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July 14, 2020
Father Piers Lahey
St. Andrew Parish, Daly City
We have heard the shocking news about Father Ken Westray’s sudden death [June 25, 2020]. Many years ago, Father Ken and I were at St Patrick’s Seminary. Even in those early days, it was so clear. Ken was an energetic, joyful guy who loved the Lord deeply, and couldn’t wait to begin his service to the people of God as a deacon, then as a priest and pastor. Wherever he served, Ken was a faithful shepherd who, as Pope Francis likes to say, was “living with the smell of the sheep.”
Father Ken’s close friend and brother in Christ, Father Jay Matthews, passed away, also suddenly, in Oakland. Father Ken was the homilist at the funeral, and I wanted to share a few of the things Father Ken said. These are all from the online edition of The Catholic Voice. These words clearly describe Father Ken as well as Father Jay:
“Father Jay saw the light of Christ in himself and in each and every one of us, even sometimes when we could not see it in ourselves. ... [to Father Jay] everything was a gift of God.. [Father Jay] helped us celebrate being Negro, then Colored, then black, then African American and empowering us and many of you to get involved and staying involved in the Roman Catholic Church even when you knew you were not welcome. …
Father Jay didn’t tolerate any isms because he believed everyone was created in the image and likeness of God.”
We won’t hear Father Ken’s strong voice in the crucial discussion of Black Lives Matter. As someone with a deeply rooted passion for social justice and peace, Ken’s words would have been so meaningful.
He passed away in the month of June, the month dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Ken was pastor at Sacred Heart Parish in San Francisco before it closed. He approached everything he ever said and did as a priest and pastor, allowing the mercy and grace and peace which are found in Christ to flow through him always.
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