armitage in London, which led to a life-altering experience at the St. Vincent de Paul ‘Bosco Camp’ in Essex, England. That summer of 1990 also led to my visit to the North American College…thanks to Msgr. Bill. Many others followed and were touched by the people and the opportunity to serve in that special place. In 1992, when he visited the Camp, in his unique style he lodged at a B&B down the road while we slept in tents. What remains is his consistent emphasis on being (reminding us we are human beings, not human doings). Be well, as we are all better because of you.
Today, I learned that a gentleman, age 81, – a friend of mine – died while living and working in Rome. He was devoted to working with those in need and did so throughout his career as a Catholic priest. Most recently, he was working at the Vatican’s North American College. Retirement was not in his vocabulary as I am quite sure that he didn’t think of himself as employed. More likely he thought of himself as busy on a day to day basis. And if I were asked to explain his work, my best description would be working to smooth out the path for me and those who follow.
Myself and surely many others will always have a particular respect for the work and ministry of Christ’s priesthood exercised by Msgr. Lyons. A man of simple faith, profound humility, and a willingness to “tell it like it is” is how I will remember this fine man. Christ’s message, at its core, is not complicated and neither was he. I am proud to have considered him a friend and role model. May he and the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. May our “thanksgiving” this week be the proper appreciation for the full and meaningful life of Msgr. William Lyons.
I have known Msgr. Lyons since 1974 and worked with him as a lay campus minister in 1979-1980 at the Newman Center at the University of Missouri – St. Louis. He was a funny, quirky, creative and intelligent man who used his gifts of empathic listening and articulation very generously, mentoring many seminarians and young adults during his 55-year prieshood and college aged people, including his 25-year tenure at the Newman Center (1967-1992). He loved to travel and play racquetball. Without a doubt, he was the major influence for my priestly vocation and was a “second father” to me. I will miss him greatly. We stayed in touch over the years. Rest in peace, Bill!
Fr. Lyons was a master of hospitality in such an idiosyncratic way that, on the receiving end, you did not feel beholden, but free to expand from the gift of it. Like so many others, I ambled into his life across the street from UMSL to the Newman House where Bill lived for an astonishingly long tenure. Imagine a hundred or so young philosophers (and pantheist anarchists like me)converging on the house where you live, and hanging around. He would come down the stairs into a ferment of youthful energy and somehow call it all to prayer. Mass on the living room carpet transported us directly to the Sermon on the Mount. When Bill would deploy his legendary “Oh,really?” glare in the direction of some outrageous remark, it always came with the love and acceptance that Jesus gave to the Rich Young Man. Only we did not go away sad; we came back to overrun his house in a respectful swarm, eager for the teachable moment that would help us grow up. Mercy, how he listened with a saintly–well, to a point!–patience, to the tedious details of our anguished relationships and restless searchings. And he trusted us, through the Grace of God, to come through it all. When he was too busy for a conversation, he miraculously made time, if you were willing to do a few dishes with him or sew on a button while you were talking. He gave us his presence. And then, under the pretense of having someplace more important to go, he would step back and let us create a community that we will never forget. Thank you, Bill. We are so grateful.
Whether I was confused, excited, sad, hurt or afraid, I was received by Bill Lyons with Presence and Acceptance. He became a friend and confidant. I had never known this kind of REAL PRESENCE. I was deeply touched by this man for he brought Life to the stories of salvation. He helped me to discover a Presence in myself that I never knew possible and he inspired me to share this Presence. “It’s contagious”, he once told me. It’s very contagious as we can see from the numerous testimonies shared on this site. In fact, it cannot be contained as there were hundreds of individuals repeating Lyonisms around UMSL and Kenrick and probably in Rome, as well —-”Oh wow!” “Too much!” I’m so grateful for this gift – Bill Lyons – the love and connections all possible because Bill said “yes” to the Presence of God. Thanks to each for receiving and passing this gift.
Whenever Bill interacted with another person, it was clear that he first asked himself, “What is God’s will for this person and what can I say or do that will help God’s will to be done?” No more, no less.
In paradisum deducant eum angeli.
I met Bill my first year at UMSL in 1972. I spent the next three years deepening my faith under his spiritual direction at the Newman Center. This eventually led me to the Jesuit seminary. Bill taught me the meaning of acceptance and surrender. He was a profound priest, a quirky personality and a great friend. I am thankful for his life and will miss him.
Fr. Bill was the most authentic person I have ever met. He was the sort of priest that reminded you of just how good human beings can be. It wasn’t very difficult to see the image of God in him.
I became one of the fortunate twenty somethings who was gifted with a mentor, when I entered in to the orbit of Bill Lyons at the UMSL Newman Center in 1971. He changed my life. By a combination of deep, compassionate listening, unsettling humor, and articulate truth telling, Bill helped to draw out and nurture my emerging adult spirituality and personal gifts. Over the years I got to tell him many times how thankful I was for his influence, and that I sensed many parts of his good work being expressed through my own. With profound gratitude my family and I celebrate the life of our friend. We love you, Bill, and know you will always be close.
I have Known Bill all my life. He was a great friend and I will miss him. God sends special people to this world and Bill was one of them.
My first clear memories of Bill were on the raquetball court. We played often. He would yell at the top of his lungs in celebration of a good shot he made, or groan angrily when he gave away a point. I loved that man. Every time I play the game, I remember him. His yell called up the spirits in some magical way. He was a great gift to me. He loved me.
He was wonderful in this circle of life. I wish him well in the next. Bill, I still hear your joyful yell. Peace….
