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Father Joe Moving to Lead Own Parish
If you attended Mass here last weekend, you heard Father Joe's
announcement. As of January 1, 2003, he will become the pastor of Holy Spirit
parish, Buffalo. We are all grateful to Father Joe for his nearly five and a
half years of service to our parish family and we wish him well in this new
assignment. Any priest's first pastorate is special to him, and, knowing the
people at Holy Spirit as I do, I am sure that they will receive him with open
arms and make him feel at home quickly. Father Joe leaves here with the
gratitude and blessing of all of us at OLSH. There will be a special Mass and
Reception for Father Joe on Sunday, December 29. Father Joe will celebrate the
Noon Mass. The reception will be held in the Red School gym after that Mass. The
CYO will be hosting the reception.
Many people have asked if we will be getting a priest to replace Father Joe. We
will not. With the shortage of priests, Bishop Mansell has indicated that even
large parishes like ours can no longer expect to have more than two priests,
and, of course, most parishes these days are functioning with just one priest.
However, we have known that this would be happening for some time, and the
priests and the Parish Council have been preparing for this reality. You have
heard me talk about this for over a year.
There are many adjustments which have to be made in the area of parish
administration now that we will be a two-priest parish - not least of which is a
reduction in the number of daily Masses.
Additionally, in the next few weeks, as we work out the details, I will be
announcing new moderators for the programs which Father Joe has been responsible
for. But, let me share this with you now: with the help of Father Pat, Deacon
Tom and Deacon Bill, our great professional staff, our parish secretaries, and
all of the volunteers in the parish, I feel confident that we will be able to
make these changes without losing anything which is vital to the life of the
parish.
Of course, some liturgical responsibilities like Mass and sacraments can only be
done by priests, or in the case of baptism and marriage, by our deacons. I have
confidence that all of the people of the parish will be patient and
understanding as Father Pat and I (and others) take on the priestly
responsibilities which up until now have been done by three priests. Many times
the three of us have been stretched to the limits with the number of funerals
and weddings which take place here some weeks. It is going to be a challenge to
Father Pat and myself to keep up with these - and all the other responsibilities
of the parish - with just two of us.
- Fr. Paul
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