I am not one to like change but I also believe change is a necessary part of life.  There can be no growth without change.

Change has been a regular part of my life since I left my job with the New York State Department of Transportation to begin studies to become a priest.  That was twelve years ago.  It began with two years spent in Rochester while I studied philosophy and religion at St. John Fisher College and lived at Becket Hall with other men doing the same studies.  I went from living alone to living in a house with six men.  Then, I went to Theological College in Washington DC for seminary for two years.  That was graduate school and living in a seminary with about 70 other men.   Then I came back to Rochester for a pastoral year ministering full-time in a parish and living in a rectory with the pastor.  Then, back to Washington, DC for my final two years of seminary.  During seminary there were also various ministries that changed each year.

After ordination, my first assignment was at St. Mary’s in Elmira.  I served two years with one pastor before he was assigned to another parish.  Then, I served one more year at St. Mary’s with the new pastor before I was reassigned to Our Lady of the Lakes.  After just one year at Our Lady of the Lakes a new pastor arrived.  In five years as a priest I have served in two (very different) parishes with four different pastors.  Lots of change!

Soon it will be time for another change.  Regular readers of my blog know that I have been named as the new pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Ithaca, NY.  While the official change does not happen until June 26th, unofficially the transition has already begun.

A couple of weeks after I received the appointment from the bishop, I went to Ithaca for a tour of the parish and to begin to learn about the parish.  I have received emails and blog comments from several parishioners.  Most of these were simple words of welcome but a few with about summer activities.  There is a new hiring in progress in which I have been involved.  All this while I continue to minister at Our Lady of the Lakes.

With time growing shorter, my ministry at Our Lady of the Lakes is tapering off as I am not planning for new activities here but there are still plenty of Masses to say, funerals and weddings, and I am trying to make sure someone is aware of the various tasks I have done here so it can be a smooth transition to the new parochial vicar here.

What is really on my mind centers not just on the change of parishes but the change of position.  At Our Lady of the Lakes, I have served as the Parochial Vicar.  For those unfamiliar with this term, it means I am a priest serving under a pastor.  I can do all the same priestly functions as the pastor but he is in charge.

When I arrive at Immaculate Conception Church, I will be the pastor.  I will be the one charged with the direct responsibility of the parish and the spiritual care of the parishioners.  There will be administration and building maintenance to tend to but God and the people is what it is all about.

It is not a responsibility I take lightly.  I have been thinking and praying (a lot) about it.  I’m not going in with some grand plan.  I will need to listen to the people and to God.  Ultimately, it is all about helping people to deepen their faith and relationship with God.

Of course, at the same time, I am changing assignments, all the parishioners in both parishes are going through change too.  That change means something different for each person.

It’s a lot to think about.  That’s why as I prepare for this change, I’m putting my faith and trust in God.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

I present my homily for today (May 20, 2012 – 7th Sunday in Easter, Year B) here because, building from the first reading, I talk about how we select leaders in the church and government.  If you have never heard about how pastors or bishops are selected you might enjoy reading this.  If you are reading this from outside the Diocese of Rochester please note the process for selecting pastors can be different from diocese to diocese.

7th Sunday of Easter, Year B
Acts 1:15-17, 29a, 20c-26
1 John 4:11-16
John 17:11b-19
May 20, 2012

Jesus has been crucified, rose, spent forty days with his disciples, and just ascended to the Father.  The disciples have been a mission but told to wait for the Holy Spirit.

120 of them are gathered together when Peter stands up and begins to speak.  Peter is now leader of the disciples and he realizes what must be done.  The Apostles are not complete.  From scripture, Peter realizes they must replace Judas.

Peter could have picked someone himself but he doesn’t.  He does not act unilaterally.  In Jesus’ prayer in the gospel, Jesus prays that we all be one.  Peter seeks to work as a team.  He takes the initiative and states that Judas’ successor must have seen Jesus for himself.

Then the text changes from Peter “acting alone” to “they” propose two candidates and then draw lots, praying for God to name the twelfth Apostle.

Right now, we have a lot of leadership selection happening in different ways.  In the secular world, we have the election of a president that is all over the news (has been for a while and will continue to be).  The president is elected by majority vote (although this vote is distorted by the Electoral College process).

