I first met Msgr. Paul and his older brother, Father Edward, when they were young priests working in their parishes. On days off, they were writing a series of books on the faith, while at the same time giving lectures and showing movies they had produced on the Mass and the Sacraments.
I was their driver and “Go For.”
New assignments took Msgr. Paul to the National Legion of Decency and the Communications Office in the archdiocese of Newark. He became director of the communications apostolate in the archdiocese, which sometimes took him to Rome—all the while teaching at East Orange Catholic High or working in a parish.
Once I asked him how he could do all these things. He said, “I let God figure it out.”
When Msgr. Paul Hayes answered the Father’s call on Jan. 23, 2012, I realized that for the first time in the 62 years that I had known and worked with him, he had nothing on his ” To do” list.
He loved being a busy priest. May he now rest in peace.
A Time to Rest