The First Word

This is my first contribution as pastor of Christ the King Parish to the King's Corner, and so I think it appropriate then that what were largely my last words to the people of Holy Trinity Parish should also be my first words to you for they concern  my understanding of my role as priest and pastor as I begin my service among you. .    Back in the days of my seminary training our Pastoral Theology Professor forewarned us that when we serve a parish one third of the people will like us, another third won't and the remaining third will ask" Father who?"    Some will expect that we be a CEO or a "boss", others will ask that we be a social worker with a special collar, others will see us as the chief maintenance man, still others will want us to be an entertainer of sorts, consequently the number of those who will probably be disappointed in us is not small and Father Professor is usually proved right time and again!  


While there are perhaps aspects of all of those roles in the role of priest and especially one who serves as pastor yet ultimately there is one job description handed on to us via the long tradition of the Church that we as priests must understand and follow above all other expectations.  First and foremost there is only one priest and that is Jesus Christ, it is in his priesthood that all the baptized and in a special way those who are ordained have some share.   There is also only one pastor in the local church which is the entire diocese and that is the bishop, sent as an apostle by the successor of St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles,  so it is through the bishop  that we remain  in communion with  the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church.  In his role as apostle the bishop is to teach, sanctify and govern the people of God in the diocese.  Practically speaking however this is challenging to do therefore the local church is divided into somewhat more manageable portions   called parishes and the bishop ordains and sends priests to them to teach, sanctify and govern in his name.  It is only with that understanding of a pastor’s role that my work among you can be outlined and defined.

Teaching: I am committed to teach each and every time I enter the ambo at Mass to preach and I will be very conscious of the serious responsibility I have to  try to convey the meaning of the scriptures and to apply this message to our lives today.   In this as well as in other areas a healthy "fear of the Lord” predominates and so for weekend homilies I will nearly always write them out word for word   weighing each rather carefully knowing that I have a very short time and a very serious responsibility to convey the gospel message. Additionally I will try to teach through this blog and some columns in the bulletin, and by conducting some   adult formation and scripture study courses during my tenure here.  I also hope to lead some pilgrimages to holy places, especially to Rome and to the Holy land, where the teaching over 10 plus days is the most intense but usually very fruitful.

Sanctifying: The task of sanctifying is the most beautiful aspect of the priestly pastoral roles, for it is the celebration of the liturgy and the sacraments.  To me, the full and proper celebration of the liturgy is very important and I am encouraged by the many parishioners at Christ the King who seem to know and appreciate the richness of our Catholic liturgical traditions.  I look forward to sharing with you in the high point of our liturgical year, the annual Easter Triduum, when we must take  our time to celebrate our passover from death to life with Christ with the greatest care.  In addition to the Eucharist the sacrament that most obviously sanctifies and is essential in priestly work but not widely noticed is the sacrament of penance.   I thank all of those who with great trust will approach me to celebrate this sacrament with them, to me it is  a humbling and  often a very deeply moving experience.    Hopefully my skills as a "doctor of the soul" honed over the past 29 years will be adequate enough that  most will  leave the confessional with a smile on their face,  even if it is through tears,  assured of  God's mercy and forgiveness.   While I do care about every liturgy I celebrate, I always try to take an extra measure of care in the funerals and weddings at which I officiate  always with the awareness that often some in  attendance  may be  unaffiliated  with any faith or are not presently practicing their Catholic faith , thus I never want  anything I do  or say I to affirm for them the rightness of their lack of involvement in the church , but rather to possibly  inspire then to join or  to return.

Governing: The least favorite tasks for most pastors fall under the umbrella of governing or administration and Christ the King Parish with its beautiful but large parish plant  and extensive grounds  will undoubtedly have the potential to  get its pastor rather bogged down at times in matters of "lights, locks, leaks and loans".   Overseeing the management of these temporalities is one thing but ruling people is quite another and never easy and perhaps not even possible in these days, at least not by authoritative commands or decrees.   Early in my priesthood, long before I was asked to pastor I read a book that considered how Christ himself led people, and in light of that I consider that  I probably exercise leadership best not when presiding at meetings  but  by doing things with people for the good of the parish or the benefit of charities, or offering hospitality  in the rectory or the parish hall to parishioners and others.  In all these instances I will try to lead by example to encourage all members to roll up their sleeves for the parish and try  not to ask others to do anything that I would not want to do myself.   Ultimately I want to teach by example that in a Christian community,  unlike more worldly enterprises,  authority  is supposed to be exercised not by power but by service.  
So that is how I understand my role and will try to fulfill it, I present it  to you for your better understanding of me, but not only of  me, but of all priests and pastors.  I ask that you try to withhold judgment of me as to whether or not I am  I succeeding or failing in this or that aspect of my ministry  and ask instead that you pray for me especially if ever you find I  have aggravated or disappointed you, because more often than not, that will certainly not have  ever been my intention.   The Christian journey for all of us, priests included, is one of ongoing growth and change that we call conversion, indeed we are all works in progress under God's grace and the guidance of His Spirit, so let us promise to  be patient with and charitable toward one another as we share  together this  leg of the journey to God's kingdom!