Denver Catholic

5 DENVER CATHOLIC | MARCH 12-25, 2016 Around the Archdiocese www.TheCatholicFoundation.com giving@thecatholicfoundation.com Jean Finegan | 303.867.0613 Giving for the Kingdom of God ® Planning Your Will and Special Gifts WHERE THERE'S A WILL … GIVE IT A WAY. Personally – Leave a legacy of what matters to you most. Financially – Wisely manage the assets that God has entrusted to you, in full compliance with the doctrine of the Catholic Church. Spiritually – Strengthen our parishes and our Catholic community through your charitable giving. The Catholic Foundation of Northern Colorado is here to help you plan your Will, including the opportunity for special gifts that you may not be able to create on your own. As Catholic faithful, we believe our earthly treasure is a gift from God, and we can give it a way to serve the greater good. Give alms. Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven. LUKE 12:33–34 By creating a Will, you can … Give it a way. F ather Lawrence W. "Bill" Carmody, the second priest to be ordained for the Diocese of Colorado Springs and one of its most beloved pastors, died Feb. 23 at age 58. His funeral Mass took place March 5 at 10 a.m. at St. Dominic Parish, followed by a burial in the priests' lot at Evergreen Cemetery. A reception was held at St. Dominic after the burial. Father Carmody was well-known throughout Colorado because of his tire- less e¬ orts as long-time director of the diocesan Respect Life O® ce, and as news of his death spread, tributes began pour- ing in from around the state and even other parts of the country. "For more than 25 years, he was a war- rior for the unborn," said Bishop Michael Sheridan. "He is known nationally for his work. That is his legacy." "He's really been the clarion call and the moral voice on this issue for so many years," said Rep. Terri Carver, R-Colorado Springs. "He will be greatly missed. He was a great man." Father Carmody was born Sept. 26, 1957, to Lawrence W. and Delia Carmody of Denver. He was the second-oldest of seven children, growing up with two sis- ters and three brothers (one sister died in childhood). As a boy, he loved basketball, football and baseball, but lacked the athletic abil- ity to be a starting player, said his younger brother Patrick Carmody. "He learned to love the underdog," his brother said. "He brought that attitude to the fi ght for the right to life. The right to life is all about the underdog—who will stand up for the one without a voice; who will fi ght for the one that can't fi ght?" After graduating from Indiana State University in 1981 with a master's degree in athletic training, Father Carmody worked for three years as a high-school athletic trainer in Mission, Texas. During that time he became engaged to a music teacher at the high school, but he broke o¬ the engagement when he realized he was being called to the priesthood. He studied at Holy Trinity Seminary at the University of Dallas for two years, then fi nished his seminary education at St. Thomas Seminary in Denver. He was ordained a priest on June 2, 1990 by Bishop Emeritus Richard Hanifen at Ave Maria Church in Parker. It was during his fi rst assignment at Ave Maria Parish that he became aware of the need for a ministry to women and men su¬ ering from the e¬ ects of abortion, he told The Colorado Catholic Herald in an interview on the occasion of his 25th anniversary as a priest. "During a political campaign, one of the candidates ran a television ad that showed pictures of aborted babies," he said. "Because of that, a woman came for- ward who struggled with a past abortion, and I didn't know how to help her. Mimi Eckstein had started Project Rachel in Denver. I said, 'Boy, we need to have something for down here.'" "He was gifted in the way he worked with post-abortive men and women, leading them to healing," said Sarah Bidon, a counselor with Catholic Chari- ties of Central Colorado. "He leaned on the Holy Spirit as he did this work and the glory always went to God." It was in 1994 that Father Carmody also began celebrating weekly Masses in front of the Planned Parenthood Clinic in Colorado Springs, fi rst at the previous location on Colorado Boulevard, and then at the current location on Centen- nial Boulevard. In 2008, he helped to start the 40 Days for Life prayer vigil to end abortion in Colorado Springs. "As a rule, he was quiet and unassum- ing," said Lynn Grandon, program director of Respect Life Resources of Catholic Charities in the Archdiocese of Denver. "But bring up the subject of protecting early human life in the womb and watch the warrior emerge! I can't help but picture him now in heaven, with clusters of little children around him, hugging his legs and thanking him for praying for them, and caring for them when no one else did." Anna Maria Basquez contributed to this story. This article was published with per- mission of the-Colorado Catholic Herald. Father "Bill" Carmody known for being tireless life warrior BY VERONICA AMBUUL He was gifted in the way he worked with post-abortive men and women, leading them to healing. He leaned on the Holy Spirit as he did this work and the glory always went to God." SARAH BIDON Counselor with Catholic Charities of Central Colorado. " Father Lawrence W. "Bill" Carmody

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