Here at Our Lady of the Lakes we are starting the process to select new members for our Parish Pastoral Council.  You can read about in the bulletin.  This will not be a majority vote.  We will be taking nominations from anyone in the parish.  The people nominated will be contacted to see if they are interested.  They will be an opportunity for them to learn what the Parish Pastoral Council does and how it operates.  Then, we will draw lots to select the new members.

Another leadership change we see is the selection process our diocese uses to name new pastors.  Sometimes people think the bishop decides unilaterally who to send, calls them up and gives them the order.  That’s not how it works.  In our diocese, a list of open pastorates is sent to all the priests and administrators.  Anyone interested can inquire and then submit a letter of interest.  There is a Personnel Board that meets, discusses the openings, and makes a recommendation to the bishop.  Then, the bishop is free to accept the recommendation or select another person.  Then he calls the person.

Of course, another leadership change we are looking at is our bishop.  Bishop Clark will turn 75 this July and will be retiring.  Some people think the Pope unilaterally selects the new bishop at his discretion.  The Pope does make the decision but it is a very involved process.

After Bishop Clark submits his letter to retire, all the bishops of our province (New York State) will be asked to submit nominations for the new bishop.  Each bishop can consult with whom he chooses but it is kept confidential.  The lists from all the bishops are assembled together.  Then, through the Apostolic Nuncio, the process continues by reviewing all the nominees for qualifications and the list sent to Rome.  On average it takes eight to fourteen months for the naming of a new bishop.  It is not a simple unilateral act by the Pope.

The selection of secular government officials like the president, the selection of a Parish Pastoral Council, a pastor, or a bishop are all very different processes.  But they do (or at least should) have something in common – discerning the truth.

In today’s gospel, Jesus asks the Father to keep and consecrate us in the truth.

The truth we seek in the selection of any of these positions is what does God want.  Where is God leading us?  Who is the right person to lead us there?

It isn’t about what we want or what we think the Church should be doing.  It’s about what God wants.  No majority needed.

Before I was appointed to be the next pastor at Immaculate Conception in Ithaca, I knew the position was open.  So, I thought about applying.       I asked myself what do I need to do to decide if I should apply.  I thought about all the human questions that I might like to ask to find out about the little “details” of the parish.  Then, I realized what I really needed to discern was not whether it was a good human match (the people liking the same things I do) but to know if it is God’s Will for me to go there.

I spent a lot of time praying about it and thinking about it.  In the end, I believe it is God’s Will for me to go there.  Since the bishop called me I have been over to see the parish and get to know more about it.  It will be a challenge but God will provide.

So I invite you to make God part of your decision-making process in the government elections this year.  Who will lead the country in accord to our morals and beliefs?

Pray about the people you know in our parish here and who might make a good Parish Pastoral Council rep.

Pray for the everyone who will be involved in the selection of our new bishop in the coming months.

Pray that God’s Will be done.

Here is the article I wrote for the cover of today’s (Mother’s Day) bulletin.

In the Church today we celebrate the Sixth Sunday of Easter but we also recognize today as Mother’s Day.  We take time each year on the second Sunday in May to honor our mothers.  On the third Sunday in June we will celebrate Father’s Day.  Somehow Mother’s Day gets a lot of attention.

Children may make mom “breakfast in bed” or give their mothers something they made in school.  Adults may buy mom a gift, flowers, or take mom out for a meal.  I think making sure mom doesn’t have to prepare meals that day is a way of recognizing that we appreciate all the meals they have prepared for us.

Of course, these are ways we honor our mothers who are still living.  But we can also remember our mothers who have passed to the eternal kingdom.  My own mother passed away three years ago.  She died the Sunday before Mother’s Day, which made for a difficult Mother’s Day that year.

Just because our mothers have passed doesn’t mean we can’t honor them anymore.  We can remember the good things they have done for us and trust in the promise of Jesus that they have received the gift of eternal life.  For our mothers who have died, we honoring them by still remembering them on this day.

Of course, as Catholics we have another mother that we honor during the month of May.  The Virgin Mary was the mother of Jesus and in John 19:25-27 Jesus gives Mary to us as Mother of the Church.

As Mother of the Church, Mary does the same for us as our earthly mothers.  Mary watches over us and prays to her son Jesus for us.  Our mothers care for us and pray for us.

Mary (with Joseph) is the one who made sure that her son Jesus learned all the religious customs of the faith.  Often, it is our mothers who make sure we complete our sacraments and learn about our faith.