Bill was truly a servant of servants in his ministry. More than anything else, he helped me to experience and to accept the unconditional love of God, which I have been able to carry and share with others throughout my life.
Thank you all for letting me catch a glimpse of how my uncle touched so many lives. We got to live near him during some of his UMSL years and had a ritual of spending Sunday afternoons together… until he had to scoot out for Sunday evening mass at the Newman Center. You are all right, he had the capacity to meet each man exactly where they were at spiritually. He found a way to connect and generously validate and encourage us on in our faith journey here on earth. I look at his Post Dispatch photo of a race he won in his youth where he set a state record that lasted for decades. Little did he know that that particular finish line was the first of many. God Bless Uncle Bill, I love you and miss you. Anne
My heart is full as I remember the many intimate and spiritual (and often goofy) conversations shared with Fr. Bill at a crucial turning point in life. He had a far-reaching and profound impact in his service to college students as minister to the Newman Center at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. His wisdom, faith, friendship, good humor and willingness to share all of that helped illuminate the journeys of so many. What an honor it was to know him when I did.
It’s really great to read postings from Bill’s family. On the night after Bill died, a few of us gathered at his old house across from UMSL to sit in the chapel and offer a prayer of thanks. As part of that, we found ourselves giving thanks for Bill’s family. Over the years, Bill would speak warmly of his family – and from his descriptions — it struck as that the apple didn’t fall far from the family tree. So – just as we prayed the other night – “Thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Lyons and all of Bill’s family past and present – for loving our friend into existence!”
I am greatly saddened to hear of Fr. Bill’s passing. Fr. Bill and I dueled many a game at the UMSL racquetball courts in the Mark Twain Building in the late 70′s and early 80′s. When we would have a long drawn out volley which I would be lucky to win, Fr. Bill would scream out “Evil!” Ever the competitor and friendly opponent. Thank you Fr. Bill for making me a richer person by your spiritual guidance and to the many lives you touched at the Newman House in Bel-Nor and UMSL over the years. Heaven just received another angel! God Bless Msgr. Bill Lyons!
Memorial mass at St. Ann’s Parish on Natural Bridge for Fr. Bill Lyons on Tuesday night, December 13th. Not sure of the time?
The memorial mass for Msgr. Bill Lyons will be held at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, December 13th, at St. Ann’s Parish, 7530 Natural Bridge, St. Louis, MO. 63121. Fr. Bill Kempf, Pastor of St. Ann’s Parish and Director of the UMSL Newman Center will celebrate the mass for Msgr. Lyons.
Below is the column which ran yesterday(Sunday)in the St. Ann Parish bulletin written by Fr. Bill Kempf about Msgr. Bill Lyons that I thought it would be nice to share with the permission of Fr. Bill Kempf.
By Fr. Bill Kempf
Heroes…
Msgr. Bill Lyons died on November 21, 2011. Though I had only seen him sporadically since his assignment to the North American College in Rome in 2003, I am amazed by the depth of my loss and the sadness his death has engendered within me. But isn’t that what happens to all of us when one of our heroes die?
Msgr. Bill(Fr. Bill back in the day…)was the third director of the Catholic Newman Center at UMSL, serving the campus community from 1967 to 1994. During that time, he impacted so many lives. I was one of those lives. Bill was my field education supervisor for my third year Theology. Twice a week, on Sunday nights and Tuesday afternoons (minimally) I would make the trip from Shrewsbury, up the Inner Belt to Page(it stopped back there back then)to Hanley and then to Natural Bridge and to the Newman House. There I would lead music for mass on Sunday night in the crowded living room, and do a little teaching about the parts of the mass and their history and how to pray more fruitfully into them.
But most important, and probably most difficult for this relatively shy seminarian, was doing what Bill called “Creative Loitering.” Bill would turn me loose on campus and tell me not to come back for a couple of hours. “Talk to people,” was his simple instruction. “YIKES” was my response. But I did my best, and learned a lot about the ministry of presence to people.
I ran into Bill next, during my time as vocation director for the Archdiocese. He would invite me to join him attending the Awakening and Growth retreats on the different campuses I was assigned to serve. “What better place will you find guys who might be open to a vocation-then among college students who are leading and attending retreats?” And I did get some great men into the seminary from those retreats and discovered my own passion for working with college students.
Bill’s passion in the final 17 years of his priesthood was to invite and serve men who were discerning a call to ministry as a priest. Hw did that at Kenrick Seminary from ’94 to ’03 until his death on November 21. Bill did that best by living a simple, joyful and holy life as a priest of God. His creative loitering and ministry of presence helped me to understand that I always walk on Holy Ground. And I am a better man and a better priest because of him.
Thank you God, and thank you, Msgr. Bill Lyons, for the gift you are and have been in my life, and the life of so many. Thanks for being such a good man and a good priest. May you rest in peace! Amen. Alleluia!
Every once in a while a person is dropped on the planet that is so absent of BS, that we are fortunate to have known them, much less be guided by them. Over the years I’ve remembered Bill and thought, “I should look him up & thank him for helping me deal with tough issues I didn’t fully understand until years later.” Regretfully, I looked up his name on Google tonight and found myself too late. Well, it does give me comfort knowing he was so loved and well-considered until the end; and I certainly don’t regret thanking him for becoming a priest face-to-face when I was a freshman at Cardinal Glennon.
Billy was my first cousin on his mother’s side of the family. He was so loved by all of us. He was a priest, enough said. He was a protector of me when we were children, always wise, always aware of others, always full of the joy of life. What a privilege to have him in the family. Thank you and God bless you, my dear cousin. The world is a better place because you walked among us. I miss you.