Today is three weeks since my arrival as the pastor of Immaculate Conception Church.  Last week I spoke about how busy I have been.  I continue to be busy with funerals and meetings.  What I am really trying to focus on is simply getting to know the parish and the people.  This has been a slow process and it will take time.

Yesterday we had a staff planning day to prepare the parish calendar for the coming year.  On a superficial sense, it was about putting dates on a calendar and working out the conflicts.  As the new pastor, for me it was learning about the types of events that happen here to learn about the parish.  I find it a lot to absorb but slowly I seem to be taking it all it.  I believe the very fact that I am absorbing as much as I am is a gift of the Holy Spirit whom without I could not do the task of pastor.

So far, I see Immaculate as a parish that values its traditional Catholic identity.  We are an individual parish but we are also part of a universal Catholic Church that spans across the world and 2,000 years of history.  The fact that the church has spread across the world and through time is a gift of the Holy Spirit.  Since we began using the new translations last Advent, I have been mindful of the typical end of the opening prayer

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your son
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever.

In the unity of the Holy Spirit.  We are united as one by the Holy Spirit.  We need to work together as one body in Christ.

So far, my meetings have focused on staff but there will meetings to come with committees and others.  I ask for your prayers that I continue to be open to the Holy Spirit and seek to do God’s Will as pastor.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

I titled this article “Summer Slow Down” but there really hasn’t been one for me.  The primary reason for that, of course, is my recent appointment as Pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Ithaca.  Being new to the parish I have a lot to learn about the parish.  Fortunately, our parish staff  have been very helpful and the parishioners are very kind.

However, my new appointment is not the only reason for being busy.  Since I last wrote six days ago, I have presided at two weddings in Penn Yan, attended the 60th Anniversary of Religious Profession for Sr. Leona in Elmira, presided at a burial service yesterday, and meet with two other families yesterday to plan a funeral today and another one on Thursday.  Sr. Edna and I also went to Cayuga Ridge Nursing Home to anoint a man who is dying and spent some time with his family.  Lastly, this week is Vacation Bible School so I spent some time with the children and leaders last night. 

I say all thisin no way to complain.  All of this is God’s work.  It includes the joy of couples coming together in marriage, the sorrow at the death of loved ones, and all the energy and joy that the children have at Vacation Bible School. 

I don’t write to say ‘Look at me! See how busy I am!”  What I do want to talk about here is the thanks that I wish to express to God for his gift of peace in all these ministries.  While I spent a lot of time at work in my ministry and like to keep busy, when a lot of things come at me at once, I get overwhelmed and burnout.  That has not been the case this week.  God is keeping me calm and at peace.  I would never say no to any of the ministries of this past week but it is challenging for me.

So, I know I can’t do it alone.  I also know I don’t have to do it all by myself.  Sr. Edna has been working with me on some of the funerals and the nursing home visit.  Rich, our Youth Minister is in charge of the Vacation Bible School and he has several volunteers who do most of the work.  Of course, there are other staff people who take care of administrative items and maintenance.  There are parishioners who take care of the Parish Gift Shop and several other ministries.  I am thankful for what they do.

In what part of your life do you need God’s help right now and through whom might God be offering you that help?

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

Today (July 4th) we celebrate our country’s independence.  It is a good day to think about the principles our country was founded on.

The Declaration of Independence, the founding document of our country, states

We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

The source of these rights and truths was obvious to our Founding Fathers.  They knew God made us so.  Why does it seem like many people are forgetting God, or even rejecting the idea of a “god”.

As we read in paragraph 17 of Gaudium Et Spes from the Second Vatican Council, we have freedom but that freedom does not mean we can do whatever we want.  God has given us ‘free will’ to do whatever we want.  We make good use of our ‘free will’ when we choose to do good.

What do you do with the freedom you have?

For more on this topic check on my articles “Faithful Citizenship” and “Rights and Responsibilities”.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

One of the things I have been reminded of during my transition to Immaculate Conception is how interconnected we can be.  Here are some examples.

When one parishioner introduced herself, I recognized the last name and discovered I know her brother-in-law in Odessa.

Our Pastoral Associate was at my Confirmation 31 years ago because she knew one of the other people I was confirmed with.

One of the parishioners was on the team for the Cursillo weekend I made in 1999.