It was Mary at the Wedding Feast of Cana who believed in her son.  They had run out of wine and she sent them to her (adult) son Jesus.  She knew he could take of it.  She didn’t know how, simply saying “Do whatever he tells you.”  When we are little, we listen to our mothers.  As we grow into adulthood, we become more independent.  Our mothers (and fathers) let us make decisions for ourselves.  I suspect for our parents it is both difficult to let our children make decisions for themselves as adults and yet a great reward when they make good decisions.

To all our mothers, thank you!!!

Peace, Fr. Jeff

I put the title of this article in quotations because it is not actually my title.  It is the title of a talk I heard today by John L. Allen, Jr. and it is also the title of his book on the same subject.  The talk was given at our annual diocesan Ministerium and was a continuation of a talk he gave last year.  The book discusses ten trends affecting the Catholic Church in the 21st Century.  Last year he covered four of the trends and discussed some of the remaining trends today.  Here I offer a few highlights.  If you want more information I provide the full citation for the book below.

The first trend he discussed today was actually #3 in the book, Islam.  I wish to be clear here the discussion was not about Islam and terrorism.  John Allen’s point was that 25% of the people in the world belong to the Islamic religion and that makes it a major world player.  Of course, he recognizes the 9-11 attacks are a major factor in how Islam is viewed but he also stressed that Pope Benedict’s speech at Regensburg in 2006 had a major effect on Catholic Muslim relations.

Then John Allen moved to Trend #4 – The New Demography.  The point of concern here is the aging population.  He referred to it as “The Grayby Boom” because of the increasing percentage of senior citizens in our pews.  Generally, when people are discussing how the average age of our congregations is increasing, the discussion revolves around the fact that younger people are not coming to church much, if at all.  That is true and in the “New Evangelization” we need to work on inviting these younger families into our churches.  But even if everyone was coming to church, the average age of our parishioners would still be increasing because people are living longer and the younger generations are not having as many children.  This effects what ministries are needed and when to offer them.  Working families prefer evening activities but the retirees often prefer daytime activities.  We need to provide ministry to both groups at times that work for them.

Next came Trend #7 – Globalization.  The world we live in is constantly changing and we need to make our faith relevant in it.  If we don’t help people see how faith is still relevant in our world today, then why should we expect them to care about our faith?  For example he spoke of the “Vocation of the Business Leader” released last year by the Pontifical Council for Peace and Justice on how our faith influences our work in business.

Then he talked about Trend #10 – Pentecostalism.  Pentecostalism is the most rapidly growing religion today.  In part, they are growing because they do better than us in some areas.  Sometimes they do a better job of pastoral care.  They do a better job of getting all parishioners involved.  They make morality a priority that sometimes we don’t like to talk about (but the Catholic Church has a lot to say about).  We need to be aware of what attracts people to churches.  However, we must not engage in a popularity contest.  We are not called to proclaim the message that people want to hear.  We are called to proclaim the truth that Jesus offers.  The question we need to answer is how best to proclaim Jesus’ message in the world today.

In that we must remember that we are not to be evangelized by the popular culture today.  Rather, we are called to evangelize the culture according to the principles of our faith. In other words, we must shape society instead of letting it shape us.

To conclude, John Allen offered a new trend that he sees after the book was published in 2009.  Trend #11 is Religious Freedom.  When you hear this, I suspect that the first thing that might come to mind for Americans is the current controversy over the health care mandates.  John Allen did speak about that but he spoke more about the global situation of religious persecution.  In the United States, if you offend someone with your religious views, the worst that might happen is you get sued.  In many countries, your religious views may get you executed.  He said that every hour 17 people are martyred for their religious views today.  Where is the freedom of religion?

These are just a few of the highlights of what I heard today.  The question for us think about is how these ideas affect our ministry.  What do you think?

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

John L. Allen, Jr.The Future Church: How Ten Trends Are Revolutionizing the Catholic Church, Doubleday:New York 2009.

In this Sunday’s (May 6, 2012) Gospel, Jesus proclaims “I am the vine, you are the branches” and He calls us to “remain in him.”

What do we do to remain in Jesus?

It begins with coming to Mass but it does not end there.  To ‘remain in Jesus’ requires more than an hour a week.  For me, remaining in Jesus involves a desire to constantly be aware of His presence in our lives.  It is to live with an attitude of gratitude acknowledging the good things that God has done for us.

