In Memory
Rev. Alex McDonald, S.F.M.
1927-2010
September/October 2010
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It was with profound gratitude and thanks to God that we bid farewell to Fr. Alex McDonald who passed away on June 4, 2010, one day after his 83rd birthday.
Fr. Alex, a native of Alexandria, in Glengarry County, Ontario, was ordained to the priesthood at St. Finnan’s Cathedral in Alexandria on December 22, 1951. In September 1952, he left for Japan by ship and gave 52 years of generous missionary service to the Church of Japan. After language study in Tokyo, Fr. Alex was assigned to work in Nagasaki Diocese where he spent six years. In 1960, he was appointed to Ichinomiya Parish in Nagoya Diocese where he worked for more than 40 years.
Fr. Alex was a man of faith whose life revolved around prayer and the Eucharist. His preparation for Sunday homily began on the previous Monday and continued throughout the week. Prayer and meditation were part of each morning as was his long walk to and from the Sisters’ convent where he offered morning mass. It was Alex who answered the phone or the doorbell at the rectory; it was Alex who instructed those preparing for baptism or one of the other Sacraments; it was Alex who faithfully visited the sick and accompanied family members as they mourned and buried their loved ones. Alex was indeed a good and faithful servant. And, as regular as his presence and prayer life was, so was his day off for a game of golf at a course in the mountains outside of Nagoya City.
Even after returning to Canada in May 2004, he remained committed to proclaiming the Gospel at every opportunity and had a very active retirement offering assistance in parishes in Scarborough, Lancaster, and Williamstown, Ontario. He also helped out as one of the part time chaplains to the Japanese Catholic community that gathered once a month for mass in Japanese and fellowship at Scarboro’s central house in Scarborough. He set an example for us as a person who placed his trust in God at each stage of his journey. Several years ago when he first learned he had cancer, he was upset, but very shortly after he was heard saying, “I want to live but I told God he could take me if he wanted to.”
Fr. Alex was a joy to have around and he gave life and joy to others through his dry humour and his ability to laugh at the funny incidences that he experienced. I remember the time he shared with us an experience he had when filling in one summer at a country parish. The rectory was off by itself and the Sisters had warned him not to answer the door after dark. One night as he was about to go to bed he heard banging at the door and got really nervous. The banging continued at intervals and he thought that someone was trying to break in. He tried phoning 911 but couldn’t get the phone to work. He thought someone must have cut the outside line. (Only later did he find out that he had to press nine for an outside line.)
Finally he fled out the back door to run across the parking lot to the Sisters convent for help. As he crossed the parking lot, he heard a big bang again and looked up into the sky to see fireworks celebrating Canada Day. How often he entertained us with the next episode in his journey.
Alex believed deeply that his life would continue beyond the grave. As he entered his final agony, he told many of us, “Mary is coming to take me home.”
The Mass of the Resurrection was celebrated here in the chapel at Scarboro Missions. His brother, Wilfred, and sister, Mary Beth, as well as their spouses, Donna and Joseph, were joined by his relatives and many of the extended Scarboro family to give thanks for his life and pray for the repose of his soul.
Following the funeral service, Fr. Alex was laid to rest in Queen of the Clergy Cemetery at St Augustine’s Seminary in Scarborough where more than 40 of our Scarboro priests have been buried. It is with gratitude that we remember the gift he has been to us.
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