This weekend I am celebrating Masses at St. John the Baptist parish in Healdsburg, California and will be back in the office on Wednesday, August 1st after my 10-day vacation. It’s hard to believe that June and July have passed by so quickly.  With August on the horizon, kids will soon be heading off to college and high school – some for the first time.  Grammar schools will be starting mid to late August, and it seems that summer will be gone!  But wait!  Let’s not rush it!  We still have Vacation Bible School coming up at Our Lady of Mercy August 6^th through 10^th.  We look forward to welcoming our children for “Shipwrecked – Rescued By Jesus” for a half day of fun, games, music, crafts and learning about Jesus. Thanks to Jill Levine, Mary Jo Trapani, and all the adult and teen volunteers for making VBS an enjoyable experience for our children.

In today’s Gospel reading we remember that most famous picnic in religious history.  How many people were there?  Some say 5,000.  Did that include women and children?  We know there was at least one child – girl or boy, nobody knows for sure – who was vital to the story.  This event wins the prize as scripture’s number-one picnic because the New Testament narrates a version of it six times: twice each in Matthew and Mark, once in Luke and once in John. Today we hear John’s rendition.  John’s story involves a variety of characters.  First, Jesus looks at the mass of people.  Then he brings Philip into the action, asking him where they can buy food to feed that crowd.  Philip responds as a pragmatist, not-so-gently reminding Jesus of the limitations of their funds.  Then Andrew enters into the conversation, saying that there’s a child who has five barley rolls and two fish.  Altogether that adds up to seven morsels – the number symbolizes completeness, but in this case it seems more like complete inadequacy.  Now we are at the heart of the story.  Just when the disciples have pointed out the absurd limitations of their ability to respond, Jesus has them tell the people to recline in preparation for a feast.  While thousands look on, Jesus take the food and prays.  John says that Jesus “gave thanks.” That implies that he acknowledged that the food he held came from God and belonged to God.  Once the child handed it over and Jesus gave thanks over it, it was recognized as God’s food, and it was therefore God’s goodness that the crowd was going to share.  No evangelist describes how the bread multiplied and the how is not the point John wants to make.  The point is that God met the hunger of the people, beginning with the unstinting generosity of one of the least among them – a child.  So what does this story mean for us today?  Some understand it like the miracle portrayed in the movies when bread shoots out of baskets like popcorn.  That interpretation gives God the responsibility to do everything.  Many people who know poverty see it a different way.  People who have passed the end of their rope and still survive, recognize this as an example of God’s providence.  They can tell story after story about how God sent someone at just the right moment; how someone found the money for rent on the morning before eviction, how a donation came in on the day the orphanage ran out of food….how God comes through again and again, through some often unsuspecting, usually unexpected, generous soul.  This story reminds us that God can work wonders with the little we have if we are willing to give it all – like the child in today’s Gospel.

Have a Blessed Week!

Father Don

This weekend and next I will be away on a 10-day summer vacation to where else but Sonoma County California!  I visit and stay with a friend Tony who lives in Santa Rosa.  He works in the tasting room of Ferrari-Carano Winery outside of Healdsburg. I’ve certainly enjoyed learning about wine from listening his “spheel” as he pours for the guests at the several wineries where he has worked over the years.  And I have certainly enjoyed the “perks” of his wine industry discount when we visit other wineries throughout Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino and Lake counties.  And in the many years I have visited, some of Tony’s friends have become mine as well.  I look forward to spending some time with Fr. Sean Rogers, pastor of St. John the Baptist parish in Healdsburg and seeing some of the parishioners I’ve gotten to know.  I will be celebrating Mass there on July 21^st and 22^nd and July 28^th and 29^th to give Fr. Sean the opportunity to get away for a weekend, as he is the only priest in the parish.    Fr. Sean graduated from the University of Notre Dame and played and was on the football team.  He has been a priest 11 years.  His family owns a fruit and veggie stand with a small market in Santa Rosa.  Always a great place to stop for fresh fruit, sandwiches and snacks before heading out for a day of wine tasting!  I look forward to seeing Vernon and his two Chiweenie dogs.  They are the cutest little things!  A cross between a Chihuahua and a Dachshund.  Vernon, originally from Hawaii, manages a Starbuck’s Coffee Shop in Windsor and last time I visited we went whale watching. I hope to catch up with Travis and learn about his new position promoting tourism in Mendocino County.  Previously he worked at Handley Winery in Philo.  I hope to catch up with Michael (originally from Chicagoland and a Cubs fan) and his wife Rose.  Michael sells wine barrels.  During my visit last summer, he gave me a tour of the cooperage.  Really interesting how wine barrels are made!  My favorite will be spending time with Anne Vercelli.  Her father Joe was part of the beginning of the wine industry in California.  Back in the day he worked at Italian Swiss Colony.  A name revered by old-times.  Anne teaches culinary arts at the Santa Rosa Junior College, organizes several prestigious wine tasting events, judges wines and bakery competitions at the Sonoma County Fair and other events.  Some of her classes are taught at Shone Farm where the kitchen is named after her father.  In addition to all that, Anne works as hostess on Sunday at a delightful bakery/breakfast/lunch place, Costeaux in Healdsburg.  But the BEST is that whenever I come out for a visit she hosts and prepares a 6 to 8 course meal at her house with different wines with each course and invites all my CA friends!  It’s an amazing evening!!  So that diet that Fr. Mark announced I was going to start a couple months ago will just have to wait to August 1^st!  I look forward to hiking in the Armstrong Redwood grove in Guerneville and walking the oceanfront.  Perhaps a canoe trip down the Russian River. Oh! Did I mention the wine tasting??

