Click picture above to RSVP for the Barbecue Supper to welcome Fr. Neely.
Dear Parishioners:
I am honored to have been appointed the new pastor at St. Mary and am grateful for this opportunity the bishop has given me. It is also a great joy to be following Fr. Baker, one of the finest priests I know. He has done so much good for this parish over the four years he served as pastor and has done all the heavy lifting, such that for me to follow him is basically a “turn-key” operation.
Transitioning from one pastor to another can be unsettling for any parish, and I know that many of you will miss Fr. Baker, as is only natural. But we must also not lose sight of the fact that, regardless of what pastors may come and go in our lives, Christ is still our eternal Bonus Pastor (Good Shepherd). He is the One who ultimately guides and shepherds his Church, while making use of human instruments to lead and sanctify her.
One of the things I enjoy about celebrating the Holy Mass ad Orientem (toward the East) is that doing so more clearly symbolizes for me the fact that we—priest and people—are on the same journey toward Heaven. In the liturgy the priest acts in persona Christ Capitis (in the person of Christ the Head) and intercedes for the people with God, but he is also himself a member of the Church and a pilgrim on the same path. The Second Vatican Council puts it beautifully, saying: “In the earthly liturgy we take part in a foretaste of that heavenly liturgy which is celebrated in the Holy City of Jerusalem toward which we journey as pilgrims, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God, Minister of the holies and of the true tabernacle” (Second Vatican Council, Sacrosanctum Concilium, 8).
Please remember me in your daily prayers, especially during this time of transition as a brand-new pastor, and know that I am praying for you all.
Sincerely, Fr. Neely
Registration for Catechesis Classes will be held on Sunday, August 7, 14 & 21 at 10:15 am in the Crypt. If you prefer, print this registration form, complete it, and mail it to the Church office. Classes will begin in late September.
The Office at St. Mary Church is in desperate need of Subway and Walgreen’s gift cards for the needy who call upon us. Donations of small denomination cards can be placed in the collection basket at any time. Thanks for your generous support.
St. Mary of the Seven Sorrows Catholic Church
PO Box 190606 Nashville, TN 37203
stmarysdowntown.org