News of the passing Tuesday of Monsignor Patrick McDowell is causing many to stop and reflect on how the beloved Catholic priest touched their lives, from the poor and troubled to those who worked at his side.
McDowell, 81, died Tuesday at St. Luke's Hospital of apparent heart failure.
Overseeing Center City Catholic Churches in Duluth -- St. Mary Star of the Sea, St. Peter's Catholic Church and Our Lady of Mercy -- for much of the 1990s, the rotund, affable McDowell was well known in Duluth's Central Hillside. An advocate for the poor, he always had time for the troubled and routinely dipped into his own pocket to help the poor.
"When people rang the doorbell at St. Mary's Star of the Sea, he would invite them in, ask them to sit down and talk with them," said Father Dale Nau, a Catholic Diocese of Duluth spokesman. "He would help them."
"Poor people in Duluth knew Father Pat, if they were in a pinch, he would help them out," St. Louis County Commissioner Steve O'Neill said.
ADVERTISEMENT
"He would literally give away thousands of dollars every year and he didn't make a fanfare about it."
It was part of his faith to be there for the poor, to help people in need and not be judgmental, O'Neill said.
"And he did it every day," he said.
"If he erred, it was on the side of goodness," said Shirley Baker of Duluth, who worked with McDowell at St. Mary Star of the Sea. "He saw the good in people. He cared about everyone and tried to help to the best of his ability."
St. Mary's parish is in a tough neighborhood, said The Rev. Paul Larson, who succeeded McDowell as pastor there and now serves in Deer River and Cohasset.
"There was never vandalism at that building," Larson said. "The street people took care of it because he took care of them, kind of like a code."
A native of Hibbing, McDowell began his pastoral service at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Duluth in the early 1960s. He later was pastor of Duluth's St. Benedict's Parish and at parishes in Virginia and Cook before returning to Duluth about 1990.
Jeffrey Wacker said McDowell saved his life when he served Sacred Heart.
ADVERTISEMENT
Wacker said at 18 he was confused and deeply depressed. One night, he took a bottle of sleeping pills and drove around before groggily knocking on the rectory door. McDowell answered and took him inside.
"He told me God had something special for me," Wacker said. "He told me that what had happened to me had brought me to this point in life because God has something special for me."
As his voice broke, Wacker said: "It meant a lot to me. It gave me something to live for."
McDowell took him to the hospital where doctors saved him. Today, Wacker is 66, with a happy family life, and he routinely helps others. It's all because of McDowell, he said.
McDowell retired a few years ago and moved to Lakeshore senior residences on London Road. But he didn't really retire. He continued his ministry there, holding mass in their chapel five days a week. The services were popular, often filling the chapel and drawing people from the community.
"Father McDowell just touched so many lives," said Rita Walker, director of Lakeshore's assisted living. "He knew everybody. He was so personable. He knew so many people and helped so many that he had a great following."
Visitation is at 5 p.m. Monday at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary, 2801 E. Fourth St. in Duluth. Visitation continues at the church Tuesday from 10 a.m. until the 11 a.m. funeral. Burial will be at Calvary Cemetery. Arrangements are by Dougherty Funeral Home.
