Touched by tragedy

By Christine Bordelon
Clarion Herald

“My goal is just to bring Jesus and his love and joy to people in whatever form it takes; to let everyone know that God loves us all,” Deacon Otis Young Jr. told the Clarion Herald in 2001 before his priestly ordination for the Archdiocese of New Orleans.

And, during the 21 years of his priesthood, Father Young lived these words.

Father Young, who retired in July as pastor of St. Peter Church in Covington, and retired St. Peter pastoral associate Ruth Prats were murdered and their bodies were found burned Nov. 28 on Gibson Street in Covington.

 




















Crime numbs the senses

The horrific crime stunned the archdiocese, especially the close-knit northshore Catholic community. Parishioners and friends filled St. Peter Church and the 500 chairs set up outside the church for Father Young’s Funeral Mass on Dec. 5.

Prats’ funeral is scheduled for Dec. 10 at 11 a.m. St. Peter Church.

At Father Young’s Funeral Mass Dec. 5, Deacon Dennis Adams read the Gospel from St. John about Jesus weeping for and then resurrecting his friend Lazarus from the dead.

Father Daniel Brouillette, who began working with Father Young at St. Peter’s in 2012 before succeeding him as pastor, was the homilist and asked those present to reflect on the exhortation given by bishops to priests and deacons at their ordination: “Receive the Gospel of Christ, whose herald you now are. Believe what you read. Teach what you believe. Practice what you teach.

“Father Otis Young heard these words spoken to him more than 21 years ago, and he relied on the grace of God to embrace them and to put them into practice during his diaconate and throughout his priesthood.”

Father Brouillette mentioned the prayer service on Nov. 28 where 1,000 gathered at St. Peter to do what they do best – pray before the Eucharist, only knowing that Father Otis and Ruth Prats had disappeared.

“It was a nightmare, and we were all powerless to overcome that ordeal,” he said. “This community was in a dark place when we pondered that question of ‘where are they?’

“By the time we came together as a community of faith last Monday night, Otis’ and Ruth’s great tribulation was already complete. But the question remained, ‘Where are they?’ … Jesus Christ, the light of the world was with them, and he wept. Christ weeping was not a sign of powerlessness. Jesus wept because his children were innocent, and they were in pain beyond comprehension. Jesus wept because his children should never have experienced a death such as they did. But, the tears of Christ rained down the grace upon Otis and Ruth to endure all of their torture and sufferings. ‘My grace is sufficient for you,’ the Lord whispered to Otis. ‘You are my beloved priest. I am providing for you.’”

Questions for the Lord

Father Brouillette asked the question out loud, “‘Lord, what are you trying to tell me here?’ Keep my commandments and remain in my life. Father Otis tried hard to keep the commandments … in a beautiful way.

“Otis was a simple priest who had a fierce desire to live out his priesthood for the sanctification of others,” Father Brouillette said. “He was a priest who portrayed a deep faith. Otis was frequently quiet in prayer.”

Father Brouillette said Father Young’s faithfulness to prayer was evident when he searched his room for his breviary after the murder: A ribbon indicated it was marked to the readings on the day he died.



























“He also was a holy confessor and recognized that next to the celebration of the Eucharist, offering Christ’s mercy to the faithful … was the most important part of his life and priesthood,” Father Brouillette said. “He scheduled many extra hours of confessions every week. These extra periods of confession have changed the spiritual life of this parish, and we are all the better for it.

 “If Otis could speak aloud to us today, he would tell his brother priests to recommit ourselves to the promises we made at our ordination.


























He used to say all the time, ‘You can’t give what you ain’t got.’ Fidelity to a life of prayer is of utmost importance … carve time out of your busy schedules to spend time with Christ.”

Scapular was recovered

He mentioned Father Young’s devotion to the rosary, evident in the way he prayed to the Blessed Mother or preached about her and his wearing of the brown scapular. Without repeating the horrific manner of Father Young’s and Prats’ deaths, Father Brouillette held up the brown scapular that Father Young never took off as the only visible remains of the priest.

