Father Otis Young: Standing strong in his faith

The year 2020 for the world was in many ways what 2005 was for New Orleans.

2020 ushered in the COVID-19 pandemic, international social and economic upheaval and an impenetrable veil of doom and hopelessness.

Father Otis Young, the pastor of St. Peter Parish in Covington, remembers celebrating Easter Mass that year in his empty church on leafy East 19th Street in Covington.

A few weeks later, in the early morning hours, he was face down on the floor of his rectory bedroom, disoriented and unable to move, much less to get up. It was another four hours before someone found him and rushed him to the hospital.

Father Young had sustained a major stroke, much more serious than his history of transient ischemic attacks, the cause of which previously had escaped diagnosis. Doctors ordered an angiogram after his major stroke, uncovered heart blockages and did bypass surgery in November.

When life changes in an instant, there are many ways to react. For the last 18 months, Father Young, 70, has poured himself into the brave new world of physical and occupational therapy, working on his left side that doesn’t want to cooperate.

He goes to therapy three days a week, and he uses a rolling walker – a walker with wheels and a pull-down seat – to continue his priestly ministry among parishioners who have been astonished by his resilience and drive.

He uses an outdoor ramp to walk into the sacristy before Mass.

Rather than participate in the opening procession from the front of church – which would require him to navigate the two steps into the sanctuary – Father Young walks out from the sacristy, reverences the altar and offers most of the prayers from behind the altar. At the end of Mass, he walks back into the sacristy.

The weakness on his left side has forced him to consider things he never gave a second thought to.

“It’s very stressful because I try to maintain my balance,” Father Young said. “The standing is a part of what I have to do. I do the Mass as I regularly do, and the deacons have been preaching a lot to give me a chance to sit down and renew my energy.”

Lifting the Eucharist and the chalice at the consecration now requires another accommodation.

“I’m able to lift the host and the chalice because I use my right hand for everything,” Father Young said.

Parishioners who witness such sacred moments of faith and perseverance are overwhelmed. “They tell me they’re praying for me all the time,” Father Young said.

Father Young has tailored his schedule to accommodate his physical limitations. He normally celebrates the 8:30 a.m. Mass on Wednesdays – “the 6:30 a.m. Mass is just a little too early for me to get over to church” – and then either celebrates or concelebrates a weekend Mass.

“It just depends on what the schedule is and when they need me,” Father Young said.  “I’m willing to help out with whatever is needed.”

Father Young says he is in no pain. The only minor struggle is that when he stands for the entire Mass, he gets leg weary.

“I don’t tell people that,” he said. “It’s challenging to stand up and keep my balance, so it puts stress on my body.”

After he finished the early part of his rehab from his heart surgery, Father Young could have asked to retire.

“I came back to the parish for two reasons: One, I wanted to see exactly what I could do and couldn’t do, and, two, I wanted to thank the people for all their prayers and support while I was in the hospital,” Father Young said.

Father Young will officially retire on July 1, and he’s happy that the incoming pastor, Father Daniel Brouillette, is a St. Peter’s boy, having gone to school at St. Peter’s and then graduating from nearby St. Paul’s School.

“So, it’s a homecoming for him, and that’s great,” Father Young said.

Mass of Thanksgiving June 12

On June 12 at 11:30 a.m., Father Young will celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving with Archbishop Gregory Aymond, followed by a parishioners’ reception, something he didn’t ask for after 10 years as pastor.

“I’m not really big on fanfare,” he said, laughing. “But, the thing is, you’ve got to recognize that the people want to do things.”

His biggest challenge over the last two years has been managing his own frustrations.

“It’s just the frustration that my left hand is not flexible,” he said.

He can’t really use his left hand to type on a computer, and he’s had to ask people to help him cut his food. Buttoning shirts with one hand is difficult, so he’s switched to using a lot of pullover shirts.

“It’s been a challenge because I’ve always been independent and always lived on my own,” he said. “I know I have to plan ahead of time on how much time something is going to take. For example, when I go celebrate Mass, I’ve got to start preparing extra early to do that. I can’t just jump up and go there. And, it takes me a little more time to get inside the confessional because I have to maneuver.”

The last two years have changed Father Young as a priest.

“It’s helped me in this regard – I have compassion for those who are in a similar situation,” he said. “Things like dealing with the challenges of going into a building and how do you get in the door?”

But he always tries to keep things light. “When I see someone using a walker, I tease them and say, ‘Look at my model versus your model,’” he said.

Father Young is a former accountant, and he is what people would consider a “late” vocation. He was ordained in 2001 at age 49. The image etched into Father Young’s ordination chalice is of the 12 apostles.

“My first assignment was at St. Matthew the Apostle, the patron saint for accountants,” he said. “And, then, my last assignment as a pastor will be at St. Peter’s. Of course, Peter was the leader of the 12 apostles. Sometimes God sends his messages in different ways.”

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