'Pray, hope, and don't worry': Reverend reflects on how cancer changed his outlook on life
The Rev. Dougald McCallum stands at the door of St. Peter's Church in Anaconda on Sunday morning. Leader photo: James S. Rosien
Rev. McCallum stands at the altar of St. Peter's Church. Leader photo: James S. Rosien
Eight years ago, the Rev. Dougald McCallum had been back in Anaconda for a couple years. He had returned to the place where he celebrated his first Mass as a priest nearly two decades prior – at which time he also was gifted with a chalice that belonged to Monsignor John Pirnat, the first priest at St. Peter's Church, the restoration of which became a priority for McCallum after receiving approval from the diocese in 2016 to go forward with the project.
Yet there was restoration of a different sort that would become a matter not just of life and death, but something even greater still in his battle with cancer.
As McCallum explained, "When you get to that point where you're so sick you'd rather be dead than feel this way, it's hard. It made me reflect. In 28 years of priesthood I've been around people who were suffering, but I never truly understood their suffering. Now I can say I understand it. When you face that, it's a very enlightening experience. It makes you step back."
It's perhaps unusual to see one's fight with cancer as an opportunity for personal and indeed spiritual growth, but for McCallum the perspective it's given him has been invaluable.
"Some of the things I'd normally allow to rock my world, I don't allow it. I don't have the energy to let that drama into my world. There are other things to invest my energy into. I don't worry about things. Worrying just stresses you out," he said. "I don't go there anymore. Stress kills you, man. Stress leads to eating improperly. Stress leads to all kinds of complications, physiologically and psychologically. As Padre Pio says, 'Pray, hope, and don't worry.' The best thing you can do in life is let it go. Just give it to God as best you can. Worrying about it won't fix it. Give it to God, He'll fix it."
While the type of cancer he's been battling has a 90% survival rate after five years of being cancer-free, "there's always that 10%," he said, and as a result he's living more purposefully and meaningfully than he ever has before.
"I was really close to death more than once," McCallum said. "It took that to get to the point where I just don't let things bother me anymore."
Indeed.
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