“Lord, what are you trying to teach me here? Where was the Lord when Otis was suffering that brutal death? The Lord was here. … It is my fervent prayer that Otis heard our Lord say, ‘Well done my good and faithful servant; with you I am well pleased. Come and enter the kingdom of heaven. Welcome home. Fear not, son.’”

He prayed that all those who mourn Father Young’s death might say with great resolve that the Lord provides for them and their needs, and say “Yes, Lord, I believe.”

A community came together

By mid-morning Nov. 28 as news of the tragedy spread throughout Covington, Father Brouillette and principal Michael Kraus closed St. Peter School for the rest of the day and also on Nov. 29 to help parishioners, school teachers and students cope. A morning of reflection was held for school staff on Nov. 29 as counselors from other Catholic schools, Catholic priests and clergy from other denominations flooded the parish to help.

“The community had been so greatly affected by this horrific tragedy that everyone wants to be of assistance,” Father Brouillette said.

Father Young’s identity was the first to be confirmed by the coroner’s office. St. Tammany Parish Coroner Dr. Charles Preston waited to reveal details about the case or the manner of death until Prats’ identity also was resolved on Dec. 1.

Father Young’s identity was confirmed through records from a previous heart bypass operation, and Prats was identified using an in-house DNA lab analysis.

The cause of death for both victims was blunt force trauma. Antonio Tyson was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder, and officials said the investigation into the killings is active and ongoing.

Father Brouillette said he’d known Father Young as a teen in the seminary, then as his pastor at St. Peter when Father Young was assigned as pastor in 2012. They then ministered together to parishioners when Father Brouillette became parochial vicar.

Even after his heart troubles and stroke, Father Young wouldn’t quit. He worked hard to recover from his stroke to continue serving his flock, with Prats, his close friend, becoming his driver to the grocery and doctors’ appointments.  

“He said, ‘These are my people and I need to keep shepherding them,’” Father Brouillette said. “And, he did. … He was a simple, small man whose love for his spiritual children was far greater than his physical size.”

To this day, Father Brouillette cherishes the words of wisdom Father Young gave him when he became pastor at Annunciation in Bogalusa.

“He said, ‘Bru, you are a passionate man – you are passionate about the way you brush your teeth in the morning and minister to Christ’s people. My advice to you is to temper your passion with compassion.’ It’s something I’ve referred to almost every day in the last eight years. His advice has changed me and helped me better reflect Christ to the people of God that I am serving.”

Always served the people

Father Brouillette shared his condolences with the mourning families and people of Covington. He also thanked local authorities for their diligence concerning the double homicide.

“Father Otis and Ruth gave of themselves in service to the people of God,” he said. “Father Otis is a beloved pastor 

who served God and his people with a happy heart until his death. Ruth is a dedicated and valued associate who dedicated her life to helping the people of St. Peter Parish grow in their relationship with God. So, as we grieve for Father Otis and Ruth, we pray for the repose of their souls. Let us turn to our Lord Jesus for comfort. It is my prayer that their families and all of us may all know God’s love and hope, and find peace in this time of mourning.”

Prats’ daughter, Jessica Prats Brown, thanked everyone on Facebook for attending the Nov. 28 prayer service and for the outpouring of support and prayer the community has given her family.

“Both were truly devoted to service to others rather than self as demonstrated by the large crowds,” Brown said. “My sister (Laurie) and I feel comfort in the fact that Father Otis and our mom were together at their time of passing and also that they are continuing their life’s work in a different way from a much higher advantage.”

She aptly shared her mom’s favorite passage from Ecclesiastes 3 that is used for all family sacraments: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven; a time to be born and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to uproot … May Jesus be with them both during this time on their final journey home.”

Prayers most needed, sought

At a Dec. 1 press conference, Covington Mayor Mark Johnson said the community is hurt, angry and sad.

