William Penn Life, 1987 (22. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1987-07-01 / 7. szám
Page 4, William Penn Life, July 1987 Father Becker recalls his 60 years as a priest By Kathy Shriner The Wheeling News Register WELLSBURG, WV — Devoting 60 years of one’s life to something is special. To know the Rev. Frederick Becker, who has accomplished this, is also special. On June 14, 1927, Father Becker became an ordained priest, a decision he has never regretted. He was 24 when he was ordained. At that time a man had to be that age before he could be ordained. "That gave them plenty of time to decide if they wanted to be celibate,” he said. His stories of the past 60 years and his life as a child are endless. Father Becker, the youngest of 10 children, was born in Cumberland, Md. His father was a stone mason and "mother was a good cook,” he said. Neither had objections to him entering the priesthood. So at the age of 12, he and a friend left home to attend a seminary. When deciding to devote his life to God as a boy he said, "I just came into it gradually. 1 served as an altar boy. That’s where most (priests) come from.” After his ordination he found himself in Hays, Kansas, where he served as a teacher and principal of a junior high school. After This hand-made Lamp, featuring paintings of Father Becker and the Mount St. George chapel, was a gift from Branch 8243 at the Home. working with the youth in St. Joseph’s parish for three years, he learned he was being transferred to St. Alphonsus in Wheeling. His departure from St. Joseph’s brings back one of his fondest memories. "Two 5-year-olds came up to me and said 'stoop down here we want to whisper something in your ear.’ So I stooped down, one was on each side of me, and they both kissed me on the cheek, then ran off,” he said. "I never forgot that. It’s the little things that make me happy.” After six years in Wheeling, he returned to St. Joseph as assistant pastor. In 1941 he was assigned to his hometown of Cumberland, where he served as chaplain of Sacred Heart Hospital, college professor in sociology and psychology for nursing students and pastor of a mission parish. After six years there, he was again reassigned, this time to the then Knights of St. George Home. For the past 40 years, Father Becker has been serving the needs of those at the home. He has found his duties there involve more than meeting the spiritual needs of its residents. When he first began at the Home, he found himself milking cows, gardening, making cheese, butter and ice cream, baking bread, raising pigs and washing clothes with a wash board. Even today he finds himself performing laundry duties, although modern machines are now used. His love of God and people, however, isn’t his only interest. Father Becker is a big sports fan and will even miss meals to watch a Pittsburgh Pirates game on television. But watching baseball wasn’t always enough for the priest who will turn 85 this November, standing six feet tall and weighing 210 pounds. He used to pitch, but "would play any position I must so 1 would get to play.” In fact, he said, "I might have tried (baseball as a career) if I hadn’t.. Among his sandlot competitors was Lefty Groves, pitcher for the Cleveland Indians in the 1930s. "I always played to win. I’d never give up even if we were 50 runs behind,” Father Becker said. He also prides himself in the plants and flowers he grows in the Home’s greenhouse. He grows all the flowers used on the chapel’s altar. He also grows vegetable plants for the garden, even though his other gardening work is now limited to cultivation and caring for the strawberries. Playing the piano is also a pastime the priest treasures, but he admits he never had any formal training. "I just monkey around.” Minstrel shows used to be held at the Home and Father Becker would accompany on the piano while a friend played the organ. Looking at his hands, Father Becker said, "these old fingers don’t want to move anymore.” For any young man thinking of Father Becker celebrates his diamond jubilee with an outdoor Mass. 200 honor Fr. Becker at dinner WELLSBURG, WV —Nearly 200 people gathered at the Association’s Mount St. George Home for the Elderly June 14 to celebrate the diamond jubliee of the Home’s chaplain, the Rev. Frederick Becker. The day’s events began with a field Mass, celebrated by Father Becker, priests from the Capuchin Order and friends of the honoree. The Mass was followed by a special reception and dinner marking Father Becker’s 60th anniversary of his ordination into the priesthood. Addressing the dinner guests on behalf of the Association, Executive Vice President John F. Kenawell said "you don’t have to have known Father Fred very long to know that he is a man of compassion and concern.” Father Becker was thanked for his years of compassion and concern with a number of gifts and honors. Among the honors were a proclamation presented by Wellsburg Mayor Anthony Cipriani, a citation from the West Virginia State Senate presented by Marc Chernenko, son of State Sen. Chernenko, and a resolution from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives presented by Branch 8020 President Bill Arbanas. Father Becker also received a plaque from Wellsburg Branch 8309 and a beautiful hand-made lamp from Home Branch 8243. The highlight of the gift presentations came at the end of the dinner when Bernard Henry presented Father Becker with a special citation from President and Mrs. Reagan. In addition to Mr. Kenawell, other Association officials on hand to honor Father Becker were National Secretary E.E. Vargo, National Vice President Albert J. Stelkovics and National Auditor Louis A. Fodor. Many thanks for organizing this fine affair go to Jubilee Committee Chairman Adelyn Gillispie and her committee. Committee members were: Donna Ashcraft, Bob and Sandy Wilt, Bernard and Virginia Henry, Tony and Eleanor Filberto, Tom Zurbuch and Michael O’Brien. THE REV. FREDERICK BECKER entering the priesthood, he recommends one "should be able to see the funny side. Be able to laugh. You can’t go around with a sour face all the time.” The values of the world must also be forgotten, he said. "If you Have you seen these children? Name: Michelle Lee Dorr Date Missing: 05/31 /86 From: Silver Spring, Md. Date of Birth: 10/12/79 Description: white female, brown hair, blue eyes, 3' 6" 40 lbs. Name: Jeremy James Grice Date Missing: 11 /22/85 From: North Augusta, S.C. Date of Birth: 05/12/81 Description: white male, blonde hair, hazel eyes, 4', 40 lbs. Call 1-800-843-5678 National Center for Missing & Exploited Children A Public Service Provided by the William Penn Association and the National Fraternal Congress of America. don’t forget them, you won’t have the way of the Lord because the two contradict.” Plus, as Father Becker says, "it’s a way of life and somebody’s got to do it.”
