Bruce & Liz Ashley
Our family has many wonderful memories of Father Harry Tompson:
The excitement and pride that he took in the beautiful renovation of the church.
His wonderful two-minute homilies at Sunday Mass were always punctuated at the end by either dead silence or a chorus of "Amens" from the congregation.
His excitement at decorating the church for all feast days but especially for Christmas
The prayer service that he led for Kelly Miller's cure from cancer where he got down on his knees on the hard marble floor of the church and seemed to shout to Heave each Hail Mary and Glory Be as if the very power of the prayers would cure her.
The rooftop garden that he tended faithfully and the time when he asked our daughter Madison to carry the Baby Jesus up the aisle for Christmas Mass.
Fr. Tompson and Madison one Sunday during Christmas after Mass sitting together in the beautiful Nativity scene at the church which he so dearly loved.
However, the most enduring and loving memory that we retain involves a rather simple milestone in most people's lives, that of walking. Our daughter Madison was 15 months old and was still not walking. Like most new parents this caused us a disproportionate amount of anxiety. One Sunday after 8:00 a.m. Mass, we went to Lenes Hall and Harry got down on his knees, several feet in front of Madison, extended his open arms, and said, "Come to me, girl!"
To everyone's amazement, she took her first steps into Harry's open arms that day. Thereafter, every Sunday after 8:00 a.m. Mass, Harry would sing while Madison kicked off her shoes and danced for everyone. His repertoire was varied and on any given Sunday would include classical humming, Danny Boy, Gospel, or old Broadway show tunes. Several times he danced with her as her partner and on at least one occasion he tap-danced for everyone. This singing and dancing continued until just weeks before his death.
Fr. Harry baptizes his namesake, Cutshall "Cutty" Tompson Ashley at Immaculate Conception.
In 1999 we told Harry of our desire to have another child and he frequently prayed with us in the back of the church by the mosaic of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. God eventually blessed us with a beautiful baby boy and we promptly gave him Harry's Surname as his middle name. Harry baptized him Cutshall Tompson Ashley and made an announcement at 11:00 a.m. Mass in which he had my tearful wife stand up in church with "Cutty." He announced to the congregation that this was his "namesake" and after the baptismal ceremony, he again knelt with us in front of the mosaic of Our Lady of Perpetual Help and we prayed aloud in thanksgiving for the gift of our two children.
My wife and I hoped that Cutty, like his sister, would take his first steps to Harry, but it was not meant to be. Approximately two weeks before his death, Father Tom Stahel brought Harry down to Lenes Hall after 8:00 a.m. Mass and Harry held Cutty close to his chest and I overheard him say, "I'm really going to miss you, son."
We are really going to miss you, Harry.
— Bruce and Liz Ashley, courtesy of A Good Shepherd for New Orleans