“In Ruth Prats and Father Otis, we lost two pillars of our community; we lost two wonderful people,” Johnson said. “We will often wonder why God chose to take these two of his children at this time in this manner. … We will mourn, we will grieve, and we will overcome. And, through our faith, we will persevere.”

“Our community is grieving, our church is grieving,” said St. Tammany Parish president Michael Cooper. “This is a time for prayer for our community. I ask our citizens to keep the families and friends of Father Otis and St. Peter Church and friends and family of Ruth Prats as we endure the coming days, weeks and months of this brutal tragedy that happened in our community.”

Father Brouillette said as hard as the situation is, the parish and community will recover.

“Situations like this make us reflect on the reality of life but it also makes us reflect on our mortality,” Father Brouillette said. “We are not created for this world. The way we live our life has a direct impact on the way we will experience life in the next. The people of St. Peter Parish know and live that. It’s every Christian striving for heaven and Christ. We will overcome this. Jesus wept over his friend Lazarus. We weep now, but have incredible hope in life everlasting. The kind words and support from those that have reached out and have a beautiful desire to minister to us are the things that help us.”

At the Funeral Mass, Archbishop Aymond Gregory Aymond called Father Young “a man of faith and integrity” and a devoted shepherd who accompanied his flock “in the good times and in the challenges and struggles.”

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TIMELINE OF HOMICIDE PROVIDED BY COVINGTON POLICE DEPARTMENT 
  The murders of Father Otis Young and Ruth Prats remain the focus of an active investigation. The St. Tammany Parish Coroner’s Office continues to work closely with the Covington Police Department.

Lt. Kevin Collins of the Covington Police Department’s Investigations Division gave a timeline of the events:

► Sunday, Nov. 27, 3:53 p.m.: A man fitting the description of Antonio Donde Tyson is riding a bike past Prats’ residence near St. Peter School. He circles back and speaks to Father Otis and Prats for a few minutes. He leaves at 3:55 and parks his bike nearby.

► 4:09 p.m.: The subject is seen walking to Prats’ front door with what appears to be a knife held behind his back in a crouched position and appears to enter Prats’ residence.

► 5:14 p.m.: Prats’ vehicle is seen backing all the way out of the driveway, out of camera view. The subject leaves Prats’ residence at 6:26 p.m. in Prats’ vehicle.

► 7:11 p.m.: Police respond to a hit-and-run of multiple signs near St. Tammany Bike Trace and Bogue Falaya Towers condominium. Officers obtain the vehicle’s license plate from a witness. From there, they attempt to contact the vehicle’s owner, identified as Prats. When she doesn’t respond, her relatives are contacted.

► Officers later meet with Prats’ family and ping her cell phone, which was found in a nearby dumpster. The criminal point of the investigation begins. Prats’ name  and her vehicle are entered into the National Crime Information Center database as missing.

► Monday, Nov. 28, 3:43 a.m.: Prats’ vehicle is located in the Walgreens parking lot at 1203 U.S. Business 190. It is occupied by Tyson and a white female, who were detained and brought to the Covington Police Department for further investigation. The vehicle is secured and towed to the Covington Police Department.

► After Prats’ vehicle is located, the Covington Police Department learns that Father Young was with Prats earlier on Sunday. Church officials check Father Young’s residence to find him not there.

► Nov. 28 at 5:49 a.m.: Police respond to possible human remains in the 600 block of East Gibson Street. Two severely burned bodies are discovered. There is no evidence that Tyson had any prior connection to the two victims.

► Surveillance video was obtained from many businesses Nov. 27 and in the early morning hours of Nov. 28 of Tyson in Prats’ vehicle. Tyson was seen filling up a container with fuel at a local gas station while in possession of Prats’ vehicle. He was arrested Nov. 28.

    The Covington Police Department believes this was a random act of violence. Tyson did not know the victims. Lt. Edwin Masters said: “After Tyson’s arrest, the Covington Police Department received numerous reports and surveillance footage showing Tyson attempting to talk his way into houses in the immediate area, before making contact with Ruth Prats and Father Young.”