Fr. Charles J. Canterna photo by Clarence B.Garrett, 1978 from "Street Priest" by Dan Rodricks in Marylanders of the Century |
--Keegan Knox's submission, finalist in Baltimore's Champions of Courage
“I plant the seeds, God does the watering.” “The first three I approach might reject me,” says Chuck. “And then the fourth, the fifth, the sixth, the seventh, the eighth, the ninth. But then the 10th—that guy might be open to God, open to the Spirit. He might respond. I might be able to get him to go inside himself and find meaning and purpose to his life, and maybe a light comes on and the guy finds the Spirit. I’m just there to help him connect to the Spirit."
--"Street priest" by Dan Rodricks, Marylanders of the Century
Yey to Father Chuck for his current influence in my life now, and foremost to Christ who does the watering.
ReplyDeleteI have met Father Chuck only once, and spoke to him on the phone once, and find he has had a very profound impact on me. He is a dynamic and energetic man, and his love for Jesus shines clearly through everything he says and does. There is no disconnect between his faith and how he lives his life. It seems clear to me that Christ has chosen, and groomed, him to touch the lives of many, and to help many of us along the path of our own faith journeys. It was my experience that he met me at the point of the path where I was, and at the end of my time talking and praying with him I felt notably closer to Christ and miles further along the way.
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