17 May 2013

Jerry Costello on Father Dollar Bill

“‘You don’t have to solve all the world’s problems,’ the priest told his parishioners. ‘But don't ignore them, either. Do what you can to improve things, even a little bit. That's what Jesus wants us to do.’

“That's good, sound advice. And each time I hear something like it I think back to Father Dollar Bill, a priest I remember from Los Angeles. That wasn’t his real name, of course; it was Father Maurice Chase. But everybody knew him as Father Dollar Bill. Especially the people in the city’s most desperate neighborhoods, along Skid Row, where he’d give out those bills to all takers, as long as the money would last.”

In a recent commentary, Jerry Costello, of The Christophers, offered a reflection on this ministry of Fr. Chase and the effect it had on others.

To access Jerry’s complete essay please visit:

The Christophers: Light One Candle: Father Dollar Bill (13 MAY 13)

Background information:

Los Angeles Times: Obituary: Maurice Chase dies at 92; ‘Father Dollar Bill’ gave cash to poor (23 NOV 11)

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