{"id":3725,"date":"2009-11-30T11:26:28","date_gmt":"2009-11-30T11:26:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/deaconsbench\/2009\/11\/how-do-you-die-right.html"},"modified":"2009-11-30T11:26:28","modified_gmt":"2009-11-30T11:26:28","slug":"how-do-you-die-right","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2009\/11\/how-do-you-die-right.html","title":{"rendered":"“How do you die right?”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here’s a moving, even inspiring story<\/a> of how one priest is using his own illness and death to give a lesson in living: <\/p>\n

At the St. Anne Catholic Church, people have heard many sermons about life and death.<\/p>\n

But one a recent Sunday, they got unexpected news about the latter in the church bulletin.<\/p>\n

Father John Robbins told his congregation he is dying of prostate cancer.It’s a battle he’s been fighting for more than 10 years.<\/p>\n

“It’s going to be obvious in the not-too-distant future that I’m ill. I look pretty good now and can do most of what I have done, but I do feel myself getting weaker, and I thought I should tell them as opposed to them finding out by the grapevine,” Robbins said.<\/p>\n

Father John has been at St. Anne for nearly a decade.<\/p>\n

The New York native loved to play tennis, loves the movies and – most of all – loves the people of St. Anne.<\/p>\n

Some parishioners say Father John is the glue that has bonded people from the two very different communities of River Oaks and Montrose.<\/p>\n

In his 37 years as a priest, he’s sat at countless bedsides, comforting the dying.<\/p>\n

And even now, as his days come to a close, Father John counsels the living.<\/p>\n

“As a priest, my whole life has been an attempt to live our faith, which includes belief in a life after death and the message of the resurrection. And I would like to teach that lesson, as I have tried to teach the Gospel lessons, not just by what I say, but what I do,” Robbins said. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There’s more at the link, and KHOU’s video report, below. <\/p>\n

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