While I did not know him, my first funeral was for a man who had taught at Odessa-Montour School for over 30 years, near Watkins Glen that I call home.

One of our school parents started to tell me about her family and I discovered that I had met her father while I was in Elmira.

One of our choir members recognized me as having done a relative’s burial service in Penn Yan.

These are not big connections.  I don’t really know any of these people well but it does show that we live in “a world of connections.”  We are not just a bunch of isolated individuals.  We are created by God to live in community.  Every one of these connections happened through the church for me.  God is the connecting point.

With the new translations at Mass, our opening prayer normally ends

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son
who lives and reigns with you
In the Unity of the Holy Spirit
one God for ever and ever.

The Holy Spirit is what binds us in faith.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

Here is my homily that I offered this weekend as I began as pastor of Immaculate Conception Church.   For those who haven’t seen me preach, I adjust from Mass to Mass so what follows isn’t always exactly what I said at any one particular Mass.

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
Wisdom 1:13-15, 2:23-24
2 Corinthians 8:7, 9, 13-15
Mark 5:21-34
July 1, 2012

Our gospel today contains two different stories.  It begins with the story of the young daughter who is dying and then, seemingly, is interrupted by the story of the woman with hemorrhaging, before return to the story of the young girl.  But it really isn’t an interruption.

There are commonalities between the stories.  Both are female and both involve great faith in Jesus.   And then there is the number twelve.  The woman has been hemorrhaging for 12 years and the young girl is twelve years old.

Like both of them we come here with faith in Jesus.  That number twelve might also ring out for you.  Last week, Fr. Leo left after 12 years as pastor here and now here is the new guy.  Many of you are probably wondering about me.  You may be wondering if I am a nice guy or a jerk.  I am not a jerk!

Of course, I knew a good number of you have checked out my website and blog.  I know the week it was announced that I would be pastor the number of visits to my website and blog went up near ten times the normal amount.

I come here in faith, faith like the women had in the gospel, faith that this is where God wants me to serve.

It isn’t faith that I am this great priest who can do everything.  I am not perfect.  I don’t come with any great plan.  Well, actually I do have something of a plan.  It’s pretty simple.  My plan is to trust that God has a plan.  I’m counting on that because I know God is the one who knows what is best.  

I also know that I can’t do it all myself because God has not given me all gifts as an individual.  But I truly believe God has given our community collectively what we need.  We each have different gifts and we are called to use those gifts as good stewards not for selfish reasons but for the good of all.  Paul speaks of this to the Corinthians, how they can use their abundance to help others.

It is going to take me some time to get to know our parish.  As soon as I was appointed I began to learn and listen.  I have already been to a meeting about the building issues that Fr. Leo mentioned in the bulletin a couple of weeks ago.  I’ve been to budget meetings.  

That stuff is important but what has also happened is that at those meetings and this week I have begun to meet parishioners that are the heart and soul of Immaculate Conception Parish.  Buildings, finances are important but ultimately being a pastor is about serving the needs of the people in accord with God’s will.  We are part of a great parish, a good community, part of the Diocese of Rochester and a universal Catholic Church that spreads across the world.

God hasn’t told me his plan yet.  I wish he would because it would seem a lot simpler but I know that isn’t God’s way.  I spoke of how the story of the second woman in the gospel seems to interrupt the first story.  Sometimes the most important things God ask of us begin by seeming like interruptions.  We just have to have faith.

We have a common goal.  Our reading from Wisdom speaks of death but it is not physical death that it is concerned with but spiritual death.  Spiritual death is separation from God.  

Our goal is to be with God, to seek union with him in this world, and to seek the heavenly kingdom.  I see my role as pastor as to help us all grow and deepen our relationship with Jesus.

I officially arrived at Immaculate Conception Church as the pastor on Tuesday (June 26th).  As I was carrying boxes into the office, Sr. Edna asked to talk to me about a funeral.  She apologized for having to ask so quickly.  The funeral was going to be Friday and she needed to know if I was going to be available.  I told her no need to apologize because during my final days at Our Lady of the Lakes I kept thinking somebody was going to call me from Immaculate to say there was a funeral for me to do on my first day so Friday seemed pretty easy.

