again, that they may see god face to face we pray to the lord. >> lord, hear our prayer. we are all assembled in faith and confidence to pray for our brother and friend laurence. strengthen our hope so that we may live in the expectation of your son's coming we pray to the >> lord, hear our prayer. >> we ask this through christ

[singing]

[singing]

>> pray my brothers and sisters that our sacrifice will be

at the father. >> grand we pray almighty god that through these holy mysteries, laurence, your servant and priest may behold with clarity forever what he faithfully ministered here . we ask this through christ our lord. >> amen. >> the lord be with you. >> and with your spirit. >> lift up your hearts. >> we lift them up to the lord. >> let us give thanks to the lord our god. >> it is right and just. >> it is truly right and just, our duty and salvation always and everywhere to give you thanks. lord, holy father, almighty and eternal god through christ our lord. in him you have been pleased to

a share in his fullness. though he was in the form of god he emptied himself and by the blood of his cross brought peace to all creation. of their, he has been ex halted above all things and to all who obey him has become the source of eternal salvation. so, with angels and archangels, thrones and dominions, all the hosts and powers of heaven, we sing without end we ac claim. >> holy, holy, holy. lord god of hosts. heaven and earth are full of

hosanna in the highest. blessed is he who comes in the name of the lord. hosanna, hosanna. hosanna in the highest. >> you are indeed holy o lord and all you created rightly gives you praise. through your son our lord jesus christ by the power and working of the holy spirit you give life to all things and make them holy. you never crease to gather a -- cease to gather a people to yourself so that from the rising of the sun to its setting a pure sacrifice may be

we humbly implore you by the same spirit, graciously make holy these gifts that we have brought to you for consecration that they may become the body and blood of your son our lord jesus christ. on the night he was betrayed, he himself took bread and giving him thanks he said the blessing, broke the bread, gave it to his disciples and said take this all of you it. for this is my body which will be given up for you. >> in a similar way when super was ended, he took the chalice. giving you thanks he said the

disciples saying take this and drink from it. this is the chalice of my blood. the blood of the new and eternal covenant which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness since. do this in memory of me. [bells ringing]. the mystery of [singing] by your cross and resurrection you have set us free. you have set us free

saving passion of your son, this wondrous resurrection and ascension into heaven and as we look forward to the second coming, we offer you in thanksgiving this holy and living sacrifice. look, we pray, upon the oblation of your church and recognizing the sacrificial victim by the death you wild to reconcile us to yourself, grant that we who are nourished by the body and blood of your son and filled with s may become one body, one spirit in christ. >> he makes an eternal offering. with blessed joseph her spouse and apostles and martyrs, st. lawrence and all the saints on

your presence we rely for your help. >> may this sacrifice of our reconciliation we pray o lord advance the peace and salvation of all the world. be pleased to confirm in faith and charity your pilgrim church on earth with servant francis our pope and the entire people you gained for your own. listen graciously to the prayers of this family who you have summoned before you. in your compassion 0 merciful father, gather to yourself all your children scattered throughout the world. >> remember your servant laurence and your priest who you called from this world to your self.

with your son in a death like his may also be one with him in his resurrection when from the earth you will raise up in the flesh those who have died and transform our lowly body after the pattern of his own glorious body through our departed brothers and sisters, too, and to all who are pleasing to you at their passing from this life. give kind kingdom. there we hope to enjoy forever the fullness of your glory when you will wipe away every tear from our eyes, seeing you, our god, as you are, we shall be like you for all the ages and praise you without end through christ our lord whom you be stow on the world all that is good.

