Father Meemken goes to heaven after life of service to the church
by Karin L. Nauber
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| Father Eugene Meemken went to be with his Lord on Sunday, March 2. |
If the reward for a life of service is heaven, then Father Eugene Meemken has surely gone there having been in the service of the church for most of his life.
Father Meemken passed on to the next part of his journey with the Lord on Sunday, March 2.
His journey began when he was very young having received the call of the Lord at a young age.
When Meemken was a child growing up in Waite Park, he played "priest". He even had his own altar.
At a very early age, around second grade, he began to think seriously about becoming a priest.
According to an interview done by Amanda Hubbard for the Independent News Herald in 2003, when he was in eighth grade he was encouraged to become a priest by his priest.
At age 14 he went to Crosier Seminary in Onamia where he studied for six years. He then studied six more years at St. John's Seminary at St. John's University.
Meemken received his ordination in 1959. At that time he was assigned to St. Mary's in Alexandria where he was pastor for seven years.
From there he went to St. Mary's in Upsala for three years. He also preached at St. Stanislaus Parish in Perham before coming to Clarissa where he led the flock at St. Joseph's for 22 years. He began his pastoral duties in Clarissa on July 1, 1981.
He retired from full-time service on July 1, 2003, but he never stopped serving the church or the Lord.
He continued for some time to hold mass at St. Joseph's in Clarissa and St. Isidore's in Moran Township.
While in the service of the Lord in Clarissa, he helped organize the Renew Program at the church. The program was a scripture study in which nearly the entire parish participated.
Many changes took place to the physical structure of the church under the guidance of Meemken including a major remodeling of the front of the church in 1992. It included the addition of a ground floor entrance, a gathering room and an elevator which was a necessity for the church and continues to provide accessibility to all levels of the church today.
Another major part of Father's life was the masses he held at the Central Todd County Care Center.
It didn't matter to Father Meemken if you were Catholic or not. He saw every person as a possibility in the kingdom of heaven.
He always had a quick wit and often greeted friends and strangers with a funny story or joke.
According to friends and family, Father Meemken died peacefully at the home of his nephew and niece, Ken and Lori Meemken of St. Augusta, after a short battle with mesothelioma, a form of cancer. He was 74.
Amy Pavek, who serves St. Joseph's in Clarissa, said that the memorial service for Father Meemken was just the way Father would have liked it. The service included many of his favorite hymns which were sung by a massive congregation choir that was in attendance.
Father Meemken will be missed by those who knew him.