I want to wish all the fathers out there, a very happy Father’s Day. You deserve it. At the root of every family is the father. He is the steady anchor, the source of security and love and, at times, even a bit of exasperation.

No family is perfect because it is made up of imperfect human beings. Yet, it is the father of the family who imparts to his children wisdom and direction in life. In a poll conducted by the Pew Research Center on what provides Americans with meaning in life, 70% mentioned family and the presence of a caring father in the home .

A caring father in the house greatly increases a child’s chances of success, physically and mentally, and it also contributes to a child’s sense of humor. How children love to listen to their father’s jokes and stories! One father, Plato said, “is better than a hundred teachers,” because a father teaches by example, and good example is by far the best teacher. The valuable lessons we learn from our fathers cannot be forgotten because they are part and parcel of what we have become, and are embedded within us.

The past year has, undoubtedly, been trying for many American families who have lost children to the senseless pestilence of gun violence. In spite of these horrible murders, the American family has remained resilient. In fact, 50% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 say their relationship with their fathers and immediate family members has even strengthened during this crisis. Perhaps, that’s why so many young people today feel comfortable moving back home with dad.

Fathers come in all ages, shapes and varieties: farmers, postmen, truck drivers, construction workers, fruit and vegetable pickers, doctors, lawyers, plumbers, electricians, teachers, sailors, pilots, carpenters, milkmen, gardeners and politicians. The one thing all these fathers have in common is their love for their families. The love a child picks up from his father has to do with the sacrifices the father made and continues to make to put food on the table, to provide shelter and comfort for all in the family.

In 1909, Sonora Smart Dodd (1882–1978) of Spokane, Washington, was inspired by the extraordinary dedication of her own father, who as a single parent raised Sonora and her five brothers singlehandedly, after his wife Ellen died giving birth to their youngest child in 1898.

Thus, on June 19, 1910, the first Father’s Day made its appearance. Handicapped fathers received presents personally from Sonora. Young men from the YMCA wore lapels with fresh-cut roses (red for living fathers, white for the deceased).

In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson signed an executive order fixing the third Sunday in June as the time to celebrate Father’s Day in America. Finally, in 1972, six years before Sonora’s death, Congress passed an act officially making Father’s Day a national holiday.

Everyone has his or her own story, like Sonora Dodd, of a father’s love. Today is a good day to recall those stories, those little or great acts of love by your father, and to show your gratitude for them. A simple meal with your father and mother on Father’s Day can mean the world to your father. You may not be able to repay him for all he has done for you, but you can give him your time. Sharing your time is, perhaps, the best thing you can do for it shows you really care.

The constant acts of love and sacrifice of a father for his family, no matter how modest, never go unnoticed by his offspring. They stay with them wherever they roam for they are the precious seeds that continue to bear good fruit throughout their lives.

This Sunday is Father’s Day. Beyond the giving of gifts, let us remember with gratitude, love and affection the fathers who gave us birth, who molded us, and who, indelibly, affected who we are today.

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!

—Fr. Hugh Duffy