in him, oh, god almighty father, in the unity of the holy spirit, all glory and honor is yours forever and ever. >> amen, amen, a.m. amen. >> at the savior's command, together we dare to prayer, our father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done

give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. >> deliver us lord we pray from every evil. graciously grant peace in our days. by the help of your mercy with may be free from sin and safe from all distress as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our savior power and the glory are yours now and forever. >> lord jesus christ, you said to your apostles, peace i leave you, peace i give you. look not on our sins but on the faith of your church and graciously grant her peace in accordance with your will who live and reign forever and ever. >> may the piece of the lord jesus be with all of you. >> and with your spirit. >> let us offer each other the

?lamb of god take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. lamb of god, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy

lamb of god, you take away the sins of the world, grant us

>> lord i am not worthy to receive you. only say the word an my soul

[singing] [singing]

[singing]

[singing]

[singing]

[singing]

>> let us pray. having received the sacrament of salvation. >> we implore your kindness oh, god for laurence, your servant and priest that as you made him a steward of your mysteries on earth, so you may bring him to be nourished by their truth and through christ our lord. >> amen. >> please be seated. >> i invite martin gurley to offer words on behalf of the

. >> as the nephew of monsignor higgins, i am grateful for this opportunity on behalf of the family to thank the bishops and the priests of st. pete diocese, parishioners of st. lawrence, the murray family, all of the wonderful friends here in tampa for the support and love that your dear brother over the years but especially during the last 12 months. i know you referred to him as a monsignor but his family, many of whom i know are listening to this service over the internet referred to him as laurence or uncle laurence. monsignor touched so many of your lives and had such a great impact in florida making this place his home. but despite the fact that he left ireland more than 60 years

special person in our family. monsignor came from a small town in the north of ireland. he was brought up in a close knit family with three brothers and five sisters. it was a happy childhood and with his up bringing that gave him the deep rooted devotion to the values of family, values that remained so important to him throughout his life and which would be the theme many of his sermons. his obsessions with sport and gaelic football becoming a key member on the team which won the irish national league in 1947. this is a historic achievement. this was the first time that a

soccer and rugby. a tough sport in which local rivalries and grudges can be played out. monsignor would remember these days with affection and he referred to the virtues of teamwork, dedication and respect which he first learned on the football field. something that is a surprise to everyone, when this upcoming sports star with a rebellious st intended to become a priest. as he often said, you don't choose god, god chooses you. it must have been difficult at first when he was sent to florida in 1953 leaving behind his friends, family and life as a sports star but this was a sacrifice he was happy to make. it is hard to imagine someone

from ireland to tampa. he talked about how daunting it was when he arrived knowing nobody and equipped with nothing but faith and determination. he spoke about the decision of football and not depen dented on the irish community in the u.s. but immersed himself in american culture and sport. this is not because he was not proud of where he came from or because he did not miss his family and friends but he realized that this is going to be he did he had to give it 100%. my memories are full of memories accompanying him on trips. we have been blessed to meet so many fantastic people and it's nice to see so many of you here

deeply and the impact he had on the city of tampa as a whole. he may not physically be with us any longer, we know his spirit,presence and christian message of family, love and respect will be everlasting, especially here in this community to which he dedicated his life. monsignor was such a great family man. he returned to ireland for impot happy and sad. i realize how difficult and troubling it is to travel back to ireland. i have great admiration and know his family will be grateful for the time he made it to come back for all the family occasions in ireland and germany, especially when travel and communication is much more difficult than it is today. he was so important to all of our family and such a special

when i lost my mother nearly 30 years ago, i will remember the strength that i felt when i arrived in belfast for my mother's funeral. i know we experienced that great comfort and support that he would give us. unfortunately, he had to come back to ireland for the funerals of his own brothers. his brothers were his trusted confidants and he used to call his brother every sunday evening to discuss politics, ot family and the church. more recently he lost his long- standing and trusted friends which had a big impact on him. despite such losses, he used his deep faith and positive outlook to keep going on. he had charm, charisma. he wept and he had a twinkle in

