Fr. Mark Shuey: A Father in the Faith

 

We often do not realize the value or importance of a relationship or a person in our lives until that person is gone.

 Early on Sunday morning, August 9, I received the sad and heartbreaking news that Fr. Mark Shuey had entered eternal life. This was certainly not the way I expected to begin my Sunday morning. As the full weight of the news began to sink in, I thought about the many monumental events in my life that Fr. Mark had been a part of.

He married Joanne and me in 2008. From there, he inspired and shepherded my vocation toward the diaconate. He baptized all nine of our children. He was present at my ordination, just as I had been present at and served at both of his ordinations, first as a deacon and later as a priest.

Then the full weight of the value and worth of his relationship with me and my family became evident in my heart. With tears and pain, I began to reflect on the immense loss that I would now have to bear, but also on the true joy and blessing it was to know this man and his family for so many years.

Our Lord begins His ministry by telling His first-called disciples, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). Not many people truly put those words into action in their lives, but this is what made Fr. Mark such a special and unique man.

He did put them into action every day.

He found men with vocations and planted them. He took the time, by God’s grace, to water and nurture them. He established missions and churches throughout the South. He also helped people discover and live out the vocation of marriage through marriage preparation, countless counseling sessions, and countless conversations.

I could continue to list the many things that he did, but I think the point is made. He was called by Jesus to be a disciple-builder and a church planter. He accepted that call not out of pride or personal gain, but out of love—love for Jesus and His Church. He desired nothing more than that people might know and trust Jesus Christ and have a real relationship with the God whom he served and believed in every day.

Fr. Mark knew full well the difficulties involved in this ministry. He knew the challenges that would come from working with different people, different personalities, and different circumstances. But, as Jesus told St. Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Fr. Mark trusted that God’s grace was enough. He had confidence that God’s power would sustain him and enable him to accomplish the task that had been given to him.

Something important to keep in mind about Fr. Mark and his ministry over the years is that he did not do it alone.

His wife, Dawn, was always at his side, working hand in hand with her husband in the Lord’s vineyard. She offered the daily sacrifice of her time, her love, and herself to what Fr. Mark loved to do. Jesus is indeed the foundation upon which we build our lives, and Dawn was a tremendous source of strength and support within their marriage and family. Her work and dedication helped make it possible for Fr. Mark to do what he did in service to the Lord.

Dawn has always been a blessing and an example of faith and love to those who encountered her through Fr. Mark’s ministry.

Part of Fr. Mark’s ability to help people find their way in life came from his own experience as a husband and father. He offered advice that he himself had followed and lived out through faith. His advice was down-to-earth, practical, and came from the heart.

In the Book of Sirach we read:

“A gift from the Lord is a loyal wife; priceless is her value.”

The relationship between Dawn and Fr. Mark was a beautiful example and illustration of this verse—made real through the power of love and sacrifice, as they made the journey together toward salvation.

One of the most important aspects of my relationship with Fr. Mark was serving with him at the altar for fourteen years as a deacon and priest. We both always seemed to know what the other was doing. Our serving clicked together, and the Liturgy became the beautiful symphony that it should be: praying voices, the sound of bells, and the sweet smell of incense, bringing all our senses, minds, and hearts together in the worship of the living God.

One of the most moving parts of the Divine Liturgy, which most people do not hear, is the dialogue between the priest and deacon after the Great Entrance, when the bread and wine are brought to the altar for consecration.

The priest says to the deacon:

“Remember me, brother and fellow minister.”

The deacon responds:

“May the Lord God remember your priesthood in His kingdom.”

The priest replies:

“Pray for me, my fellow minister.”

And then, in words that are among the most moving parts of the Liturgy—and especially so for me now—the deacon says:

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.”

The priest then adds:

“May this same Spirit act together with us all the days of our lives.”

That, in so many ways, sums up the action and purpose of the Liturgy: the Holy Spirit overshadowing the priest, the gifts of bread and wine, the deacon, and the faithful, transforming us and bringing us together into the one Body of Jesus Christ.