Whatever you and your family are doing to enjoy summer, please be safe and enjoy God’s wonderful creation!

Have A Blessed Week!

Father Don

Today 71 teens and 14 adult chaperones along with Fr. Mark are leaving for a week long mission trip to Troy, Missouri.  They will be part of a group of 400 teens and adults from churches all over the country, along with 60 teens from St. Raphael in Naperville. During their time there they will be repairing homes of needy seniors and low income residents.  I ask that you keep our teens and adults in your prayers this week for a safe journey there and back, and that they truly encounter Jesus in the people they meet and the ministry they do.

This year we are participating in the Diocesan Mission Cooperative.  Next weekend we welcome Father Jevic Pendon from the Diocese of Romblon in the Philippines who will preach all the Masses making a mission appeal to help the poor in his Diocese.  A second collection will be taken.  Since the second collection will go through our accounting system, checks should be made out to “Our Lady of Mercy” with Philippine Mission in the memo line.  This way your donation will appear on your year-end contribution statement from the parish.  If you give cash, put in in an envelope with your name and envelope number so that your donation can be accounted to your contribution statement.  Thank you in advance for your support of our brothers and sisters in need.

You’ve heard the saying….want to make God laugh?  Tell him your plans!  Think about your life 20, 40 or even 60 years ago.  What were your plans?  What did you envision for your future?  What did you hope to be when you grew up?  Did you achieve your hope, or are you doing something with your life that you never imagined?  Questions like these encourage us to consider the paths our lives have taken and find the hand and heart of God in the midst of it all.  In that way, we become open to new paths and to new calling we might never have dreamed of answering.  Most of us have to work to make a living.  So we educate ourselves and get a job.  Amos in our first reading had two jobs.  He was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamores.  While at his Job, Amos was called by God to speak for God, to be a prophet.  Judging from his conversation with Amaziah, being a prophet was never on Amos’ to-do list.  On the contrary, he did not even want to be associated with the guilds of prophets whose frenzied ecstasies were very strange and difficult to discern.  Nevertheless, by God’s grace, Amos prophesied, and as a result, his words continue to challenge God’s people to uphold God’s justice and be defenders of the poor and downtrodden.  Jesus had been a carpenter and was called by God to leave that safe and relatively comfortable life behind in order to call people to “repent and believe, for the kingdom of God is at hand” (Mark 1:15).  So closely attuned was Jesus to God’s call that he suffered rejection, torture and mockery, and in the end, he gave his life.  When Jesus called the Twelve, each already had his own means of livelihood.  But at Jesus’ invitation, each was willing to set aside his job and share in Jesus’ vocation.  His instructions to them were simple – they were to preach repentance, heal people and continue Jesus’ battle with the powers of evil.  What has Jesus called you to do and to be?

Have a Blessed Week!

