In this undated photo, Msgr. Bernard Powers is seen at the blackboard, which he had characteristically covered with circles and arrows while leading a retreat. COURTESY OF MOUNT SAINT JOSEPH ARCHIVES

BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC

One of Margaret Powers O’Bryan’s favorite memories of her uncle, Msgr. Bernard Powers, was during his residence at St. Elizabeth Parish in Curdsville, when she would stop by the rectory on her way to or from work.

If Msgr. Powers was in the rectory, he would be watching the classic western show “Gunsmoke.” O’Bryan and her uncle would sit and chat for a while, and when she rose to leave, Msgr. Powers would put on his own jacket and say, “I’m going to go visit my friend.”

“If I couldn’t find him in the rectory, I could always find him in front of the Blessed Sacrament,” said O’Bryan – her uncle’s “friend” being none other than Jesus in the Eucharist.

Years later, during the final weeks of Msgr. Powers’ earthly life, he would not consume anything apart from the Eucharist each day.

Msgr. Powers passed away at the Carmel Home on Oct. 25, 2024, at the age of 98, after living “his whole life for this moment; to see God, to live with him for eternity,” according to his cousin, Fr. Carl McCarthy, during the Oct. 30 funeral Mass at St. Stephen Cathedral in Owensboro.

In this 1952 photo, Fr. Bernard Powers is seen as a young, newly-ordained priest. COURTESY OF ARCHIVES

Fr. McCarthy, in preaching the funeral homily, said loved ones recall Msgr. Powers making hand motions as he neared the end of his life – motions that were clearly that of celebrating the Mass.

“He served as a source of light and holy strength,” said Fr. McCarthy.

Born Feb. 13, 1926, to the late Joseph Hubert and Teresa Margaret McCarthy Powers as the seventh of 12 children, Msgr. Powers was one of three brothers to become a priest (his two brothers being Fr. Aloysius Powers and Fr. Richard Powers).

He completed his elementary education at St. Elizabeth School in Curdsville and in 1940 he entered Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in Indiana for high school and college. Msgr. Powers studied philosophy at St. Louis Prep and Glennon College in St. Louis, Mo., and theology at Catholic University in Washington, D.C. His postgraduate studies took him to Loras College (an extension of Catholic University) in Dubuque, Iowa; the Dominican House of Studies in Chicago, Ill.; and Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pa.

He was ordained into the Diocese of Owensboro by Bishop Cotton in 1952 and his first assignment was as associate pastor at St. Stephen Cathedral that same year. He continued at Sts. Joseph and Paul in Owensboro (1952-1964) while simultaneously serving at St. William in Knottsville from 1962-1964. In 1964, he assumed his first appointment as pastor at St. Joseph in Leitchfield. After experiencing a health issue, he served as the chaplain for Mount Saint Joseph in Maple Mount (1967-1976). Following his health recovery in 1976, he served as pastor of Immaculate Parish in Owensboro for eight years. He then served as pastor of St. Michael in Sebree (1987-1989), St. Alphonsus in St. Joseph (1989-1994), St. Joseph in Bowling Green (1994-1995), St. Anthony in Grand Rivers (1995), St. Mary of the Woods in Whitesville (1995-1996), and St. Augustine in Reed (1996-2001). Msgr. Powers resided at the Priest’s Apartments from 2001-2004, and then St. Mary Magdalene in Sorgho (2004-2007), followed by St. Mary of the Woods in Whitesville (2007-2009), and St. Elizabeth in Curdsville from 2010 until he moved to the Carmel Home in 2019.

Msgr. Bernard Powers is seen at Mount Saint Joseph in this July 1975 photo. COURTESY OF MOUNT SAINT JOSEPH ARCHIVES

Over the years, Msgr. Powers was recognized for his spiritual direction, retreat guidance, and leading pilgrimages, and was named a monsignor in 1972.

Ernie and Shirley Taliaferro belonged to a marriage group that Msgr. Powers led when he was at Immaculate. Their wedding had been celebrated by his brother, Fr. Aloysius Powers, in 1970.

“He was very good one-on-one or in small groups,” said Shirley Taliaferro. “He was a good listener. His gift was being able to be a counselor to people.”

Her husband agreed, describing their priest friend as “very even-keeled.”

Jane Thomas, one of Msgr. Powers’ other nieces, said he was known as “a gentle giant” due to his height, and “the man in the red sweater” due to his signature red cardigan that he was never seen without.

“He wasn’t much of a conversationalist unless you were sitting right in counseling with him,” said Thomas, adding that in leading retreats he “used the blackboard a lot” and by the time he was finished “it was covered!”