cho vows grin. he could have been a movie star. in fact, he thought he was. the most photo get particular of his family his sisters would say. you felt special in monsignor higgins company. want he enjoyed life to the fullest and lived every minute of it. he was larger than life and never forgot his true vocation. he knew everyone and he thought he could do everything and he did, until he came back to ireland and his family. we in ireland new how to bring him back down to earth again. he loved america and he was it for america as america allowed him to be who he was. as i look around the church today and see all the people from all different backgrounds and religion, he has touched so many lives. but he never lost his love for

adult life here. he often said that the irish are great talkers but not always such great doers. monsignor higgins was a great talker and a great doer. his legacy here is visible to you all, this church, a vibrant parish and school which will serve generations to come. the long list of awards and honors which were be stowed upon him in recognition work in the community. perhaps an even more legacy is the personal and lasting impact he had on those with whom he had come into contact, rich, poor, young and old, believers and unbeliefers. he loved sport which was a metaphor for life. there are some coaches here today. he always said there is only one coach in his life that never lost a game and that

retired monsignor's number. we are going to miss our brother, our uncle and our rock and you are going to miss your monsignor. but we should all give thanks and celebrate his life in the knowledge that he has now found peace. on his last trip to ireland in 2013, he visited the grave of never lost touch with his roots. monsignor was a great admirer. the tombstone reads as follows, walk on air against your better judgment. uncle laurence certainly did this, never taking the easy road and always believing in the impossible. monsignor higgins, uncle

people of tampa were his family and this is where he wanted to stay. today he has his wish. god bless and may he rest in peace, amen. [ applause ] >> parishioner governor bob martinez. >> i first met the monsignor in 1975. that's a few years ago. at that time i had just bought

armenia avenue. i didn't know the monsignor at that time, but i do remember a young novice coming in periodically to take out food. yellow rice and chicken and finally i asked this novice, who turned out to be kevin murray, where are you taking all this food. he said, well, it's higgins. i'm here to take food to st. lawrence. i said, well, i appreciate the business a lot. some day i hope to meet the monsignor. some days later at lunchtime, i was always there at lunch and dinner, i see a priest walk in with two wrestlers, former

followed wrestling. it's the brisco brothers. so, i said, this must be some kind of a priest. is a take down guy. take them down. so, anyhow, i'm seating people during lunch and that slowdowns a bit and i go by the table and introduce myself and i think it was jack and jerry if i'm t mistaken, brisco brothers. so, we talked a bit and i told him about myself and he had heard about me a bit because i was involved with the teacher's union quite a few years. so, at that point, we began a dialogue which lasted until the very end. and i will never forget when he read in the newspaper sometime

of running for mayor. of course back then it was all land line, no cell phones, no internet, no e-mails, no twitter, none of that stuff. so he calls me at the restaurant, how come you didn't ask me about running for office? i said, well, oversight. i do want your vote, the monsignor is i con nick -- iconic. we know what he has done for st. lawrence. he married my son. baptized two of my grandchildren and two of my grandchildren that went to st. lawrence and graduated from st. lawrence. a long established relationship with st. lawrence and with father higgins. now, i never called him monsignor or father higgins.

was bob and he was padre except when we were out in public, i respected it. we formed a task force and i called him to sit on the task force to select the cable company. he said you want me on that committee. i said yes. but there is one law in florida you have to uphold to. th which means you cannot talk to the other appointees on the subject. i know how much you like to talk. he said i will. well, it was a real blessing to have him on that because a lot of the religious community did not want it. they thought cable would bring ex rated programs which you know it didn't. but he was a calming voice during this entire selection

heard and everyone's opinion be listened to but at the end of the day, the committee had to make the recommendation on what is best for the community and not best for any one single person or entity. monsignor attended everyone of my oath of offices and he gave the invocation at all of them. and he stayed with mary jane, my wife and i at the governor's mansion on more than one occasion and i believe he was also in washington when i was csar in the rose garden at the white house. but he also took the -- always took the time to be there. when i was drug csar, i got a call. john if joe is in here but joe was with him. that i had to go see day top, a drug treatment center that catholics were involved with in upper new york.

