Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
After approximately nine years of writing a letter in the bulletin on a weekly basis, certain trends in topics start to emerge. Obviously, things like Christmas and Easter come up on an annual basis and are worth discussing. Other things like the start of the school year, graduations, and secular holidays also good themes for letters. At the end of the day, I hope that even though my topics tend to repeat from time to time, my overall message still has something meaningful to offer to all of you.
Now you may be asking, why am I bringing all of this up? Well, I’m going to talk about another topic that I’ve written about before. It’s something that I’ll probably never tire of, namely the joy of the priesthood in my life. This week is the anniversary of my ordination. In some ways, it’s hard to believe that I’ll be thirteen years a priest already and in other ways, my life is so surrounded by the reality of the priesthood, that it’s hard to imagine my life any other way. Truly, I am blessed by God to be called to the priesthood and I try to live out that tremendous gift in my life to the best of my ability. Sure, there are the occasional days and moments of struggle. But there’s much more to celebrate than to complain about.
One aspect of the priesthood that I truly relish but is hard to explain is the closeness I experience with my flock. It may be easy to think that the priesthood could be a lonely life, especially in a one-priest parish. But for every hello and goodbye at the Masses, for every “Hey, Father can I talk to you for a second?”, for every moment that I’m called to be with someone in a joyous or challenging moment of life and faith, there’s an incredible closeness with those involved. We all know that I can be reserved as a person. But by virtue of my priesthood, I hold all of my flock close to my heart. I triumph when you triumph and I struggle when you struggle. And I try to love each and every one of you in the way Christ does, but also in my own way.
Which makes the moment of my anniversary this year so fitting. June 9th is the actual date and this year, it’s the first night of the Carnival. And so, I’ll be running around in the afternoon, up on the stage for the Opening Ceremony, and slinging pizzas thereafter. And I can’t think of a better way to celebrate my priesthood than sharing in the work and celebration of our community in the Carnival. Friends, it does not get any better than that! And so, a familiar theme this week, cherishing the gift of the priesthood, but one worth reflecting upon. Truly, I am blessed and so happy to be your priest here at St. Charles.
Peace and Goodness,
Fr. Dan
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