Father Lawrence Cyr , c . pp . s ., March 10 , 1918 – December 4 , 2017 by Fr . Joe Nassal , c . pp . s ., Provincial Director
When Father Larry Cyr celebrated his 50 th anniversary of priesthood in 1995 , Sacred Heart Parish in Coleman , Texas — the place where he famously went to substitute for the weekend and stayed for 26 years — honored his service to the parish , the Precious Blood community , and the church . At the banquet following the Mass , Fr . Larry said , “ People have forgotten why they need priests — not to be parish administrators , but to be spiritual leaders . Priests need time , and support , and encouragement to pursue the spiritual journey . If we are people continually striving to remember Jesus Christ , just by remembering him , we make him present wherever we are .”
For almost a century , Fr . Larry sought to remember Jesus and to make him present to all he met along the way of life . When we consider the longevity of his life — 99 years old , 80 years as a Missionary of the Precious Blood , and 73 years as a priest , several images from the gospels come to mind . Certainly , the images from the Last Supper , and especially when Jesus washed the feet of his disciples in John ’ s Gospel , capture eloquently how Fr . Larry responded to the call of priestly service .
But the story of the disciples walking on the road to Emmaus and being joined by Jesus though “ their eyes were prevented from recognizing him ,” captures the spirit of a servant leader that guided Fr . Larry ’ s life as a priest . Like Jesus on the road to Emmaus , Fr . Larry spent much of his priesthood accompanying others on the journey of life . He broke open the Word and traced the traditions of our faith .
As a professor and spiritual director at St . Charles in the 1950s , Fr . Larry accompanied those who were in formation to be missionaries of the Precious Blood . In the early 1960s , he traveled west to Wichita , Kansas , where he accompanied students at Sacred Heart College ( now Newman University ). And then , in 1964 , he became chaplain and accompanied the Adorers of the Blood of Christ at their motherhouse in Wichita .
When the Kansas City Province was born in 1965 , he became provincial secretary and his accompaniment of the members of the newly-formed province was through correspondence and letters as he kept everyone informed of what was happening . And later , in 1971 , he was elected vice-provincial and became provincial when Fr . Danny Schaefer was elected Moderator General .
For the rest of the 1970s , Fr . Larry ’ s servant leadership of accompaniment was stretched and tested as he traveled extensively to visit our members from North Dakota to New Mexico , from Wisconsin to Western Kansas and Colorado , from Minnesota to Texas . Through the highways and byways of Iowa , Illinois , and Missouri , Fr . Larry accompanied and challenged our members to embrace the call to servant leadership in the spirit of the Second Vatican Council .
A Pioneer Spirit
“ Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us ?” the two disciples on the road to Emmaus reflected after Jesus disappeared from their midst . Fr . Larry ’ s servant leadership was saturated with his love for the Word of God . His deep appreciation of Precious Blood spirituality and his understanding of the charism of our
6 • The New Wine Press • January 2018