it. so, we went. i went with one staff person and the security was always with you. and there he was and joe was there and we take a great tour of the facility and talked to a lot of the young men who were there and had awful drug issues and trying to get over them. and they presented me with a plant. little tiny pot. this is in 1992, a long time ago. so, i took it back, put it in the player plane. when you have drugs, you have marshals, a lot of things. you can get things on the airplane. took it home. i returned to tampa, brought it with me. it still sits in my back patio alive believe it or not.

how else could it learn. sometimes i didn't take good care of it, didn't get the proper water or whatever. mary jane and i traveling and didn't get enough water. but he was so committed to so many of the human frailty organizations that exist where he lend his name regrets i have is we didn't get a bright young people to put a higgins app for our phone, press on and get the homily, the ones that he gave, the one that always would have lafamilian. he was an ambassador.

monsignor. he was ambassador for religion. he talked to all regardless of faith. he was an ambassador for the community. more than once we called on him to talk to people who were interested to come to the city of tampa, hillsborough county, thinking about bringing their businesses here. and i think more importantly, he was ambassador to those who had no one to help them. where he did the greatest good, as you can see in the program with the organizations that i belonged to. he will not be forgotten because you are remembered for deeds, not for your life span. and he will be remembered not

rens, not only because of homes, not only because of moffitt cancer center. he will be remembered because he touched people individually there is a hard thing to do. never said no to an issue and i a contribute that to his athleticism where he played a rough sport but it was a team sport and he didn't like losing, i'm sure. never saw him enjoy in his competitive nature, brought him to a strange land called tampa. and took 20 acres and built this mag knife can't facility -- magnificent facility in an area that doesn't have millionaires in in them. that takes a great deal of effort perseverance to get it

day we hope to see you. god bless you. [ applause ] >> we apologize. we are having some technical difficulties with our feed. you have been listening in its entirety to the lawrence church. right now it appears former buccaneers coach tony dungy -- if we can get the feedback to you, we will bring it back to you. for right now, we understand we have some technical difficulties so we will let you know the breaking news that we have right now is that school has been canceled in hillsborough and pinellas counties for tomorrow. there is more information on

the weather every half hour and we will be back with you at 1:30 with more information. now back to our regularly scheduled programming. down low ? ? oh. yay! awesome, that was awesome. we want to point out jesse does, she sings with a little piece of

>> genius. >> i love it. >> moist. >> we'll be back in a moment. >> yeah. >> this is "today" on nbc. i love it. that was i had that dream again -- that i was on the icelandic game show. and everyone knows me for discounts, like safe driver and paperless billing. but nobody knows the box behind the discounts. oh, it's like my father always told me -- "put that down. that's expensive." of course i save people an average of nearly $600,

[ voice breaking ] and that's when i realized... i'm allergic to wasabi. well, i feel better. it's been five minutes. talk about progress. [ chuckles ]

>> all right. er with going to check in on our wine bot. hoda won by a landslide, i few e >> i have never been happier than right now. and i'd like to thank the academy. >> all right. because you love showers, just silly. >> tomorrow, shopper vpa performance, britney spears will take us inside her vegas show. >> getting a good fight's sleep.

>> sonny: hey, where's my girl? >> gabi: uh, well, my mom asked to see arianna this morning, and i just didn't have the heart to say "no." >> sonny: why? is everything okay? >> gabi: uh...[sighs]. no. my dad left town again, and just not sure he's ever coming back. >> sonny: oh, my god. i'm so sorry. >> gabi: yeah, i tried to explain it to ari, but i just don't think she understands. she asks for will. all the time, and--and now that her godmother is gone too, i just-- >> sonny: no, i--i haven't given up on abigail yet. >> gabi: sonny, you haven't heard? >> sonny: heard what? >> gabi: um...