For me, remaining in Jesus also means that we seek to learn more about what Jesus teaches, how He calls us to live, and to strive to deepen our relationship with Jesus.  Some people seem content just to take a minimalist approach with Jesus.  They want to do just enough to get by.

For me, to be a minimalist is not enough, meaning if you desire is to do just enough, then you aren’t doing enough.  I want to deepen my own relationship with Jesus.  Some of how I do this is my ministry.  Sometimes just seeing the faith of other people (especially in difficult moments) inspires me in my own faith.  Preparing homilies helps be grow in my own faith.  For instance, for a typical Sunday homily, I began reflecting on the readings on the previous Sunday afternoon.  I spent time reflecting on the readings everyday and look at commentaries written by biblical scholars to find what God is saying to you and me.

I also like to read and most of what I read is theology magazines and books.  When people hear that I like to read theology material, they sometimes ask if I ever read for fun.  Occasionally I do read a mystery or spy novel for fun but reading theology is relaxing and enjoyable for me.  From reading, I also grow in my own faith.  Of course, it also helps me in my ministry.  I spent seven years in seminary, six of it in full-time studies.  I still feel like I just know the time of the iceberg so I want to learn more.  I read theology not because I have to but because I want to.

However, I know reading isn’t for everyone.  What do you do to remain in Jesus?

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

Yesterday I spent time both at Immaculate Conception Church and Our Lady of the Lakes at St. Januarius’ Church.

I went to Immaculate Conception where I will become the pastor on June 26th to met with the current pastor and take a tour of the facilities.  It began with lunch with Fr. Leo and Sr. Edna and conversation about the parish.  After lunch, Fr. Leo gave me a tour of the church, office, school, and rectory.

While I was there for a little over two and a half hours, this is really just the beginning of getting to know the parish and the staff.  It will take a while for me to get to know the parish and parishioners.  It is going to take a lot of listening on my part to get to know the parish.  I will need to listen to the parishioners, the committees, and the staff.  Most importantly, I have to listen to God.  For me, being a pastor isn’t about getting my way.  It is about leading the parish according to God’s Will.  That means listening to everyone involved, praying in conversation with God, and then making a decision that seeks to help all involved grow in their relationship with God.  All this being said, from the tour and the conversation, I continue to believe that this is where God is leading me.

That was my afternoon.  From there I drove to St. Januarius’ Church in Naples for the Sacrament of Confirmation for the children of Our Lady of the Lakes.  While I did concelebrate for the Mass, I did not need to be there but I chose to be there to show my support for the children that were receiving Confirmation.  Being a priest means helping the people deepen their relationship with our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.  Being there for the important moments like the Sacraments is a vital part of that.  Now, I can’t be everywhere.  Part of being a good pastor will be to set priorities.

Do you rely on God to help you set priorities in your own life?  We need to look beyond our own wants and needs and look at the world with eyes of faith.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

Well, it has been almost a month now since I received the phone call from Bishop Clark appointing me as the pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Ithaca on June 26th.  The response expressed from my current assignment at Our Lady of the Lakes has been offering congratulations to me but sadness that I am leaving.  I take the sadness at my leaving to be a good sign that they like me and the ministry I do.  Of course, there may be people who are looking forward to a new priest.  That’s fine.  We each have our likes and dislikes.

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you probably have seen the comments from a few parishioners of Immaculate Conception welcoming me.  I have also received a couple of emails welcoming me.

I continue to be excited about becoming the pastor there.  I hope it is because it is what God asks of me and not pride.  When people ask if I am excited or nervous, I respond that I am excited 95% of the time and the remaining 5% I wonder if I am up to the task before me.  As long as it is God’s will, God will give me the gifts to do what he asks of me.  Of course, it will be essential for me to listen to the staff, Parish Council, Finance Council, and other committees, and the parishioners in general to discern what the needs of the parish are and how God calls me to lead.  Listening to others and working in a collaborative way with staff and parishioners will be essential but I take the responsibility and authority as pastor very seriously.  In the end, when difficult decisions need to be made, it will be my responsibility, with God’s grace.

Of course, the transfer date is still just over two months away.  For now, I still have ministry to do at Our Lady of the Lakes while preparing to transition to Immaculate.  I intend to remain faithful to my commitments here.

Change isn’t always easy but when the change is God’s will and we open ourselves to God’s will, we are in good hands.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff