©2015 James Dacey, Jr. OFS
What an absolutely amazing dream I had last night. Now to be clear and to layout the hours prior let say this. I often have dreams of Fr. Mullally. Most are simply memories entwined with the fact that I truly miss him a lot, still to this day. We’ll laugh, sit on the porch, talk. But yesterday something critical happened in my spiritual life; I was deeply sad and even slightly depressed and I was asking our Lord to help see our family through our trials… and in that prayer I said, “Lord, you know if Fr. Mullally was here he would just know what to say to me; the way that you Lord always worked through Father to get the right words to my ears.” Yes that is verbatim. I am very in-tune with my daily communications and prayers with our Lord. 32 years of my life has been about loving Him, sharing Him, listening for Him and most absolutely talking to Him and Our Lady through the Rosary every single day. That was yesterday’s prayer…
Last Night: For starters as I hit the pillow, shut the light, I said to myself, “I am done with this day, I am just so exhausted.” mind you it was about 8:17pm. In the back of mind I was thinking how incredible it would be if at about 3 am I was awaken by a call from Fr. Mullally. Yes that was a very common thing he did about 3-4 times a week… Chat in the middle of the night for hours! I use to leave for Staten Island for work at 4-4:30am and Father was well aware of that. But of cause on the weekends I’d be sleeping and he’d call and say in a whisper, “Jim, did I wake you?” and I would of cause only respond with, “No Father, I am awake.” and he and I would chat for hours about every possible topic you could possibly imagine, even on Sunday mornings. I’d say, “Father we have Mass in a couple hours, will you be ok?” He’d say, “Yes, I just wanted to talk with you, I feel so lonely.” Also know that Father and I chatted on several levels of communications; email, Facebook, Twitter, cell phone (chat/texting). Father was indeed an all-around geek and his response time no matter when I would send him a message or vise a versa, was usually within the hour.
OK OFF TO THE DREAM
Finally… Yes finally. Well recently I was thinking to myself even though I have been having challenges walking; I really need to start walking again and I would begin by simply trying again slowly. Even if it’s just a block or two. So that was on my mind these past few days. So in my dream I started by walking through town. As I came down High Street passing Carol and Matt’s house I can see a gentleman in front of the church doors with his hands in the air saying something, no wait as I got closer I can see plainly it is a Priest. And as I get even closer my eyes bugged out of my head and my jaw dropped to the ground. It’s “FATHER MULLALLY!” so I run full speed over to him. I wasn’t even out of breathe, I was so happy and overwhelmed and even confused to see him, but the Joy of him being back threw me over the top. I guess I was just numb. So much was racing through my head to ask him and ….. well…. gosh it was too much. I ended up staring him in silence after our hello’s and a hug.
Father in his typical way (with me and with many of us) he said, “Jim, how are you feeling? How is Chrissy? Is there any progress? Is Chrissy feeling any better?” Father always put others first, always; and he always remembered and knew the details about anything we ever talked about. See Chrissy almost died twice back in 2010 and it was Fr Mullally who prayed over her several times, on the altar, in our home, at the hospital. So needless to say, I was sort of caught off guard because to me seeing him in person after all these years, his passing, his funeral, the years of tears, thinking about him often, talking to him through my prayers. I was all caught up in trying to figure out (logically –if at all possible) how has he returned here. So I said, “Father we are struggling and both Chrissy and I have health issues that just won’t go away. But Father how is it possible for you to be here?”
Well in my effort to try to change the topic, Father brought me back to what he was focused on –us (my family). He said, “We’ll talk about that later, right now you need to know that I am praying for you and your family in ways I never could before.” He explain and he didn’t stop there, he also said to me, (please understand this is to the best of memory, I wrote it down as soon as I woke up). Father said, “Please tell my flock that I am praying for them also. I have been present at many weddings and births and sacraments to so many of our community. I have also been by the side of a few families who recently lost a child. They are here with many of us. (I have no idea who he was referring to.)” I had chills rolling full steam up and down my spine, I said, “Where is the “us” you are with Father?” He just said, “With Jesus and Mary!” with a huge Mullally smile on his face, y’all know the smile and that little puff of air that use to sneak out of his mouth when he did that smile. I was totally silent, it felt like so surreal and that many hours went by, his words were slow, deliberate and compelling and they burned deep in my heart as I listened.
While we were still standing at the front door of St. Patrick’s, Father said, “Jim here are two dear friends of ours.” I turned around and there was Pat Philips and Beth Lovett. Both ladies looked twenty years younger, they both had huge smiles on their faces. Neither one looked frail, they looked all wound up with excitement and joy. The details of their features were a slight bit blurry, but I can see plainly who they were. I immediately hugged them and didn’t even know what to ask or say, except, “Hello ladies, I have missed both of you so much.” They smiled in return, they didn’t speak any words they just kept smiling and stayed with me and Father. I looked at Father, I didn’t say anything, he nodded and said, “Yes Pat and Beth are here to.” I asked Father, “What does this all mean?”
Father said, “I want you to tell everyone that we spoke and to come here.” I was lost. “Everyone?” So I had to ask, “Who and How?” Father gave me his, “really – I have to explain this” look, he made me really smile, I can even remember hearing laughter; many know that look, like Father expects you to already know the answer. I said, “Oh wait I get it, tell “our” friends, people both you and I know.” He nodded and smiled. Again all of this was so much to take it, I asked, “Tell them what?” Father gave me that Father look, I remember his various facial expressions so well. He told me, “Jim, what was one thing I always did all the years I was ever here?” I said, “You always led us to Jesus, you use to say, don’t come to Mass because of me, come because you want to see Jesus, you said it many times in your homilies.” Father said, “YES!”
So I began my door to door knocking up Ann Street, down Catharine Street, up High Street all the way till I was going up Moon Valley Road straight to the top. I could never do this much walking/running in my current health. Well I was done and I remember running back to St. Patrick’s. Now it was just Father sitting next to the Blessed Mother statue. I ran over to him, again I wasn’t even out of breathe. He was praying so I silently just stood there. He looked up at me, I said, “All done Father.” He said me, “One more thing you need to know.” He said, “Do you remember the first time we ever met? The day? The conversation?” I immediately said, “YES!” So he just looked at me... I said, “Oh it was a very sunny beautiful day, Sunday after the 8am Mass in the old church sometime in July or August of 94 or 95? I introduced myself to you and asked if I were to give you a lot of rosaries every week would you be able to give them away for free to anyone who wants one, (you said yes) we spoke for a while and we exchanged email addresses?” Father smiled at me and said, “Jim, never stop spreading the Joy of The Rosary. Many here and throughout the area Pray The Rosary every day, seek them out and unite with them like before.” I smiled, Father smiled and I woke up… it was 3am…. Actually exactly 3:00 am.
AMAZING !!!! VERY TRUE and Honestly one of the most real dreams I have ever had that remained so detailed in my memory as I awoke. I actually jumped out of bed and ran to my notebook and started writing so many of these details as fast as I could so I can capture his words, my words, the mood, the smiles and the people.
PS.. If you’d like to join me in a Rosary every week (Wed 7pm) for work of Fr. Mullally just email me: jimdaceyjunior@yahoo.com We’ll call it
“The Father Mullally Memorial Rosary”, just let me know..
LOVE YOU GUYS !!!!
Your brother in Christ Jesus
And His Most Blessed Mother,
Jim (The Rosary Man) Dacey Jr OFS
And His Most Blessed Mother,
Jim (The Rosary Man) Dacey Jr OFS
MY FIRST BOOK. More to come…
https://www.amazon.com/Marys-Way-Cross-Rosary-Man-ebook/dp/B079TJZFQJ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519240799&sr=8-1&keywords=rosary+man+jim
