Archbishop Gomez gives moving farewell to priest killed in car accident

Los Angeles, Calif., Jul 23, 2010 / 07:13 am

Coadjutor Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles has written a letter bidding farewell to Fr. Ramon Salas Cacho, an exemplary priest who tragically died in a car accident on July 9. In his letter, the archbishop expressed his sympathy and hope in God, praising the courageous testimony of Fr. Salas and the priest's total commitment to his mission.

“For those who have faith, we know, as St. Paul says, that everything happens for the good of those who love God (Romans 8:28). There are events in our lives, however, episodes that remind us that accepting this truth is not always easy,” the archbishop wrote. “One of them has been the departure to Eternal Life of a priest friend, whose entire life was an affirmation of the Year of Priests we have just brought to a close: Fr. Ramon Salas Cacho, who completed his journey among us on July 9.”

The priest, who was the vicar of the prelature for Opus Dei in Mexico City, died at the age of 57.  He had served as a priest for 25 years.

“Ramon, how are you?’ I would often ask him each time I had the chance to visit Mexico City,” the archbishop continued in his letter. “‘Will you come with me to the Villa to celebrate Mass at the Basilica of Guadalupe?’ I would invariably ask him. And the generosity of his response was equally invariable: ‘Absolutely! I’ll pick you up at the airport and we’ll go pray to Our Lady of Guadalupe.’”

“The last time we were together at the feet of Our Lady, he turned to me with his usually spiritual joy and said, ‘It’s so great to pray with Our Lady of Guadalupe',” the prelate recalled.

“His more than 25 years of priesthood were marked by a profound life of prayer, the devout celebration of the Holy Eucharist and untiring attention to the spiritual needs of so many men and women who came to him to be reconciled with God through the sacrament of Confession or to seek out counsel and wisdom through spiritual direction,” Archbishop Gomez noted.

He also praised Fr. Ramon’s leadership in the apostolic work of Opus Dei in various Mexican cities, “giving men and women, single and married, young and old, a new hope of spiritual life. And always with a smile and with the simplicity of a normal and fulfilling life,” the archbishop said.

Fr. Ramon showed throughout his life “the authenticity of a priestly life that is worthy of imitation for me and for my brother priests,” he added.

“May my good friend and brother Fr. Ramon rest in peace. Let us appeal to his intercession, that he will continue accompanying us on our earthly journey until at the end of our lives we can meet with him again in the presence of the Lord our God and the company of Our Lady of Guadalupe,” Archbishop Gomez concluded.