ST. ANTHONY OF PADUA FEAST DAY: We will celebrate the feast day of our holy patron at St. Anthony Church in Saybrook this Thursday morning at 11:00 am. A church’s feast day is always celebrated as a solemnity in the church itself, so there will be a Gloria, the recital of the creed – and no doubt – heavenly graces! I hope that many of you can join us. The 11:00 am Mass will be our only parish Mass for the day.
NEW ADVENTURES: Because last week’s bulletin deadline occurred before I was able to announce my transfer, this is the first chance that I have had to write to you in more detail. Let me admit, first, that as a former military officer – and therefore, presumably, a tough guy - I was confident that my heart was now impervious to the emotions of pulling up stakes and moving. Afterall, I have lived my entre adult life packing up and leaving for new assignments. The truth be told, though . . . I am not as tough as I make myself out to be . Goodness, I have been absolutely emotionally fragile these last couple of weeks. Oh my! You may recall that being here with you has been my first go-around at being a pastor. God was so generous to place me at Holy Redeemer–St. Anthony. I am most grateful to God and to you! Thank you for assisting me over these past five years to become a better man, a more faithful Christian, and a more capable priest. Please know that I did not request a transfer. I believed that I would be here in Warren County at least until the end of my 6-year term. That was not to be, though. The bishop (who has a diminishing number of priests and a lot of parishes to provide for) asked me to go to Sacred Heart, St. Paul and St. Joseph. I accepted. Quite a few other priests have been asked to move as well. Five priests (including Fr. Jim Gutting) are retiring this summer. You can understand that the bishop needed to make moves in order to ensure that each member of his flock was provided with a pastor. I was one of those swept up in the reassignment wave. We priests are well aware that change is a constant in our ministerial lives. My latest change will happen on July 9. On that day, I will begin my new adventure along the 26th Street corridor on the west side of Erie. My three parishes will be doing the work of both merging and partnering. It will take some time to accomplish, but by God’s grace, we will get the job done! Here at Holy Redeemer, the bishop is sending you an excellent priest. Hailing originally from North East and St. Gregory Parish, Fr. Mark O’Hern has been a pastor for nearly the entirety of his priesthood. He is a good one! He will love you and provide for you. Each priest, of course, has his own unique gifs and talents. I believe that you will enjoy Fr. Mark’s keen mind (he was an engineer, building locomotives at General Electric, before entering seminary), his deep understanding of the spiritual life, and his dry sense of humor. Please give him your full support and love!
PASTOR TRANSITION CALENDAR: Fr. Mark has already visited our parish and we are all working to make his transition a smooth one. My last Mass will be on June 30th and I will depart Warren on July 1st. Fr. Phil Oriole will offer the weekend Masses on July 6th & 7th. Fr. Mark will offer his initial Mass at Holy Redeemer on Tuesday, July 9th. JUNE TITHE: Finally, please note that our June parish tithe will go to support our friends at Catholic Extension. They continue to do outstanding work in providing for the needs of the Catholic Church in the poorest and most rural places of America. Thank you for your generous support of their mission! God bless you all and have a beautiful week!
Mary, Mother of the Holy Redeemer – Pray for us!
Our Lady of Guadalupe – Pray for us!
St. Anthony – Pray for us!
St. Joseph – Pray for us!
Fr. Steve