AUTHENTICALLY PRESENT by Katie Christensen, Pastoral Associate

If I were to choose just three qualities that have endeared Father Bill to so many people, I would select listening, inspiring and his sense of joy. These are the qualities that make him authentically present to others. He listens without an agenda. He inspires us to use our God-given talents to make a difference in this world. His sense of joy and laughter is a gift he gives to others.

Father Bill listens patiently. His door is literally always open and all are welcome. From my office, which is adjacent to his, I observe people as they leave his office. I can’t remember a time that anyone walked out the door without a smile and a little hug.

He inspires. Often, he will say we need to go visit someone in the hospital in Reno, Carson City or Truckee. I will ask, “Who is it we are visiting?” Many times, his response is, “I have no idea, but they need someone and we want to minister to them.”

He elevates the ordinary with joy. The first time I accompanied Father Bill to a house blessing, he handed me the holy water and told me to just follow him. Traditionally a house blessing consists of blessing the front entrance. Not for Father Bill. He blessed everything in every room. We entered the kitchen and I watched as he blessed the spices and the pots and pans. I am not sure who was more surprised, the owners or me!

If you have had the opportunity to hear Father Bill preach, you know what a special priest and man he is. Father Bill invites us to be present and experience the feelings of the people in the biblical accounts, to place ourselves in that moment of time, making our wonderful relationship with God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit come alive.

Two of my favorite Father Bill homilies are the stories of the Samaritan woman at the well and the innkeeper who turns Mary and Joseph away. Both are excellent examples of how Father Bill helps make God’s message in parables accessible to modern day listeners.

The idea to publish “Reflections of Father Bill,” a selection of his homilies, came about as a way to commemorate and honor his 50th anniversary ministering as a priest. This website grew out of that project. We hope Father Bill’s homilies will become your “go to” when a little refresher is needed - a reminder of how Father Bill has touched our hearts, our minds and our lives. And, it’s a great tool to share your faith.

I will always be grateful for Father Bill’s friendship, love, support and encouragement in living my faith. His message has always been the same: pray every day, seek a personal relationship with our Lord, forgive, be forgiven and go out, be disciples, share the Good News.

Katie Christensen

Former Pastoral Associate, St. Francis of Assisi Parish

Postscript - added in 2024:

Father Bill died on December 21, 2023, just nine days after having open heart surgery. He was a dear friend to me and to so many of you.

Whenever I would go with him to visit grieving families, he would always say to them:

"May your personal faith in a merciful and loving God
ease your pain and temper your sorrow."

I would like to share a prayer from the candle light ceremony offered in his memory at a prayer service at the Carmel of Reno Monastery shortly after he died:

We seem to give Bill back to you, O God who gave him to us.
Yet as You did not lose him in the giving, so we do not lose him by his return.
Not as the world gives do You give, O lover of souls.
What You give, You take not away, for what is yours is ours, if we are yours.

While we all miss him dearly, Father Bill will forever be in our hearts.