The many times that Fr. Mark and I exchanged these words, and the unseen action of the mystery that took place at the altar, are difficult to put into words. But their meaning and power created something that tied priest and deacon very closely together.

It is a bond and a special relationship that death cannot separate.

It is a love and an action that goes beyond this world and enters into heaven, into the one altar where our Lord offers the eternal sacrifice once and for all.

As St. Paul closes his letter to the Ephesians:

“Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with a love that never dies” (Ephesians 6:24).

That love, that very gift of grace, is what we shared at every Divine Liturgy.

Though it may at times be difficult to do this again without Fr. Mark there, and though tears will fill my eyes and break my heart, I have the full confidence that what we shared together is greater and more powerful than death. Our service and our friendship move beyond space and time. They are not forgotten.

There are two things that Fr. Mark talked about often in his preaching and teaching that jump out at me now as I reflect on his life.

The first was his saying that “we are the best that Jesus has.” By “we,” he meant those of us in the Church, those of us trying to be disciples in this world at the present time. He wasn't saying that we were perfect. He was reminding us that we have been given the responsibility of being Christ's presence in the world right now.

We have to make the best of what God has put into our lives. On our daily journey of walking with Jesus, we do not have to be perfect, but we do have to give Him our best. We have to put our best foot forward and follow Him wherever He desires us to go.

When we do that, Jesus, through His grace and blessings, makes the most of what we have to offer.

As St. Paul says in Philippians:

“I can do all things in him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

The other thing Fr. Mark would often say was, “Isn’t Jesus enough?”

What he meant was simple: Stop complaining. You have Jesus. What more do you want?

We all get caught up in it. We don't like the music. We don't like the preaching. We don't like the incense. Church was too long. Complaint after complaint.

And yet, in the middle of all of it, we have Jesus.

Isn't He enough?

That mindset helped Fr. Mark get along and work with so many different people over the years. I learned a great deal from him about serving with other clergy and making those relationships work, even through the difficulties and problems that are sure to arise over time.

As I reflect on the past and the relationship that Fr. Mark and I shared, I think about the countless conversations we had about so many different subjects—from theology and Scripture to construction and history. I think about the conversations before and after Liturgy on Sundays. I think about the long car rides we made together to Parma, Ohio, for different events and ordinations over the years.

I think about those special moments of joy during the celebration of the great feast days, Christmas, and Pascha. I think about the wonderful meals we shared.

I will greatly miss all of these things.

But there is one thing that we shared that time and death cannot take away: our love of Jesus.

As the family of Christ, that is what brings us together and allows us to move forward even during times of pain and loss.

We have hope.

We have confidence that God will keep His promises to all of His faithful.

As the Book of Revelation says:

“God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away… Behold, I am making all things new” (Revelation 21:4–5).

This newness goes beyond space and time and joins us together forever.

Many people who knew Fr. Mark over the years are now suffering a deep loss because he is gone. St. Paul tells the Corinthians:

“For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel” (1 Corinthians 4:15).

That sums up Fr. Mark wonderfully.

He was a father in the faith.

That is how I saw him. That is how countless others saw him.

He was a father who planted seeds in people that he would never live long enough to see fully grown. He encouraged vocations. He strengthened marriages. He baptized children. He built churches. He preached the Gospel. He brought people to Jesus.

I was one of those people.

And now, those of us whom Fr. Mark touched have a responsibility to take what he gave us and give it to someone else. Perhaps that is the greatest way we can honor his life and his priesthood.

We can become what he spent his life helping us become.

Fishers of men.

May God grant rest to the soul of His servant, Fr. Mark.

May Christ receive him into His kingdom.

May God comfort Dawn, his family, and all those who mourn his passing.

And may we never forget the gift God gave us through the life and priesthood of Fr. Mark Shuey.

And perhaps someday, at the heavenly altar, when the priest says, “Remember me, brother and fellow minister,” we will understand even more fully what those words meant.

Until then, Father Mark, pray for me.

May the Lord God remember your priesthood in His kingdom.