Father Richard Purcell, In Loving Memory – Balmy Alley, Mission District, San Francisco, California

This homage to Father Richard Purcell was painted in 2012 by Laura Campos. Father Purcell, a Franciscan priest, worked for 20 years on the Papago and Pima Indian reservations in southern Arizona. He came to San Francisco in June, 1989 to care for his brother, Marty, who was dying of AIDS. After Marty’s death, Richard stayed on in his brother’s apartment to begin a new ministry to homeless people with AIDS. In August, 2011 he died of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Lou Gehrig’s disease, from which he had suffered for the previous five years.

Throughout his life, he produced many paintings, drawings, sculptures, and silver work. As pastor and teacher, he blessed others with his creative speaking and writing skills. He was the eternal optimist, always inspiring others not to give up along the way. Richard changed many lives with his compassion and steadfast encouragement. His ability to laugh at just about anything (including himself) endeared him to most all who met him. His iconoclastic bent and irreverent sense of humor sometimes caused him to be at odds with those in authority. His Franciscan brothers were always accepting and supportive of his nonconformist ways. Even those who did not agree with him understood that his actions sprang from his deeply felt hunger for justice and peace.