Father Don

 

Two weekends ago we celebrated the 30^th anniversary of the founding of Our Lady of Mercy parish.  Our theme was “Though Many….We Are One” – celebrating how rich we have become as a parish over thirty years with the diversity of ethnic origins our membership.  Streamers of flags of many nations hung above the baptismal font symbolizing that through baptism, no matter what our ethnic origin, we are now one in Jesus Christ.  And what a beautiful celebration we had!!  The founding pastor, Fr. Gerald Tivy, now 80 years old and retired came back and along with his older brother Fr. Tom Tivy, celebrated the 4:00pm Mass on Saturday.  I invited Fr. Hugh Fullmer as well to come back and celebrate a Mass that weekend, but he was away on an Alaska cruise.  The dessert reception after all the Masses featuring homemade goodies from the ethnic background of our parishioners was outstanding!  Thanks to all who baked or donated these wonderful treats!  The picnic on our grounds with food trucks of various vendors was a tremendous success as well.  All enjoyed food, fellowship and dancing to the tunes parishioner DJ John Wehrel played. So kudos and thanks goes to a lot of people:  Marty Kadziela, chair of the Pastoral Council and PPC members for the initial ideas and impetus for celebrating our 30^th anniversary; Doug Kieffer for recruiting parishioners to read the scriptures at Mass in different languages and the lectors themselves, Marck Mocarski, Stefania Chase, Babes tiongsen, Marie Reitenbach, Lourdes Indad, Robert Pelegrini, Maybird D’Silva, Sissy Roy, Veronica Manzanares, Lucero Manzanares, Sergio Noyola and Ernesto Pacheco; the gift bearers, Kalathiveetil Family, Rinon Family, Manzanares Family, Pacheco Family, Nicole Achebo, Ndoko Family and Some Family; the Knights of Columbus Honor Guard, Robert Pelligrini, James Lambert, John Melisi; Art & Environment and Set-up, Karen Schwartz, Len Eickhoff, Linda Eichoff, and Marty Kadziela; Liturgy Coordinators, Phyllis Anderson, Larry Harris, Vince Wardein, Maybird d’Silva; Coordinator of desserts, Phyllis Anderson; Hospitality, Jim Marks and Phyllis Anderson and all the kitchen helpers; Photographers, Maybird D’Silva and Jeanne Daill; and the food trucks were organized by Alessandro Vazquez of Brew Avenue Events.  And a special thanks to the over 120 parishioners who baked or donated goodies for the dessert reception.  We had desserts from 19 different cultures.  I hope you were adventurous and tried something new!  If I’ve inadvertently left anyone out, please accept my apologies.  And a big thanks goes to all of YOU who joined in celebrating our 30^th anniversary!

Now that summer is in full swing, I hope you and your families are enjoying some rest and relaxation.  For those of you traveling, I pray you have a safe journey…..and don’t forget, you can find Mass times wherever you are at www.masstimes.org or download the app “Mass Times For Travel.”

Have a Blessed Week!

Father Don

They say there are only two things certain in life – death and taxes.  I would like to add a third certain thing in life – CHANGE.  No matter how we try to avoid it, most of us have difficulty with change.  It unsettles our comfortable routine and that which is familiar.  Many of us resist change and try stubbornly to hold our ground.  For me, the most difficult struggle is not changing of assignments (most of the time that is a good thing), but of aging.  I find myself more frequently listening to music of the late 60’s & early 70’s (my high school and college years), longing for those carefree disco days! And wondering why the youth of today find this music “old fashioned”!  I also realize how irrelevant I have become to teens and people in their 20’s and 30’s.  When I was first ordained (age 29) I was in demand to give talks and retreats to youth.  That stopped when I was 40, and now in my mid 60’s young people think I am really old! At least the little kids still like me – I guess I am more of a grandfather figure to them!  And that blows my mind!!  HOW did I get this old? And last month I filed to begin collecting my social security!  I still want to deny that I have some arthritis, that sugar levels are gradually increasing, that changes in diet would be beneficial, and that sometimes my energy level isn’t where I think it should be.  And the reality of possible retirement in four years makes me scared of a new chapter in life. CHANGE!

So, I admire those who can face new chapters in life and re-make themselves!  Last weekend our Director of Liturgy and Music for the past 25 years said good-bye to the parish.  His farewell article in the bulletin was very gracious.   I have only had the pleasure of working with Larry for only one year, but I have been very grateful for his dedication to OLM, his attention to detail, his knowledge of liturgy, his musical gifts and talents, and of course his goofy humor!!  In my 37 years of being a priest I have never experience something so beautiful as the orchestra and choir he puts together for the Christmas midnight Mass.  So on behalf of Fr. Tivy, founding pastor, Fr. Hugh, all the priests, deacons, religious and staff who have served during your tenure, as well as the parishioners, I express our profound gratitude for all you have done for and meant to this parish community.  God bless you as you re-make yourself and future! As Larry mentioned in his article he will be spending more time playing jazz-gigs and giving individual piano lessons – and sleeping in on Sundays…..subbing at parishes on occasion.

