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Eulogy for Fr. Richard R. Dolezal, Ph.D. Stephen A. Marth | September 1, 2012 | St. Alphonsus Catholic Church Before reminiscing briefly about the remarkable gentleman whose life we are celebrating today, I want to extend thanks on behalf of Richard���s family and friends to all who have made today���s liturgy so memorable. Your collective contributions have far surpassed anything Richard might have envisioned, and I���m sure he is looking down on this congregation today with his characteristic smile, nodding his approval. Thanks, too, to all who visited or wrote cards and emails to Richard throughout the summer while he was in residence at St. Joseph Village. I am sure that your greetings, coupled with the compassionate care offered by the nursing staff there, provided him with the comfort and dignity he so richly deserved. Though he was unable to articulate his gratitude in the last months of his earthly pilgrimage, rest assured that he took solace in your presence, thoughts and prayers. Well, knowing of Richard���s insistence that homilies and speeches need to be concise, insightful and engaging in order to be effective, I shuddered at the thought of trying to eulogize him ��� that is to sum up his entire life ��� in the span of just a few, brief minutes. I must confess that despite my training as an English teacher, I struggled more with the writing of this reflection than I have with most writing tasks. For you see, one of the cardinal rules of written and oral communication is to know one���s audience, and I was conscious of and rather perplexed by the diverse ways in which some of you have come to know Richard. To some he has been the venerable Dr. Dolezal, that learned man, that outstanding scholar, that master teacher, and that wise, prudent and compassionate administrator. To others he has been Fr. Richard, who has provided you with the Eucharist, offered insightful lessons from scripture, heard your confessions and enriched your spiritual lives through his thoughtprovoking homilies. And, to still others, he has just been Richard, Dick or Dickie, a colleague, friend or relative known for his optimistic outlook on life, his strong work ethic and commitment to excellence, his love of nature (especially evident as he delightfully sojourned to his rural home in Wisconsin), and his passion for good music, dark chocolate and classic movies. Though we all knew Richard from various and sundry perspectives, he consistently exhibited some key character traits that wove together the disparate aspects of his wonderfully rich and complex life. Let me mention just a few of these. First of all, he was a remarkable listener, who probably frustrated some of us occasionally when we went to him seeking some neatly packaged counsel and advice. Instead of telling us what to do, he would ask gently probing questions, in the fashion of a Socratic dialogue, and he had a unique ability to use silence effectively to draw out from us the common sense and sometimes even the wisdom that had previously escaped our notice. So, whether he was in class leading a literary discussion, hearing confessions or just conversing with friends, Richard was able to listen attentively and empathetically, focusing on us and our circumstances rather than impatiently formulating a response. In a Latin School yearbook from his early days, he was quoted as saying, ���If in life you learn compassion, you have learned much.��� Richard was a compassionate listener par excellence. ���He had faith in his ability to carry out his responsibilities as a priest and educator, he had faith in his fellow human beings, and he had a deep and abiding faith in God.��� LATI N SCHOOL OF CHI CA GO 51