August 30

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

If you’ve been to Mass on Thursday or livestreamed in the last month or so, you’ve probably noticed that Msgr. Dubell has not been here. Some of that has been due to the work going on in the parish with the parking lot and other things, and some of it has been due to some continuing health concerns on his end. And while it would be lovely to be able to say, “But don’t worry, he’ll be back shortly,” the reality is, we need to face that the days of Msgr. Dubell helping here at St. Charles have drawn to a close. This comes not from my decision, but rather Msgr. himself, with the recognition that he’s just not physically up to the demands of saying Mass here on a weekly basis. And so, I’d like to share my thoughts of gratitude to Msgr. Dubell and to discuss in brief how things may look as we move forward.

Many of you won’t know this, but Msgr. Dubell was very kind to me prior to me coming to St. Charles. Shortly after it was officially announced by the Diocese, he reached out to me, asking if I would be interested in coming for a tour of the parish and to discuss his experience as the temporary administrator while Fr. PJ was on his sabbatical. As a young and eager priest, I jumped at the chance and worked it out so that I could come down for a visit. In some ways, given the immense amount of information that was thrown at me in meeting staff members, seeing the facilities, and trying to get the lay of the land, it was a bit of blur. But the thing that stands out to me was sitting with Msgr. Dubell in what was still Hathaway’s at the time for lunch, and how kind and open he was in sharing his experience, so as to help me with my upcoming time here at St. Charles. Not every priest is so solicitous that way, but he certainly was. And he carries that same kind of care and concern into every aspect of ministry, even in these past ten years and the help he’s provided in saying Mass and hearing confessions here at St. Charles and beyond. I’m very grateful for his priesthood and many years of dedicated service here and throughout the Diocese of Trenton.

In terms of what to do about Thursdays, it’s still a bit of a work in progress. Currently, we are having our deacons preside at Communion Services, but I’m not sure that’s the long-term solution, necessarily. It would be wonderful to have Mass but that means finding a priest who is available and willing, whether it’s another retired priest, or one from the local parishes around us. If and when something changes, we will let you know. In the meantime, please keep Msgr. Dubell in your prayers, for good health and in gratitude for his priestly service.

Peace and Goodness,

Fr. Dan