Gee!  Guess I should start pondering about re-making myself instead of longing for my youth!  Wonder if there is a vineyard or winery in Sonoma County California that will need a chaplain in a few years?  Guess I’ll have to wait until that next chapter (CHANGE) happens in life to find out!

Have a blessed week and a safe and enjoyable July 4^th celebration

Father Don

This weekend we are celebrating the 30^th anniversary of the founding of our parish.  On June 22, 1988 Bishop Joseph Imesch established our parish and appointed Father Gerald Tivy as the founding pastor.  The newly created parish was first known as The Catholic Community of Fox Valley but was soon after, the overwhelming sentiment of the parish decided Our Lady of Mercy would be our identity. The first Mass for the newly founded parish was celebrated on August 20, 1988 at Waubonsie Valley High School. Father Tivy undertook the pastoral responsibility of forming and expanding a new community of faith as well fundraising for the building of a permanent place for that community to worship.  On September 20, 1997, a little more than nine years after the founding of our parish, the beautiful church we worship in today was dedicated by Bishop Imesch.  We thank Fr. Tivy, his staff, and all those founding families and those who joined the parish in those formative years for the sacrifices and dedication it took to build a community of faith and place to worship!

In 2000, after serving as pastor for 12 years, Fr. Tivy was transferred and Fr. Hugh Fullmer was appointed pastor.  During the 17 years Fr. Hugh served as pastor, the parish community continued to grow spiritually and in membership with the addition of many programs and outreach.  Also the need for permanent meeting space for RE classes, social events and parish meetings became apparent.  Fr. Hugh undertook a capital campaign to build the Parish Life Center.  Completed in 2007, the Parish Life Center is used to capacity today, with rarely an evening without something going on in the PLC.  Fr. Hugh is responsible for establishing Aurora’s longest running carnival event….MercyFest!  An event he took great delight in!  So thanks to Fr. Hugh and his staff of the 17 years he served as pastor for all their hard work at continuing to build a community of faith and service as well as building the PLC we all enjoy today.

And so it is, that one year ago on June 21^st that Fr. Mark and I were appointed to serve the parish community of Our Lady of Mercy.  We have enjoyed getting to know many of you and truly appreciate the support and affirmation you have given us.  As Fr. Hugh always told me, Our Lady of Mercy is a great parish.  And it certainly is.  It is Fr. Mark’s and my vision that we continue to build here….not in physical facilities, but to build a community of ever growing disciples.  We want all who come here, parishioner or not, to experience a life changing encounter with Jesus.  To do that, we are shifting from maintenance or maintaining mode to MISSION mode.  We want to evaluate everything we do here in light of how what we are doing (programs, ministries, etc.) create the opportunities for encountering Jesus.  We will be starting Alpha in the fall – a series for anyone with questions about life, faith, God, Jesus, purpose to come together and share a meal and discussion.  In the mission mode, we want to reach beyond the doors and boundaries of Our Lady of Mercy to share the good news with those who don’t know Jesus or have fallen away from the Church.  This is a huge building project!  Not of bricks and mortar, but of something that will endure even longer – FAITH!  We look forward to your help!

Have a Blessed Week!

Father Don

 

This Father’s Day I would like to congratulate two fathers from OLM who have been approved and welcomed by Bishop Conlon to begin a four-year program of studies, spiritual formation and discernment to be ordained a permanent deacon. Parishioners Douglas McIlvaine and Rodney “Bugsy” Sindac will begin studies this August. This is a huge commitment!  Between August of this year and May of next year they will meet for 59 classes on Monday and Thursday evenings for two hours each at the Blanchette Center in Crest Hill.  And not only that, their wives are required to attend some of the classes and an annual retreat.  So, I thank Doug and Amy, Rodney “Bugsy” and Maria “Happy” and families for their generosity and commitment of time it takes to becoming a permanent deacon.  Assuming they complete the four-year program successfully and receive a positive recommendation from those responsible for their formation, Doug and Rodney would be ordained in 2022.  Please keep them in your prayers!

