Fr. Larry Homily:
I would like to begin by thanking Bishop Rhoades, my brother priests, and all of you for being here today to celebrate the funeral Mass for Fr. Larry Tippmann. It means a great deal to all of Fr. Larry’s family to have you here.
When I was ordained a priest 9 years ago, Fr. Larry said: Good, now I have my replacement. So, it’s an honor for me to be here to give this funeral homily.
If you listen carefully to the prayers of the funeral Mass you will hear 3 layers of prayer going on at the same time. The first layer of prayer is glorifying God. At this Mass, and at every Mass, it is right and just to give God thanks and praise. Fr. Larry was a priest. He knew that the most important part of his life was celebrating Mass and worshipping God. So, the most important thing we can do today is to worship God during this Mass.
The second layer of prayer during this funeral Mass is for Fr. Larry. Let us all implore our merciful and loving savior to be a kind and merciful judge for Fr. Larry. Fr. Larry knew quite well that he was not a perfect person. He had sins and failings like every one of us here. But, he loved God and knew that God was merciful. Please, in your kindness, implore God to be merciful to Fr. Larry. Lord, open the gates of paradise to your servant. Grant to him eternal life.
The third layer of prayer is for all of us here, who mourn the loss of Fr. Larry. He was an important person in the lives of so many people. He was important in the life of our Tippmann family. But, he was also important in the lives of his parish families over the years. During this past week I started wondering about Fr. Larry’s lifetime statistics. Just imagine how many masses he celebrated, weddings, funerals, baptisms, confessions, anointings for the sick. How many of us were touched by Fr. Larry’s priestly ministry? It’s true that a priest does not leave behind natural children and grandchildren. But, he leaves behind a spiritual family of people touched by his ministry. This includes all of us here today. So, the prayers of the mass are for us as well. That God might give us his consolation. But, also, that we might grow in our faith through the example of Fr. Larry’s life and by the Word of God. I would like to offer 4 things for us to remember. Fr. Larry’s kindness, positive attitude, love for his family, and his love for the Eucharist.
One thing I will always remember about Fr. Larry was his kind heart and his peaceful demeanor. After I was accepted to the seminary, Fr. Larry called me up out of the blue and wanted to take me to lunch. He told me he was praying for me and he was happy that I was going to the seminary. He even gave me his haircutting kit that he used in the seminary 50 years ago. Apparently, he would cut the other guys’ hair to help out. Not my gift, to cut hair. But, I was grateful of his support. He was always kind and gracious to me, and for that I’m grateful.
Also, his peaceful demeanor. I haven’t known him as long as some of you here, but I never saw him upset, or discouraged. He was always upbeat and positive. Now, I’m sure he had his moments, we all do. But, I especially remember being amazed at his attitude following the accident where he hurt his hand badly. First of all, we all know he had no business operating that saw. But, be that as it may, he was very badly injured. He had numerous surgeries, procedures, and lots of therapy. But, anytime I talked to him he was positive and upbeat. I remember one time asking him: Fr. Larry how is the hand doing. “Oh, great” he said. “Look what I can do:” then he moved one finger about a quarter of an inch. I remember thinking that I would have felt greatly discouraged by the lack of progress. But, for him, it was great progress.
It was sad to see Fr. Larry struggling these last number of years. He was always so sharp, especially his memory. I remember talking to him at lunch about our big Tippmann family. I’m convinced that he was the last person alive who really knew everyone in the family. How many of us can really say that? I don’t know every Tippmann. But, Fr. Larry did. He had a great devotion to our family. I know we will miss him greatly.
Finally, I’d like to call attention to Fr. Larry’s great love for the Mass and the Eucharist. This was such an important part of his life. Even in retirement, he would celebrate mass in his apartment. He would spend time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. The Eucharist was at the heart of his spiritual life. This makes sense. The Eucharist is at the heart of every priest’s spiritual life. The priest is the one ordained to offer the sacrifice of Christ on behalf of the whole Church. It is truly the Eucharist that gives the priest his identity and mission. Without the Eucharist, the priesthood wouldn’t make sense. Without the priesthood, there would be no Eucharist. The Eucharist is the very sacrifice of Christ when he offered his life on the cross for the salvation of the world. When we offer this Mass today for Fr. Larry, we are offering once again the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. When we spend time in prayer adoring the Blessed Sacrament, we are truly in the presence of Christ. Fr. Larry knew this. This is why he was so devoted to the mass and to praying before the Lord especially in the adoration chapel.
I’ve been thinking about many of the funny “Fr. Larry” stories that have been passed down over the years. I remember one from not too long ago, when he was getting easily confused. Fr. Larry had run out of hosts for mass. For him, this was a crisis. So he called 911. Now, everyone here knows that 911 is not for that kind of emergency. But, for Fr. Larry, it was a crisis. He knew that you called 911 when there was a crisis. He may have been confused mentally at the time. But, he was right: life without Mass would be a crisis.
So, my friends, let’s make today a day of prayer. Let us praise almighty God. Let us give him the worship that is due. Second, let’s pray for Fr. Larry Tippmann. May the Lord grant him a share in eternal life. Fr. Larry believed what Christ said today in the gospel: whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood shall live forever. Grant him that eternal life, O Lord. During the incensing of the casket we will sing the In Paradisum. These words, in Latin, ask that Fr. Larry might be welcomed into the heavenly kingdom with all the angels and saints to welcome him to paradise. This is our prayer. May Fr. Larry be welcomed into paradise. Finally, let’ make this a day of prayer and support for all of Fr. Larry’s family and friends. His natural family and his spiritual family. Prayer for all of his brother priests. The Tippmann family is a big family. But, Fr. Larry’s spiritual family is even bigger. We can all pray for one another, especially that we might grow in our love and respect for the Mass and for the Holy Eucharist.
Rest in peace Fr. Larry. May the words of the gospel ring true for you and for all of us as we celebrate this funeral Mass: whoever eats this bread will live forever.
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