Calgary
pastor Len Hagel will be missed
by John Syratt
| About 1,500 people
gathered in and around St. Mary’s Cathedral on Tuesday, October 18
to bid farewell to one of Calgary’s much-loved charismatic Christian
leaders.
On October 13, with
his family by his side, Father Len Hagel, visionary pastor of St.
Michael the Archangel Catholic Church in Calgary, died of cancer at
the age of 70 following 42 years of service to Christ.
"This was the largest funeral for a Christian leader I’ve attended
since I’ve been in this city," said long-time Baptist pastor, John
Teibe, who attended the funeral with fellow minister and friend,
John Hutchinson. "It’s awesome to see the influence of Len in the
city and to see how people loved him."
According to Teibe the funeral service, which had been planned and
arranged in advance by Hagel, was a St. Michael’s kind of warm,
loving, caring worshipful, upbeat service with exceptionally good
worship songs.
|
Father Len Hagel |
The service was
presided over by Bishop Fred Henry who gave the primary message, speaking
from the book of John chapter 15. He especially emphasized verse 16 where
Jesus said to His disciples, "You have not chosen Me but I have chosen you
that you go and bear fruit – fruit that will last." The bishop drew
attention to the fact that the size of the crowd in attendance to honor Len
Hagel was indicative of the fruit that remained from his ministry.
"He spoke about Len’s great commitment to his people and his strong emphasis
on working with others," said Teibe of the bishop’s talk. "One of Len’s
strong passions was in bringing God’s people together and that’s why he
participated in the Global Day of Prayer."
"The service had an obvious sense of the presence of God and the work of the
Holy Spirit. At least one half of the congregation were raising their hands
and praising the Lord. You would have thought you were in a charismatic
church," smiled Teibe.
"There was a wonderful, heartfelt participation of the people. That warm
awesome sense of worship, praise and adoration to the Lord," he added.
"It was so unlike any average funeral," Teibe admitted. "It was inspiring
and filled with praise and thanksgiving to God for a life well-lived. Not
just focused on Len but on God. John and I were sort of blown away by how
extraordinary this service was."
Hagel was known as a dedicated faithful servant of the Lord with a focus to
see people come to faith in Christ and grow in their spiritual lives.
"I give thanks to God for Len and his amazing influence in the total
Christian church across the city," Teibe offered. "He’s so well known and
loved all over Calgary. There’s no question about the powerful impact he’s
made on our city. It’s made our inter-church relations dramatically
different from anything we’ve experienced in past years. It’s a big loss to
us. God knows how long to keep us here. This was his time and he’s entered
into his reward. He’s left a church that’s filled with believers that have
been given sufficient teaching and saturated with God’s word and will
continue on."
Len Hagel is survived by six brothers and four sisters-in-law, numerous
nieces and nephews, and was predeceased by his parents and two sisters.
Obituary
Rev. Leonard Joseph Hagel of Calgary passed away on Thursday, October
13, 2005 at the age of 70 years. Father Len was born in Schuler, AB and
graduated from Notre Dame High School in Wilcox, SK in 1955. He attended
Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA for three years before entering St.
Joseph's Seminary in Edmonton, AB and was ordained to the Priesthood in
1963. Father Len served at St. John's Parish in Calgary, St. Augustine in
Taber, St. Gerard's and Holy Name, both in Calgary, St. Mary's in Medicine
Hat, AB, St. Mark's and St. Michael's, both in Calgary.
Father
Leonard is survived by six brothers and four sisters-in-law, Rev. Paul Hagel
of Mission City, BC, Clarence and Arlene Hagel of Schuler, AB, Tony and Bea
Hagel of Edmonton, AB, Frank Hagel, and Pat and Kim Hagel, all of Medicine
Hat, AB, and Ben and Elaine Hagel of Nelson, BC; three sisters and two
brothers-in-law, Fran and Bill Chevrier of Medicine Hat, Sister Vicki Hagel
scsl of Wilcox, SK and Marie and Phil Myerchin of Anchorage, AK; and
numerous nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents; and two
sisters, Millie Lynch and Sister Ginny Hagel scsl.
To send a
message of condolence to Fr. Len's family, email:
Hagel
family
St. Michael's website:
http://www.sntmichael.com/main/content.php?content_id=5
