Welcome to Renewal of Faith

My ordination as a priest began a new era in my life. In seminary I was the student and now I am the "teacher." My faith has certainly grown since I returned to church and then attended seminary.

Now it is time for me to share what I have learned with the parishioners I serve. Of course, I will continue to grow and deepen in my own faith. While formal study has ended, I still try to read journals and books to help me grown in my own understanding of what it means to be a "good and faithful servant" (Matthew 25:14-30).

I officially began my first assignment on July 14, 2007 at St. Mary's Southside in the City of Elmira, NY and the Town of Elmira located in Chemung County, NY. The parish includes the Towns of Southport and Ashland and beyond.

There is no "typical day" for me. I continue to become involved in more and more things. Of course there are the expected tasks. First and foremost is presiding at Mass. When you believe in the Real Presence in the Eucharist, presiding at Mass is a very special time.

Of course there are baptisms, weddings, and funerals. For me, while baptism is a sacrament, the first of the sacraments, I feel more connected to the people in the preparation that occurs before weddings and funerals. Weddings gave the greatest opportunity to connect to the couple. While funerals come when least expected and seldom do I meet with the family more than once but it can be a powerful moment of God's grace and compassion.

Then there are the visits to the hospitals, nursing homes, and assisted-living centers. There are two hospitals in the city of Elmira. In the county, there are currently six priests who each take a day each week serving as the priest for emergencies. By their very nature, these emergency calls are unexpected, but again they can be powerful moments of grace, especially with the Sacrament of the Sick.

The local Catholic schools is the Holy Family School System and grades K-3 are located next to our parish church at the Holy Family Primary School. I visit one grade each week. While working with children is not an easy task for me, I do enjoy it because the children are also so welcoming and just happy to have a visit from the priest.

I spoke above of sharing what I have learned. Perhaps one of the most rewarding ministries, beyond celebrating the sacraments, is teaching. I have a lead a six-week Bible study. For four consecutive weeks immediately prior to Mass, I offered four to five minutes teaching about the various parts of the Mass (click here to see the texts). I recently had an opportunity to give a short presentation on the Catholic perspective of health care. I regularly write articles for our parish blog. All of these are activities that I have enjoyed very much. I especially like to answer questions from the people. It is all about awakening the spirit within us. It is about having a personal relationship with Jesus. It not only helps the people to grow in their faith, it helps me to grown in my own faith.

Of course, there are meetings of parish council and finance council and the other meetings that go along with them. Some priests see these as administrative tasks. I see it, yes as administrative, but the point is not administration but ensuring the spiritual welfare of the parishioners through good use of the financial and spiritual resources of the parish. It is about calling forth parishioners to use their gifts for the good of the parish. Things like overseeing our annual diocesan appeal, known as the Catholic Ministries Appeal, is not about money. It is about the mission of the Church to help the people of God. This requires money.

Most of the ministries I have mentioned so far I became involved with almost immediately. As time passes, I have taken on more responsibility. Since the retirement of our parish Social Ministry Coordinator in June 2008 I have been responsible for our parish social ministry activities. As you can see from the Social Ministry section of this web site, Catholic Social Teaching is a significant part of my own faith life. I have recently agreed to serve on the board of Chemung County Office of Catholic Charities. Jesus says the greatest commandment is to love God. The second is to love our neighbor as ourselves. If we truly love our neighbors then we will do what we can to help, thus the importance of Social Ministry.

We must listen to the needs of parishioners. At St. Mary's, we have several parishioners with Alzheimer's. Their loved ones have asked us for help. We were unsure how to help them our parish deacon come in contact with the Learning Institute for Alzheimer's. Since then, we have begun offering monthly sessions on how to understand the needs and to care for those in need. We offer this not just for our own parishioners but for anyone. This may not seem like priestly ministry but it is caring for their needs. I leave the teaching of the sessions to the experts from the Learning Institute for Alzheimer's but coordinate the schedule and I am present for each session as a pastoral presence to the attendees who care for their loved ones.

There is one last ministry that I oversee that we are just beginning at St. Mary's. It is a ministry to reach out to inactive Catholics. We have a small committee of parishioners whose work to help this ministry develop is critical. We are only beginning to plan this new ministry but we see it as a vital ministry considering the number of Catholics who do not attend Church.

This is not meant to be a complete list of everything I do but I hope it does give you an idea what it is like to be a priest. It is a life I enjoy. And it is a busy life. I do take a day off each week and some vacation. Priesthood is central to my life but it is important to take time to relax. Time off for me is spending time outdoors, working on this web site, and reading theology and mystery novels are just some of the things I do to relax.

Two of the common questions that the school children ask me are "Do you like being a priest?" and "What do you enjoy during the most?" The simple answer to the first question is, of course, yes. Being a priest has its challenging moments. As a person who likes organization one of the challenges for me as a priest is always be open to the unexpected. I never know when a sick call is coming, when a person might need to talk, or when funerals will come. Yet, in the "emergencies" of priestly life is where I sometimes feel most needed as a priest and where I most rely on the Holy Spirit. So, yes, I love being a priest.

To the question "what do you enjoy doing the most" I respond with first and foremost I love presiding at Mass. The other thing I enjoy is anything that lets me share my faith with others including visiting the school, preaching, and my work for adult faith education.

In the end, priesthood isn't about me. It is about God.

This page last updated on December 25, 2009