This past Mother’s Day, I shared with you some personal recollections about my mother and the fact that I had three mothers!  So, a bit about my father Thomas.  He was one of those guys who just couldn’t live without a woman in his life!  I was 5 when my mother died the day after Christmas. The following November my dad married the woman who I really grew up knowing as mom. Several years after she died, at age 77 my father married again!  I was a priest for 5 years and officiated the wedding. Not many priests can say they officiated their dad’s wedding!  Born in 1909 he lived through the great depression.  Like many who lived through those days, he was a very frugal man and didn’t buy anything he couldn’t pay cash for – even his cars!  He never owned a credit card! To this day, the only thing I have ever bought making monthly payments is my car and a piano.   He was a very hard working man, coming home late many nights.  He was self-employed in the air-conditioning and refrigeration business.  In his later years before retirement he worked for a company installing commercial walk-in refrigerators and freezers.  When I was in high school he took me one summer to Atlanta when he installed the units at the new Atlanta stadium (now torn down and replaced).  He was a man of quiet faith.  He was an usher at church and belonged to the Holy Name society doing service projects at the church and community.  He was a very active member of the Knights of Columbus and a past grand knight.  During the 60’s he chaired the Knights of Columbus Catholic Information booth at the Indiana State Fair.  He got permission for Mass to be celebrated at the fairgrounds for the workers and farmers.  He got permission too for the nun who played the organ at our parish to come play for Mass at the fairgrounds.  And in those days, nuns always had to travel in pairs, so I have a lot of pleasant memories of taking the nuns to the state fair! He was related to the Allison family of Indy 500 fame.  He stopped going to the race each year when he said that the cars were going so fast he couldn’t read the numbers on the car! He enjoyed surprising my mom and me with little and big things….like a color television set when they first came out.  He was a very quiet but kind man.  He died in 1995.

So on this Father’s Day, may God bless all our father’s living and deceased!

Father Don

On Saturday, May 27^th Bishop Conlon ordained seven new priests to serve at parishes in the Diocese of Joliet.  We congratulate and pray for them in their first assignments:  Fr. Ryan Adorjan (St. Raymond Cathedral – Joliet), Fr. Max Behna (St. Michael – Wheaton), Fr. John Horan (St. John Paul II – Kankakee), Fr. Jesus Martinez (St. Andrew – Romeoville), Fr. Michael McMahon (St. Mary Immaculate – Plainfield), Fr. Anthony Nyamai (St. Mary, West Chicago), and Fr. James Olofson (St. Dominic – Bolingbrook). May God bless them and the people they will serve.

I also wish to offer congratulations to all our parishioners who have graduated from university, college and high school in the last several weeks.  May your futures be bright and may you keep close to the Lord Jesus as you journey through life.

I have some new improvements to tell you about.  First, after months of work by parishioner Zara Tan and Fr. Mark designing and writing content, our new parish website has been launched.  A huge thank you to Zara who was the primary lead and creator of the website.

Also, the PLC now has WI-FI. Video screens to keep you informed about upcoming events are soon to be installed in the narthex of the church and the lobby of the Parish Life Center.  Some new important safety features have also been installed.  We now have video cameras monitoring and recording the hallways of the PLC and entrances to the church and PLC and the Eucharistic Chapel. Previously there has been no way to communicate an emergency situation (tornado, intruder, etc.) throughout the PLC.  Speakers have now been installed throughout the hallways of the PLC and announcements that will be heard throughout the PLC and classrooms can be made from parish and RE office phones.  All these improvements are possible because of your generous financial support of OLM.  Thank you!!

Friday, June 22^nd is the 30^th anniversary of the creation of Our Lady of Mercy parish.  Please join in the celebration!!  Be a part of the new parish family photo directory.  Photography sessions will take place June 26 – 30 and July 10 – 18.  Call the parish office to make an appointment.  If you can’t make any of these dates, you can have your picture taken at another parish.  Again, call the parish office for info.

The weekend Masses on June 23/24 will celebrate the parish anniversary.  In 30 years, we have become many – from 200 families in 1988 to over 3,800 families today – but we are one!  Celebrating our ethnic diversity, there will be desserts of various ethnic traditions in the Parish Life Center following all Masses.  On Sunday, June 24^th from 1:00pm to 5:00pm there will be food trucks in our parking lot with a variety of food choices.  Get your food and drinks and have a picnic on the church grounds.  Tables will be set up outside and inside in the PLC.  Grab some food after the 12:30pm Mass or before the 5:30pm Mass or anytime in between – and let’s celebrate!!

Have a Blessed Week!

Father Don

Today we celebrate the foundational Catholic truth that Christ is present, really present, in the Eucharist.  In the past, and even today, much theological time and effort is spent on trying to understand how Christ is present in the bread and wine.  I think it is more important to ask the question why Christ is present.  This wondrous gift of the Eucharist allows Christ to be present for our benefit – present to help us live.  How does the Eucharist help us live?  We proclaim it in the mystery of faith….”Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.

