This is Mike’s story, a memoir about the death of his father and his experience of it as an oldest son and Catholic priest.

Mike’s story is an intimate glimpse into an event that most of us will experience at some point in our lives. His resonating account of his father’s passing provides unique insight into the complexities that accompany a parent’s death, such as divorce, remarriage, and family differences.

More importantly, this memoir is about how Mike graciously navigated this period by talking things out, thinking things through, and prayerfully discerning direction while respecting his sacred duty to properly honor his father through a funeral, burial, and dignified remembrance.

He hopes that this memoir will give readers a deep appreciation for the sacred duty of burying the dead, provide new insights into the tender care that it takes to discern what is right for everyone involved, especially the deceased, and provide a deeper understanding of the importance of prayerfully sorting through to what is really important.

About the Author

Michael Leo Papesh was born into a Slovenian community, just south of Chicago in Joliet, Illinois. Raised to believe that family was the bedrock of everything, his parents’ divorce when he was twenty-three shook the foundations of his life, and recovery from this event has been a lifelong process.

Papesh spent thirty-five years as a Catholic priest in Minnesota and Colorado in university, parish, and chancery settings. He has previously published books on clerical culture and how to administer a parish.

His deep commitment to family has led him to genealogical work in the U.S. and in foreign countries and to gathering and writing his family’s shaping stories.

Now retired, he lives at the edge of the Great Plains, at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, where he walks, reads, and continues his genealogical work and writing.