His non-parish roles included serving on Priests Senate, as Vicar of Diocesan Religious, as the Domestic Prelate, and in service on the Diocesan Committee for Total Education. Msgr. Powers also served as the confessor to the Passionist Nuns at St. Joseph Monastery in Whitesville, and was a teacher at Owensboro Catholic High School (1952-1964) and at Grayson County Catholic (1964-1966). He was assigned as associate director of the Mount Saint Joseph Retreat Center in 1985, leading many retreats there until 1994.

In this photo from Aug. 8, 1974, Msgr. Bernard Powers is seen with Sr. George Ann Cecil, OSU, during a clergy day held at Mount Saint Joseph. COURTESY OF MOUNT SAINT JOSEPH ARCHIVES

Another niece, Sr. Jacinta Powers, OSU, said he taught her class of sisters when they were in formation with the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph. She said many of his students over the years affectionately nicknamed him “Pope.”

She and her family members remember that under the quiet exterior, Msgr. Powers was “was very competitive,” especially in games like volleyball, ping pong, and cards: “He was so calm until you got him on the volleyball court!”

“He had a good sense of humor – he was very dry,” she said. On a more serious note, she added that his spiritual insight was renown, and that during his funeral visitation, “so many people came to the funeral home and said, ‘He saved our marriage.’”

Msgr. Powers was known for his written reflections and poetry, much of which was published in his books, “A Tree to Climb,” “A Rock to Sit On,” and “Way of the Cross.”

Debbie Thompson, a longtime friend of Msgr. Powers, said the greatest thing he taught her was “the importance of stillness” amid a busy world because “finding that stillness within is how we find God.”

“(He) always said tell your story, that laypeople have a story too,” she said. “When you were in spiritual direction, he listened to your story. He listened to you first and he helped you to understand what was going on in your spiritual life.”

Msgr. Bernard Powers is seen holding his book, “A Tree to Climb,” in this photo by Mel Howard, the longtime editor of The Western Kentucky Catholic. COURTESY OF ARCHIVES

“God put him there in my life – and I thank God for that,” she said. “I always knew that once you met him, he was praying for you.”

Fr. Ray Clark, the chaplain for the Carmel Home, said that when Msgr. Powers was in his final days, Fr. Clark called his friend Fr. Dave Johnson to let him know.

“Fr. Dave said, ‘The last of the giants,’” said Fr. Clark.

Fr. Clark reflected that Msgr. Powers and the other senior priests who have died in recent years “were like the fathers of the Church for our diocese. They’re the ones who gave us who we are, like St. Ambrose, St. Augustine, and St. Gregory the Great.”

He said he feels honored to have known these priests – as well as bearing “the responsibility to share, to embody that – for the younger priests.”

In 2015, after the death of Passionist Sr. Ann Miriam, Msgr. Bernard Powers composed a poetic reflection titled “Death of a Friend.”

In his reflection, which was inspired by Psalm 23, Msgr. Powers wrote that “May the Lord be your Shepherd picking you up in his arms, carrying you in love, bringing you home…”

Nine years later, upon hearing that Msgr. Powers had passed away, the Passionist nuns composed their own reflection for their friend. The reflection shared a story that is told, that the nuns’ foundress, Mother Mary Agnes Roche, saw that young Fr. Bernard Powers had the potential to become a skilled spiritual director.

Msgr. Bernard Powers bows his head in prayer on June 30, 1997, in this file photo. COURTESY OF ARCHIVES

“She began ‘feeding’ him books by the great spiritual masters along with his breakfast after he celebrated Masses at the monastery,” the nuns wrote. “Monsignor, with his inimitable sense of humor, would later joke that after a while he decided, ‘Well, I suppose I’d better read these …’! Mother’s foresight was accurate, and for more than half a century Father – eventually, Monsignor – Powers was a beloved spiritual director, confessor, and retreat master for our Sisters and for many others.”

“His penetrating insight in the confessional and during spiritual direction was a profound grace for those who experienced it,” the nuns added.

In addition to his parents, Msgr. Powers was preceded in death by his sisters, Mary Agnes Powers, Patricia Garvin, Elizabeth M. Lattus, Celine M. Kahalley and Martha M. Taylor; and brothers, Joseph H. Powers Jr., Fr. Aloysius F. Powers, Robert A. Powers and Fr. Richard Powers. Those left to cherish his memory include his sisters, Mary Teresa Hayden (Don) and Maddalena Leach; and many nieces and nephews.

Following his Oct. 30 funeral Mass, Msgr. Powers was laid to rest at Mount Saint Joseph Cemetery in Maple Mount. Memorial contributions may be made to the Carmel Home, 2501 Old Hartford Rd., Owensboro, KY 42303 or the Passionist Nuns of St. Joseph Monastery, 8564 Crisp Rd, Whitesville, KY 42378.

A very young Fr. Bernard Powers reads a book outside the Mount Saint Joseph Retreat Center. COURTESY OF MOUNT SAINT JOSEPH ARCHIVES