Msgr. Friend: Lord helps priest live with Multiple Sclerosis

Organizer says dinner was successful because of his many supporters

Published: August 29, 2009

By Malea Hargett
Editor

Malea Hargett

Msgr. Scott Friend greets a well-wisher during a reception in his honor before the National Multiple Sclerosis Society/Arkansas Division's Dinner of Champions Aug. 20 in Little Rock.

Malea Hargett

Msgr. Scott Friend greets a well-wisher during a reception in his honor before the National Multiple Sclerosis Society/Arkansas Division's Dinner of Champions Aug. 20 in Little Rock.

Msgr. Scott Friend, diocesan vocations director and vicar general, said he has learned to hope and trust more in God since he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2002.

The Multiple Sclerosis Society awarded Msgr. Friend the MS Hope Award, its highest honor, during the National Multiple Sclerosis Society/Arkansas Division's Dinner of Champions Aug. 20 at the Doubletree Hotel in Little Rock. Patrick Presley, development coordinator, said the $105,775 raised at the dinner is the highest ever for the Arkansas office. Presley attributed "100 percent" of the night's success to Msgr. Friend and the large number of people he knows.

"There is no doubt about it, it was Monsignor's night," he said.

Speaking on behalf of Msgr. Friend as a former pastor and Hispanic ministry director and current vocations director were Deacon Chuck Marino of St. Raphael Church in Springdale and Msgr. J. Gaston Hebert, former diocesan administrator who now lives in retirement in Hot Springs. Father Michael "Mick" Mulvany, pastor of Corpus Christi Church in Lawrence, Kan., shared stories of Msgr. Friend when they were at St. Meinrad Seminary and their friendship over the past 20 years.

Also in attendance were Msgr. Friend's sister, Marie Friend, and brother, Dr. Jerry Friend. His father, Dr. Max Friend, was ill and could not attend. About a dozen diocesan seminarians were also invited to attend.

Marino and his wife, Anita, first met Msgr. Friend in 1989 when he was a pastor at St. Louis Church in Camden. They later reunited after Marino became a deacon and was assigned to the Springdale parish.

"He's an excellent motivator," Marino said. "Be careful what he suggests."

Dr. Lee Archer, Msgr. Friend's doctor and neurologist at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, described MS as an autoimmune disease affecting the brain and spinal cord.

Without speaking specifically of Msgr. Friend, he said his patients typically show lots of courage, compassion and love.

"I scarcely know anybody with MS who does not have compassion for other people. In fact, it often gets these people in trouble because they overload themselves. They do more than they should. I am commonly telling people, 'You are too nice. ... You need to be a little more selfish.'"

Msgr. Hebert said he lived with Msgr. Friend at the bishop's home while he was the diocesan administrator from 2006 to 2008.

Msgr. Hebert praised Msgr. Friend for his skills to build up Hispanic ministry in the state and double the number of diocesan seminarians in the past five years.

"Whenever I am with this wonderful friend of mine, I feel closer to God. Whenever I am with him, I want to be a better priest because of what I see in him. ... He is a person with great spiritual depth. He is very charismatic, he really cares about people. He looks at you with his heart rather than his eyes. ... I have never known a better man and I have certainly never known a better priest than Msgr. Scott Friend."

With only a few written notes, Msgr. Friend delivered a speech with humor and conviction at the end of the evening.

Msgr. Friend said he was diagnosed with MS in 2002 while he was pastor of St. Raphael Church in Springdale.

"I asked the Lord, 'Tell me what the plan is.' The Lord eventually answered me. I was diagnosed very shortly after the clergy abuse scandal in the Catholic Church ... So the Lord says to me, 'I want to ask you to carry this disease as a favor because many people are losing trust in my priesthood. I can't count on everyone, but I know I can count on you. So I want you to show people what it means to be a priest, and I want you to carry this disease as a witness to what it means to follow me.' So the Lord has been very good in helping me carry this disease. He has helped me to learn and helped me to hope."