Tuesday, October 3, 2017

Roberts: Phoenix loses one of its best first responders

From Arizona-

Phoenix has lost one of its best first responders.

The Rev. Carl Carlozzi – Father Carl to anyone who knew him for more than five minutes – died Sunday after a yearlong battle with esophageal cancer.

Father Carl baptized my first child when he was rector at All Saints Episcopal Church in Phoenix. But that’s not why I’m writing about him.

Father Carl died of the same cancer that took my father, which makes it personal. But that’s not why I’m writing about him.

Father Carl called me now and then to encourage me when I was writing about controversial topics he knew would bring out the screamers. But that's not why I'm writing about him.

Father Carl was that rarest of men – a priest who devoted his life to the rescue of people when they needed it most.

'You see how fragile life is'

This is a guy who was working in one of Arizona’s largest and wealthiest Episcopal churches in 1993 when he felt the call to become a volunteer chaplain. For the next nine years, he would volunteer his services, on call 24/7, to the Phoenix Fire Department before leaving the pulpit to take on the job full time.


More here-

http://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/laurieroberts/2017/10/02/phoenix-loses-one-its-best-first-responders/724694001/

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