Christ has died.  We remember in this meal the tremendous love by which Christ gave his life for our salvation.  Dying is about letting go.  As we encounter in the Eucharist the Christ who died for us, he imparts to us the power of letting go of those aspects of our life that hold us back.  What are the things that hold us back?  Each of us must answer that question from the circumstances of our lives.  Perhaps we must let go of resentment or hurt or self-indulgence or addiction or prejudice or pride.  Each time we come to this meal we set those obstacles before the Lord, and the Christ who gave his life for us enables us to let go of whatever hinders us.

Christ is risen.  Here is the center of our faith.  We believe that the love and goodness of God was so real in the person of Christ that God conquered event death.  As we encounter the risen Christ in the Eucharist he gives us the power to see the goodness that is a part of our life and our world.  How easy it is for us to center on what is wrong, what is broken, what has failed.  In doing so we discount all the goodness and blessing that surround us in our lives.  What could be a greater waste than to be a blessed and loved person and never claim and celebrate that gift?  So each time we come to this meal and encounter the risen Christ we receive the strength to be thankful for the people who love us, for our health, for our talents, for the beauty of the world around us.  We pray for the risen Christ to make us always conscience of those gifts and never take any of them for granted!

Christ will come again.  Although Christ is risen, the victory of Christ is not yet complete.  Evil, injustice, violence, and hatred remain as a part of our world.  They touch our lives.  But we as a community believe Christ will come again, and when he comes the ultimate victory will be won and all evil will be destroyed.  So each time we encounter the Christ who will come again in the Eucharist he gives us the strength to hold on, to hold on in hope.  This strength allows us to believe that whatever troubles we must face God has not forgotten us and will not abandon us.  In this Eucharist meal we pray that Christ will allow us to hold onto hope, even in the midst of family troubles, in the midst of sickness, in the midst of discouragement and failure, and yes even in the shadow of death.

The good news of the Eucharist is not only that Christ is present, really present, but that Christ is present for our benefit, present so that we might live!

Have a Blessed Week!

Father Don

Fr. Don asked me to write for Heidi Howls this week as this Sunday marks my one year anniversary as a priest. The seminary, I believe, prepared me well, or at least, as much as the seminary is able. It has become apparent to me during my first year as a Priest that there are things that the seminary just can’t prepare one for—one of those things, of course, is the seminary failing to teach me how to live with a dog that sheds more than a….well, anything I have ever seen.

There is no way the seminary can prepare a man for everything he is going to experience in his first year as a priest. Ministering in tragic situations; burying children; ministering to countless heartaches….no shot. But that’s okay. It doesn’t need to. It doesn’t need to because of what happened one year ago this weekend. After Bishop Conlon laid his hand on my head, he said the words of priestly consecration. He called forth the Holy Spirit and I was changed. I was now tapped into a new power that would always be present when I called upon it. The seminary can’t “teach” this: “With the sacramental outpouring of the Holy Spirit who consecrates and sends forth, the priest is configured to the likeness of Jesus Christ, head and shepherd of the Church, and is sent forth to carry out a pastoral ministry….The sacrament of holy orders confers upon the priest sacramental grace which gives him a share not only in Jesus’ saving “power” and “ministry” but also in his pastoral “love.” At the same time it ensures that the priest can count on all the actual graces he needs, whenever they are necessary and useful for the worthy and perfect exercise of the ministry he has received.”

 These words from St. John Paul II’s Pastores Dabo Vobis are comforting to say the least. The demands and trials of the priesthood calls one forth to greatness (just as the trials and demands of marriage and the other vocations calls one to greatness). That greatness, we often times do not reach. In the face of those demands and trials we become acutely aware of our failures and weaknesses. In this spot of weakness is where Jesus wants to dive in and go to work. In this spot of weakness is where Jesus wants us to know that we can count on Him. During this first year, I have “counted” on Him and leaned on Him time and time again.

That being said, the joys of my first year as a priest have been so much greater than I could have imagined. As I mentioned in a homily a few weeks ago: I love being a priest! I love being your priest.

Much has been made over the tears I shed when I found out I was assigned to OLM. Aurora?!? Where is that? Diocese of Rockford? Now, I can’t imagine having been sent anywhere else. OLM is now home. Thank you! Thank you for all your support and encouragement. Thank you for your prayers. Most of all, thank you for teaching this guy fresh out of the seminary how to be a priest.

In Him,

Father Mark