Dominican Father Karl Emerick was farewelled by friends, family and his religious community at his Funeral Mass on October 14. He died suddenly on October 5, aged 51. This is an edited eulogy that was delivered before the Funeral Mass at Our Lady of Graces Church, Carina.
WE are here today to remember the life of Fr Karl Emerick and to pray for his soul.
We are here to remember his life – the legacy he leaves on the earth and how he has shown us that when the Lord calls us home, we can meet God with courage and joy in the promise of what lies ahead.
His earthly life was only 51 years.
It was an honest and caring life – never overly complex and always with good, honest intentions.
To his last days, Fr Karl’s life was instructive.
He taught us how to deal with the adversity, worries and suffering of life with dignity, humour, and faith.
The story of Karl’s life began in Brisbane early on Anzac Day in 1970.
The third son of Marian Emerick, following Jamie and Brendan, he was later joined by six more siblings.
Early schooling was in Brisbane, Gladstone and Bundaberg.
He was surrounded by a large, loving family and an even larger group of 32 first cousins many of whom have made it here today to pay their respects.
Fr Karl graduated from Shalom College, Bundaberg in 1987.
He worked in the Commonwealth Bank, in sugar chemistry and then found a passion in psychology, graduating from James Cook University.
Fr Karl began a career in child protection, working across many regions in Queensland and many other states.
This challenging career choice perhaps showed a little of the heart Karl had for those who were suffering and needed help.
It was not an easy career path, there were many broken souls, hearts and bodies searching for healing.
It was difficult for Fr Karl to accept seeing such suffering and despair.
It affected him deeply. In many ways it changed his outlook on life.
This career took a toll on him and after more than decade of helping others, he decided to take another path to help people.
After a time of reflection, prayer, and pilgrimage, Fr Karl decided to answer the call to religious life.
He entered the Order of Preachers or the Dominicans.
This was not an easy decision for Fr Karl as he loved his Mum, siblings and his 24 nieces and nephews with a strong affection and a caring heart.
He would have to take a step back from his family to be devoted to his new religious family.
He knew once he put his “hand to the plow”, he could not look back. And off he went in a new direction.
Religious life
Fr Karl was searching for the truth of this life.
He had the conviction that God is our beginning and our end, that we all come from Him and are going to Him, that he Himself is truth and that truth will set us free.
As the hymn Adoro te devote, by the Dominican St Thomas Aquinas, which Fr Karl often tried to “sing” says, “Truth himself speaks truly, or there’s nothing true”.
Fr Karl learned during his years of formation with Dominicans in Brisbane, Hong Kong, Melbourne, and Adelaide that St Dominic sought “the salvation of souls” by preaching truth to his hearers.
Fr Karl knew that in the final analysis of life everything is about love – who we love and how much.
But in order to love God and neighbour better, we must know God and ourselves better.
Love is served by knowledge.
Fr Karl tried to do this in his own imperfect way.
He did his best, he sometimes fell short of the mark. But he always persevered, picked himself up and carried on.
He studied hard and completed all the arduous academic and pastoral requirements for his vocation.
He was always trying to follow in the footsteps of the great Dominican, St Catherine of Siena who summed up the Order’s ideal with her prayer “God grant that I may always be a lover and proclaimer of truth, and that for the sake of truth I may die”.
A proclaimer of truth
Fr Karl was ordained a priest of God on July 4, 2014 St Stephen’s Cathedral, Brisbane.
It was the feast of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati – a member from the Third Order of Saint Dominic.
Pope Benedict XVI called upon young people to follow the example of Pier Giorgio to “… discover that it is worth to commit oneself for God … to respond to His call in the fundamental decisions” throughout one’s life.
Fr Karl’s was following this example.
As Archbishop Mark Coleridge said at Fr Karl’s ordination: “It takes more courage in these modern times to follow the call of God.”
Fr Karl certainly had courage.
He was told: “It takes real courage to say yes to that path, not just once but again and again through the years.”
Fr Karl took up his cross each day to follow Jesus.
His ministry changed at the end of February 2019 when he suffered a major health crisis.
He suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm and a stroke which incapacitated him.
Thanks to the expertise of staff at Royal Adelaide Hospital at first, and later Hampstead Rehab Hospital, he recovered to a notable extent.
He was still too incapacitated to return as the parish priest of North Adelaide, so it was decided to send Fr Karl to live in a supported living environment in Brisbane, where he could be nearer to family.
Fr Karl learnt to walk and talk again and was improving his mobility and speech.
He was learning Portuguese to celebrate Mass for his sister-in-law in her language.
He would also greet you at his door in another language he was learning or practicing.
He lived in Brisbane for about two years, buoyed by contacts from family, former parishioners, friends, Dominican Brothers, and many others.
Fr Karl’s ministry continued as he rehabilitated in Brisbane during COVID lockdowns – even though it pained him greatly not to be able to see family or friends in person.
Staff members from his residence told how he was helping plan a wedding for a team member and he had even sought permission from the archbishop to be the celebrant on the day.
He prayed for fellow residents and did his best to brighten their days.
Fr Karl shared his meals each day with a Scottish gent with no great love for Catholics – especially a priest.
But he farewelled Fr Karl with tears in his eyes and he was called home to God on October 5.
He was 51 years old, in the eighth year of his priesthood.
A Dominican confrere from Adelaide summed up the emotions in Fr Karl’s former parish.
“Parishioners’ response to the news reveals that parishioners valued his service greatly,” he said.
“Also the reach of social media: I was receiving condolences by digital means from sources I had never heard of before, almost as soon as I received the news itself.
“Fr Karl’s outreach was effective with the young and media-connected of today.
“There has also been a constant stream of condolences from parishioners of all ages and from all parts of the parish, as well as from Blackfriars Priory School.
“He is missed by his Dominican brothers too.”
Prayers, Mass offerings and condolences have been received from around the country and the world as people learned of Fr Karl’s death.
His ministry had touched many people’s lives and brought them closer to Jesus.
Fr Karl’s career, years of ministry, formation and his dedication to his family showed he had a heart for others.
He had his imperfections, but he tried to love and help all who came across his path.
His heart was shared with all those he met in some small way.
It’s unsurprising in some ways that his big heart failed in the end – he had shared so much of it with all those he met along the way.
Praying for others
One of the mottos of Dominicans is to contemplate Christ and hand on to others the fruits of that contemplation.
During his years in the Order of Preachers, Fr Karl did his best to do this.
With God’s grace, we now can hope He is contemplating the face of Christ first hand and we will be the ones showered with gifts from Heaven.
There is a quote of Fr Karl’s beloved St Dominic which sums it all up when he says: “Do not weep, for I shall be more useful to you after my death and I shall help you then more effectively than during my life.”
Eternal Rest Fr Karl and pray for us.
