Post by Dan Cummings - One week ago, Father Joe Champlin was called home. A more than 5 year struggle with cancer ended. This beloved priest passed into eternity. If you were fortunate enough to be among those whose path crossed his, you don't need my words to tell you this: Father Joe was one of those rare individuals who can touch you at a deep level, almost beyond description. Not with power. But with presence. Simple presence. He was there, for you. He cared, about you. That's what made him a true pastor. A shepherd for his flocks. He told me once, in an interview at the Cathedral...that among what I would call his many gifts and talents...the most important to him was being a good pastor. The most common memory of others during the last week...was that he made them feel as though they were the most important person in the world. For those people, it may have seemed like just a feeling at the time. But, when you left a conversation with Father Champlin, you knew that for him...it was somehow true: you ARE special, and your life matters. And in more than 50 years of priesthood...thousands upon thousands of people were able to have that experience of KNOWING they are special...simply because they came into the presence of Father Joe, maybe just once...but if they were a parishoner at Cathedral, at Holy Family in Fulton, at St. Joseph's in Camillus, or at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Warners...they were able to share his presence on at least a weekly basis at Mass...or even more often. Those lucky people know better than the rest of us...the tremendous loss represented by his passing. Father Joe Champlin was perhaps the most widely published Catholic author in the United States. 20 million of his books remain in print. He traveled 2 million miles to speak across North America. He was a leading reformer of the Catholic liturgy. He taught other priests how to be better priests. He founded a Guardian Angel Society, to help inner-city children go to Catholic schools. But for Central New Yorkers who got to know him as a pastor...Father Joe was simply present. To them. Always. The best way for us to remember him is to share that same presence with the people whose paths cross ours. Starting today.