We have been asked to pray for Father Alphonse de Valk, who is nearing his eternity. The message we have received runs as follows, from a long-time friend of Father’s:
I have just come off the phone with the doctor from palliative care. They are keeping Father de Valk comfortable. The doctor says that Alphonse will last a few more days, maybe a week. In the time of pandemic, his body will be cremated and a funeral Mass will be celebrated at a later date. Please keep him in your prayers.
Many readers will recall as the founding editor of Catholic Insight as a long-running print magazine, back in 1993. It is difficult to overestimate the radiance of this feisty Dutchman’s influence, not just through his editorial acumen, his unwavering dedication to the pro-life and pro-family apostolate, but also his many decades of priestly ministry. This writer and editor is humbled to continue the great man’s work in some small way; I owe him a great deal, having known Father as a family friend since I was a child back in Toronto, not long off the plane from Scotland.