Of course, I have been spending time this week unpacking.  I said my first Mass here on Wednesday and have been warmly welcomed by parishioners at the daily Masses and in the office.  I have spent a lot of time in conversation with the staff finding out about the parish and what goes on. 

Through all of it, I have been even busier than I expected.  Through all of it, I continue to have a sense of peace about it.  I am not getting worried or worked up about “stuff.”  For me that is a gift from God.  I see this gift of peace as God’s way of telling me I am right where I am supposed to me. 

It is now Saturday morning so in a few hours I will say my first weekend Masses at Immaculate.  As I get ready for this I am thankful for being part of the universal Roman Catholic Church where the Mass is the Mass in every church.  Sure, each church has its own nuisances of how some things are done but it is the same Mass.  So, one of the great comfort points this week has been that when I have said the daily Masses and the funeral Mass, I  know what is going on.  In that I find comfort and a commonality with all the people.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

It is the time of year for graduations.  Nowadays, we have graduations from Pre-K, Kindergarten, elementary school, high school, and college.  Graduations mark the accomplishment of learning.  They come at the end of the school year and are often thought of as an “end” themselves.  In the sense of completing the requirements for graduation, it is an end.

But graduation can also marking a new beginning, moving on from the old to the new.  It might mean moving on to the next stage of education.  For those completing a higher level, it might mean the starting of full-time work.

As an end, graduations (especially high school and college) can mean the end to friendships as we go our separate ways.  With that can come sadness.

As a new beginning, graduation from high school or college can mean a new-found freedom, moving out into the world, being on our own for the first time.  This generally brings joy at the accomplishment and some sadness in leaving the old behind.

Life is full of such transitions between jobs or stages of life.  Next week, I will be moving to Immaculate Conception Church as the new pastor.  It will be a change for me in both parish and duties.  I choose to take the positive approach to see it as a new beginning and that it is the Lord leading me there.

How do you see transitions in your life?

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

I left my job with the New York State Department of Transportation in 2000.  I then spent two years in Rochester completing my pre-theology studies.  Then I went to Washington, DC at Theological College for two years.  Next, I was in Rochester for a pastoral year before completing my final two years in seminary in Washington, DC.  After my ordination to the priesthood in 2007 I was assigned to St. Mary’s in Elmira for three years (with a pastor change in the middle).  I am just now completing two years at Our Lady of the Lakes (with another pastor change in the middle).

So, the last twelve years have had a lot of change.  You might think change has almost become the norm for me.  In just a few days I will be changing parishes again but this time feels very different.  As I began in both St. Mary’s Elmira and Our Lady of the Lakes, I was going as the Parochial Vicar with an established pastor in place.  With an established pastor in place, I didn’t attend any meetings or have much discussion before I actually began the assignment.  That was the luxury of having an established pastor there who could help me come up to speed while on the job.

Now, as I prepare to go to Immaculate Conception, I will be going as the pastor and only priest.  So, I went over in April for a tour.  I have been there interviewing candidates for a new “Director of Finance and Administration.”  I have been there for a joint meeting of the Parish Council, Finance Council, and Building and Grounds Committee.  I have met some great people at those meetings.  I have also had some good conversations with some of the staff.  I continue to look forward to my arrival on June 26th.

Going to these meetings before I officially begin has been different but what is really making this change different is the simple fact that I will be the pastor.  I’ve been spending time in prayer thinking about what being a pastor means to me and how God is calling me to serve at Immaculate Conception.  In the end, I am not trying to come up with a plan of my own.  The only plan I have is to listen to God and take the time to learn about the church to know what God’s plan is.  I have a lot to learn about Immaculate Conception.  God already knows all there is to know so I place my trust in him.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

Knowing there are a number of new people reading my blog in the last couple of months I just want to take a moment to let people know that if you post a comment, it is important that you make a clear reference to the article you are posting.

In the last six months, my blog has received over 14,000 spam comments.  Fortunately, I have a spam filter that catches almost all of it before I ever see it.  Occasionally, a message gets through that I recognize and delete as spam.  Some are not clear.  For instance, this morning I received a comment that said “Thanks for this news, its good information.”  I deleted it as spam because the email address looked suspicious as spam.  It could be a real comment but I have to reject anything that looks like spam to make sure no viruses or anything are attached.

So, just say enough in your comment that I can tell it really relates to an article I wrote.  Thanks.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff