Friday, May 18, 2007

May God welcome him home

Shreveport has lost a beautiful example of Christian life with the death of Dr. Joe Holoubek Thursday. He was 91.

His contributions to the city's medical community are well documented: the founding of LSU's School of Medicine here and the care he and his late wife, Dr. Alice, gave to countless patients.

It was all done with a deep grounding in his Catholic faith. He constantly studied scripture and the teachings of the church through formal classes and a Bible study that met for 30 years. He and his wife were also known for their presentations on the medical explanation of the crucifixion.

When his book "Letters to Luke," was released in 2004, I visited Dr. Holoubek and was privileged to see the chapel he had added to their Broadmoor Terrace home. He said he spent about an hour a day in prayer there. I must have looked impressed because he added, "one out of 24 isn't bad."

His faith was also instrumental in his marriage. That was probably what impressed me the most about Dr. Holoubek -- his complete devotion to Dr. Alice. Even after more than 60 years together he looked at her as if their love was brand new. They attended daily Mass together for 50 years, and saw each other as full partners in life.

"I'm amazed at what's ordinary to us seems extraordinary to other people," he said. "That's just the way we live. Lots of people do."

May God bless them both and their family.

No comments: