Father Dan Walsh and Father Bob Owczarczak are the two best priests I have ever known. They are both huge Bills fans. So I will put it this way. Father Dan is like the Jim Kelly of priests. A wise, old, retired superstar. Father Bob is like Josh Allen. The new, young, dynamic superstar.

Father Dan has helped me so many times during my life that I can’t thank him enough. Father Bob came on the scene locally during my last few years as the principal of Northern Chautauqua Catholic School. I have a hard time calling him Father since I am old enough to be his father. Father Bob has been a wonderful blessing to this community.

In this day and age when all you read about in the news is of Catholic priests who abused people, particularly young boys, it is important to know that there have always been fine priests like Father Dan. With the current Catholic priest shortage, it is encouraging to know that there are still younger men of great character willing to take up the priesthood. The Catholic Church could certainly add more dynamic young superstars to their ranks if the church ordained women and/or if priests were allowed to marry. But that is the topic for a future column.

Father Dan and Father Bob both helped me write and present the eulogy for my former assistant principal at Fredonia Middle School Jenniffer Maslakowski. Jenn passed away a couple of weeks ago. Father Bob actually presided over the funeral Mass. When Bob told me that I had three minutes to speak, I asked him this question. “What is this a funeral mass or a village board meeting?” But unlike a village board meeting, Father Bob didn’t sound a timer when my three minutes were up and he did allow me extra time to speak about my colleague during the mass.

I struggled to write a tribute to my assistant. I had too much material to fit into a short tribute. And so many of the stories that best captured Jenn’s more than 25 years in education were simply not church appropriate. So I reached out to Father Dan. He was very helpful. He did repeat two statements and a question several times. Father Dan said, “You shouldn’t tell that story during a funeral Mass” and “You can’t use that language in church.” Father Dan also asked repeatedly, “Did that really happen?”

I gave a brief, G-Rated, church appropriate tribute to Jenn. After Mass, during lunch at the Vets Club, we continued our tribute to Jenn. And even though it was a sad occasion, we laughed a lot. Because Jenn wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

When I was a teacher I would always repeat the saying that “Teaching is God’s Work.” I used that saying to motivate myself and my colleagues. I changed that proverb just a little when I became a principal. Teaching is doing some of God’s most important and enjoyable work. Being a principal is doing some of God’s most important and often unpleasant work. In my eulogy, I said that Jenn Maslakowski did God’s work, both enjoyable and unpleasant, for more than 25 years.

When Father Dan presides over a funeral Mass he always gives a hopeful message. Father Dan gave me some of his words to use during my tribute. Our loved ones don’t die in their homes. They don’t die in hospitals, hospice, nursing homes or rehab centers. The dearly departed are not in coffins or boxes of ashes. And they don’t end up in a cemetery somewhere. Our loved ones go to be with the Lord. As we grieve our loss, they are in God’s loving arms feeling God’s most perfect love,

Father Bob gave a great sermon at an NCCS children’s Mass a few years ago. He called on kids to share their ideas of what heaven is like. Kids described heaven as being like an all you can eat ice cream bar or an endless pizza buffet. Other kids talked about being able to ride their bikes or play their favorite video game or favorite sport for as long as they liked. At the end of his sermon, Father Bob told the kids in the pews that heaven is even better than anything that they could imagine.

As we were walking back to school after that Mass, one of the kids asked me. “What do you think heaven is like Mr. Ludwig?” I said, “I don’t know what all of heaven is like but I do believe this. There is a part of heaven that has children playing. And I am watching over them. And there is a part of heaven that has children learning and I am teaching them.” This kiddo says to me, “So you think heaven is like school? You’re weird Mr. Ludwig.” I told this little squirt that to me heaven is like school but heaven is also better than anything that we can imagine. And our friends and loved ones who have passed on wait for us there.

Andrew Ludwig is a retired math teacher and a retired public school and Catholic school administrator. He currently works as a substitute teacher in Chautauqua County.