Very sad news. Michael Iafrate has passed away at the untimely age of 44. Go here to read about him. He leaves behind a wife and three daughters. A go fund me campaign has been set up to assist them and I respectfully direct it to your attention and charity.
Iafrate was a frequent commenter on this blog in its early days. I called him The Catholic Anarchist as he was then attempting a fusion between Catholicism and Anarchism. We agreed on virtually nothing, except occasionally on music and art. Ultimately he was banned because too many comment threads turned into Iafrate Contra Mundum. I confess to mixed feelings about that ban. For the good of the blog it was necessary, but I missed butting heads with a worthy adversary. News of his death saddens me. In this Vale of Tears we meet many people, and most of them are blurs for us. Nothing was blurry about Michael Iafrate! I will miss him.
For a while he ran a parody site of this blog called The Catholic Fascist. Go here to view it. I was parodied as Dan McLockinload:
Dan McLockinload lives in a small town. He was born in 1896, and has seen it all (even though he has never left his small town). He has seen his precious country destroyed by liberals, socialists, and progressives. He believes that the founding fathers were all anonymous Catholics, and that the American revolution was guided by Catholic beliefs – faith, family, weapons, low taxes, small government, freedom, states rights, a strong military. There is nowhere on earth like the United States, and there never ever will be. The pope knows that. Glory and praise to the American martyrs!
I found the blog amusing although somewhat repetitive.
My response to the biography he wrote for McLockinload:
“I was actually born in 1796, taught that whippersnapper Abe Lincoln how to prepare writs, saved the Union by not enlisting in the Union army, taught Theodore Roosevelt dirty fighting, slept through both of Wilson’s inaugural addresses, ended a brilliant political career when I challenged the wheel chair bound FDR to a footrace, served in World War II as fifth assistant briefcase holder to Douglas MacArthur, forgot to vote for Tom Dewey in 48, didn’t like Ike, thought that Nixon was more photogenic than Kennedy, got into a fist fight with Barry Goldwater over a parking space, ran the White House “Carpenters” under Nixon, voted for Billy Carter instead of Jimmy, appointed Secretary of Historical Oddities under Reagan, got George Bush senior to wear a Ross Perot mask to a Skull and Bones reunion, lost a fortune in Whitewater, and then got into blogging.”
In remembering Iafrate I recall these lines from Kipling:
Ah, Mary pierced with sorrow,
Remember, reach and save
The soul that comes to-morrow
Before the God that gave!
Since each was born of woman,
For each at utter need—
True comrade and true foeman—
Madonna, intercede!
Among his other accomplishments, he was a musician of no small repute. May he now be playing a set with Saint Cecilia.
God rest his soul and comfort his loved ones.
Amen.
I knew nothing of this man. But I hope he is with Jesus now.
From my Rosary this morning, a plenary indulgence for the repose of his soul. [ Gained by finishing the Rosary for the Holy intentions of Pope Francis…one Our Father, one Hail Mary and one Gory Be. ]
Forty four years old.
So young.
“…..God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. “
Well said Philip and well done!
Your welcome Donald.
Like Paul, I didn’t know him either but it doesn’t matter. We are the communion of faithful striving for holiness and salvation. We offer freely because we have a model that is worthy of immolation.
Use those indulgences for our brothers and sisters in Christ.
You’ll be so glad you did!
End of PSA.
😌
Dittoes, Philip. I vaguely recall his name, but none of the fascinating history related by our host. Nevertheless…
Requiescat in pace.
I suppose I should feel honored that Michael included Pro Ecclesia on the blogroll of The Catholic Fascist…
Michael’s untimely passing at 44 is also a timely reminder of our own mortality and of how time flies. Tempus fugit. Memento mori. In my mind, Michael is perpetually that twenty-something left-liberal Catholic full of righteous anger. But that was a decade-and-a-half ago, no matter how much I’d like to wish it were just yesterday. Even at 44, he was still a young man — almost a decade my junior. Such a tragically early death, made all the more tragic by the bereavement of the young wife and 3 young daughters he leaves behind.
May Michael rest in peace in the arms of his Lord and Savior, and may his family and loved ones be comforted.
Glory Be……autocorrect error.
Oh, no!
His poor family….