May 26, 2009

RIP: Fr. Sylvan Conover, OFM Cap.

Last night one of the brothers here passed over into eternity. During his long, last illness, Fr. Sylvan would call me often asking for prayer. His desire to join others in prayer was a support to me in many ways.

Fr. Sylvan was my favorite friar to go to for confession, and was the source of many of my "from my confessor" posts. Check out his pastoral counsel on:

Love of neighbor.


Stages of the spiritual life.

Priesthood and loneliness.



Requiescat in pace. Now you pray for me.

10 comments:

Paul A. Zalonski said...

How old was Father Sylvan?

Brother Charles said...

Fr. Sylvan left this world in the course of his 87th year.

pennyante said...

FrCharles, thank you so much for giving the link for Fr. Sylvan's comments about the spiritual life. This was exactly what I needed to hear in relationship to my own life.

May he rest in peace...

for narnia said...

my prayers are with you (and Fr. Sylvan) when will the wake and funeral Mass be? PAX ET BONUM! ~tara t~

Anonymous said...

Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis.
Requiescant in pace. Amen.

Brother Charles said...

Funeral Mass on Saturday, 11 am.

ben in denver said...

Prayers offered for you and your departed brother!

Paul A. Zalonski said...

Thanks. The reason I asked is that I met a woman who said she was related to a friar at your friary. I remember her saying that her uncle (?) was in senior age but I don't remember the name.

Anyhow, prayers for his peaceful repose in the Lord and for your community.

PAX

Anonymous said...

I knew well Father Sylvan Conover during the time I served on Saipan between 1966 and 1967. In fact, he is the first person I met. I drove by the Mt Carmel property on my way in from the airport on my first day there. I saw a large antenna in front of the rectory and knew there had to be a fellow amateur radio operator there. So the first thing I did was to put my suitcase in my quarters and walk over to the rectory. I knocked on the door and told the housekeeper that I wanted to meet the man who owed that antenna. A few minutes later walking down the hall came a large man in a white Franciscan rob, with engineer boots and a pipe. I introduced my self as K0DNG (my licensed callsign) he gave out a big laugh and said he was KG6SL. And that began a wonderful friendship. Years later he came at my invitation to my graduation cerimony at Marywood College in Scranton PA where I had done graduate studies. We had a nice time. In fact, I took a photograph of him with a big smile upon his face as he stood next to the corner stone of the local Greek Orthodox Church. There he was in his Roman Collar and his trade mark pipe.

He was a great help to me while I was on Saipan. He was a wonderful priest and a fine man. Dennis O'Neill Kansas City, Missouri.

Dennis O'Neill said...

I posted earlier comments about Fr. Sylvan. I misstated the dates I worked with him on the island of Saipan. The years were 1966 through 1968. I have photos of him from that time period and from the mid 1970s when he visited me in Scranton, PA. If family or friends would like to see them, please let me know. Dennis O'Neill, kcmo.