About Fr. Bill Quinlivan
Music has always been in my heart and soul. From the earliest memories of my childhood, there was singing. I do not remember anything much before Kindergarten, and if I did I might recall hearing “O Canada” before I knew the Star-Spangled Banner. My birth in Toronto, Ontario, to Jim and Kass Quinlivan made me the fourth in a line-up six kids. I was born about two weeks after the United States elected its first Catholic President, John F. Kennedy. (For you non-historians, that’s 1960 . . . November 12, to be exact.)
The Quinlivan Kids were growing up in the times when the “Brady Bunch” also had six children, three boys, three girls. Their fun and frolic was synthetic, scripted and for entertainment. Ours was real, spontaneous and lived out at our Stevenson Street GREEN house. (Okay—first pun in the bio . . . greenhouses grow . . . nah, too easy! ) While the Bradys had a maid and a dog, we had each other, and my Dad had been a postal worker, so dogs were not in his plan. (Of course, this never stopped the fourth child from writing earnestly to Santa Claus that surely a puppy would be welcomed once it got here . . .)
Musical milestones include the annual St. Patrick’s Day show St. Teresa School would hold to showcase local talent. The good Sisters of Mercy and South Buffalo’s families heard the Quinlivans sing an Irish folk song my Dad taught us, called “When Father Papered the Parlor.” We were a smash . . . or at least, we didn’t get booed. No complex choreography. Just a happy little ditty that sang:
When Father papered the parlor, sure you couldn’t see Father for paste
He was dabbing it here and dabbing it there, pasting paper everywhere
Mother was stuck to the ceiling and the kids were stuck to the floor
You never saw the Quinlivan family so stuck before!
That tune still kills an audience of Kindergarten children . . .
Movie, Music, and Christmas
Perhaps my dear mother had dreams of her kids making it in show business. We would be asked to line up and sing songs from “The Sound of Music” for guests . . . mostly, the nuns from Rochester whom our Aunt, Sr. M. Kathleen Murray, RSM brought to introduce to South Buffalo culture . . . and “the Mighty Quinlivans,” as she called us. Humbling name, huh??
Anyway, my boy soprano was pretty good at joining Julie Andrews on the soundtracks of “Sound of Music” and “Mary Poppins.” Eventually, the other five kids got away from the singing thing. But my songs kept playing. Christmas music in particular really got me thrilled and inspired. I memorized every carol, every song on the vinyl LPs we'd get for the holiday season. In sixth grade I joined the choir at Church . . . and, in a sense have never stopped some sort of music ministry.
Soundtrack to a Life
As the music went on, I grew up (somewhat!!) and graduated from Bishop Timon High School, and Buffalo State College. After obtaining a degree in Journalism, Broadcasting and Speech from Buff State, I struggled for years as to finding “meaningful work.” Music was a great escape, and it never really occurred to me that God might some day have me sing again in front of people, in a whole new way and for very different occasions!!!
I worked as a Medical Record File Clerk for years, then as a portrait photographer (one looooong year!), an office temporary, even an IRS Taxpayer Assistant. I did freelance writing, selling one-liners to comedian Joan Rivers, completed a major script for a screenplay, and original situation comedy and various other writing projects. I did some freelance reporting for the Western New York Catholic newspaper, and my sister Sue remarked, in her own unique terminology; “I liked that Jesus Jazz in there!”
Eventually I stopped and finally asked God what He wanted me to do with my life. Instantly, the calling to priesthood that I had heard at about the age of 11 came back. In many ways, the music in my headphones and dreams of L.A.—NYC, entertainment business were blocking out what my soul already knew. As we used to say in Catholic fund-raising . . . BINGO!!!
A Priest . . . At Last
Finally, the day arrived. April 29, 1995, I was ordained by Bishop Edward Head as a Catholic priest. I sang the communion meditation, in thanksgiving to the Blessed Mother, John Michael Talbot’s “Holy Is His Name” (Our Lady’s Magnificat).
Music made its way into my ministry very naturally. Occasionally a song would fit the message of a homily and get people’s attention a bit. One day, preparing for a talk I was to give on Pope John Paul II’s “Gospel of Life” encyclical, a song idea came while in prayer. Then, it pretty quickly came together. More tunes, more words, more opportunities to use music. Within two years of my ordination I came to know my friends at St. Luke’s Mission of Mercy on Buffalo’s East Side. A group of us enjoyed music ministry, and when the Irish singer Dana was scheduled for a fund-raiser for the Mission, we got together to do a few songs as her “opening act.” A few days before the show, she got very ill and had to cancel, so we realized we might want to prepare a bit more music in case any one showed up. Over 300 did, and we sang for almost 3 hours . . . the “Voices of Mercy” were born!
Musical Adventures
Website readers will have to buy Eddy Simon’s book to read more stories about the first ten years of Voices of Mercy. But it was a great blessing to me to be part of many musical, ministerial adventures. Years of laughter, some tears, and a tremendous amount of blessings followed. Songwriting became more and more part of what I did in prayer, on retreat, while driving with a micro-cassette recorder in the glove compartment. Eventually, enough songs came to be, and I recorded Paintbrush in the Green. It’s jammed with a lot of songs, because I had no idea whether I’d ever get to record a second one.
Now there’s Blanket of Stars, my Christmas CD. I’m beyond thrilled to think that some kid somewhere might get a Christmas joy like the kind I’ve always had, touched by music that rejoices in Christ’s birth.
Flocks by Night and Day
I’m currently pastor of Blessed Sacrament Church in Tonawanda, NY. It’s been a great blessing to have such a family of faith to shepherd. We hold monthly PraiseSong nights where musicians of all ages are invited to come and share what they Lord has given them.
When people ask my what songs I’ve chosen for my funeral, I always say “I don’t know—maybe they haven’t been written yet!” I believe many of us have songs and stories and gifts to share, and encourage all the Lord’s children to seek ways to do that. The gifts are not ours to hold on to, but given to be given away, all for His Glory!!