Rev. John F. McArdle

Back in 1848, John Henry Newman wrote words that apply to each of us: “I have my mission, I shall not be told it in this life but I shall in the next. For I am as a link in a chain, a bond of connection between people”. A person finds his mission simply by being faithful to his daily duties. 

The earthly mission of Fr. John McArdle came to its end on Sunday, November 18, 2012. Born on November 9, 1926, in Chicago, he was the second of three sons of Frances J. O’Brien and Joseph P. Mc Ardle, the boys being “surrounded” by an older sister, Joyce and younger sister, Joanne. His father died quite suddenly in 1969, his mother in 1980. Both brothers, Jimmy and Joe, passed away, the former in early childhood, the latter at age 79, his younger sister, Joanne at age 64. 

His education “travels” took him to Chicago Loyola University there, thence to St. Nazianz, Wisconsin Salvatorian Seminary. From there he “migrated” south to Milwaukee St. Francis Seminary, thence to Plymouth, Michigan St. John Major Seminary. 

Priestly ordination in 1951 marked the start of a long odyssey of assignments beginning with a brief stay at the Soo, followed by others, most of longer duration, in the mid peninsula, the Copper Country, the western UP, Delta and Menominee Counties, retiring from the active ministry in 1991. 

As his own journey was unfolding, he came to treasure those of others he met along the way who so enriched his own, writers like Edward Leen, John Henry Newman, Thomas Merton, Caryll Houselander, Gerald Vann, Catherine of Siena, Therese Martin, Jeremias Drexelius, Pierre de Caussade, Francis de Sales, Teresa of Avila, G.K. Chesterton, John Bannister Tabb, Viktor Frankl and John Paul II among others. Their presence in his life was very formative as was that of family members, several priests and laity whose own missions in life helped form his own “legacy of faith.”

There were three main areas of interest in his pilgrimage back to the Father: the Legion of Mary, life issues, reading and writing (but not arithmetic). Monthly spiritual talks to the Legion of Mary helped fill his latter days as did some parish histories and brief “bios” of senior priests that issued forth from his typewriter. Articles on pressing current life concerns appeared at times in the UP Catholic and Menominee/Marinette Eagle Herald. 

Realizing his “coming into existence from nothing”, understanding that his first moment of life found him so microscopically tiny that it would have taken an extremely powerful instrument to even detect him, helped him appreciate the words of the Psalmist “how fearfully wonderfully you have made us O Lord” and those of St. Paul “what is you have you have not received so why glory as if you had not”. 

Karl Rahner penned some words of finality about priests that bear repeating: 

“Accept us as we are: men who, like you, need the mercy of God; poor men, weak, sinful, with faults and limited talents. Though we are men called by God, chosen by him to be the servants of the altar in your holy community, we too grope through the darkness of the world. All we can do is travel with you into the light of God, our Father, Who loves us, forgives us, and sends Himself in Jesus Christ and in the grace of the Holy Spirit. So you see, you must carry us just as we must carry you, and we can only beg of you: pray for us, have patience with us, carry us, accept God’s work and His holy mysteries from us.” 

Friends called at Resurrection Parish on Sunday, November 25, 2012 from 4:00 p.m. until Parish Prayers at 6:00 p.m. with Fr. Michael Chenier officiating. Visitation continued at the church on Monday, November 26, 2012 from 9:00 a.m. until the Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 a.m. officiated by The Most Reverend Bishop Alexander K. Sample. Burial followed at Riverside Cemetery, Menominee.

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