In Remembrance of Dalia Bulgaris

Last night I received the sad news that Dalia Bulgaris had passed away earlier in the day. I knew that, within the past week, she had become gravely ill, but I always hope for the best, at least the best from my perspective. I always expected her to recover and once again be in our midst. After I got the phone call from Rita, I got an announcement and a call for prayers that Mindaugas had sent out to all of us.

Saulius Simoliunas left the following comment on a previous post to this blog:

"Dalia Bulgaris died before noon on May 3, 2008, leaving us and her numerous grateful students, who later became accomplished scientists. We will aiways honor and cherish her memory."

I was not able to attend the gatherings today at St. Patrick's Cathedral and on the steps of Our Lady of Vilnius and I am sorry that I missed the opportunity to stand among my fellow parishioners and pray that Dalia's soul be at rest in God.

Though her illness prevented her from being present with us over the last few months, she was always with us in spirit. She expressed her sorrow at the closure of Our Lady of Vilnius, saying that she felt like an oddball in the mainstream parishes but felt at home at Our Lady of Vilnius. She had expressed something that many of us felt. I was proud to be her fellow oddball. She was intelligent, sensitive, kind and genuinely good.

As we pray for her soul, let us also ask her to keep helping us and our parish as she did in life.