May 24, 2023

Dear Friends in Christ,

First, I want to express my gratitude for the wonderful turnout and outpouring of support you showed at my Jubilee Mass on Sunday, May 21. The day was truly a joy – to be surrounded by my family members, dear friends from throughout my life, and you, my parishioners, filled me with contentment. I thank God for giving me a priestly vocation and am grateful I finally said ‘yes’ to it.

  

As we look forward to the end of our Easter season on Pentecost Sunday, I have reflected often on our church as a body of Christ. We have heard before that the sum of a body is equal to its parts. But as I’ve reflected on my 25 years of priestly ministry, I’ve realized that I cannot serve you well as a pastor unless you, too, are willing to serve. When I think about my five priestly assignments, the parish communities only truly thrived when everyone – clergy, staff members, and lay parishioners -- would all work together, offering and using the considerable gifts God gave each of us on behalf of the church.

Throughout the years, I have relied on parochial vicars, such as Fr. Jack Berard and Fr. Grzegorz Okulewicz, to lead ministries where they had experience or interest or to represent our parish when I could not. I have looked to our deacons to bring Communion to the sick, to baptize babies, or to take on special projects where they have expertise. I rely on my hard-working staff to coordinate our parish’s core ministries – liturgy, faith formation, sacramental preparation, social concerns, music, administration, and communications – and nudge me when I’ve let items fall off my radar. And I rely on our many ministry coordinators and ministers to do the true service – the washing of altar linens, the visits to the lonely, the collection and distribution of food to the hungry.

   

Service to God can take many forms. For some, it might mean sorting through your winter gear once a year and donating items in good condition to the Catholic Charities Coat Drive. For others, it could be volunteering to water flowers on the parish grounds a couple times each week. For still others, it could involve placing a single canned good in the St. Martin’s Food Pantry bin once a month.

Our service to the Lord reflects our love for him. We grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ, when we stretch ourselves beyond just going to Mass and ask, “How can I serve you, Lord?” When I finally allowed myself to answer that question in 1996, it brought me a richness and satisfaction that has never ebbed. If you choose to use your God-given talents in the church, I know you’ll feel the same. May God bless you as you discern how to serve him.

I wish you all a blessed and wonderful week! And please pray for our parish’s 37 teenagers, who received the gifts of the Holy Spirit during the Sacrament of Confirmation last night in our church.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. John