Tomorrow I complete my first month at St. Michael’s in Newark. \u00a0Of course, the month has been full of meeting new people. \u00a0Every parishioner is a new face to me. \u00a0While every person has been a new face to me, there still have been connections to the past. \u00a0One of the parishioners here is the son of a couple I knew in my last parish in Ithaca. \u00a0Another is good friends with a different parishioner from Ithaca. \u00a0There are parents here of two different priests I have met. \u00a0In all my parish assignments, I have always had some connection to Catholic Charities. \u00a0That is beginning to develop here.<\/p>\n
Of course the most familiar thing here is the sacraments. \u00a0I’m in a different church and the building is a little different but the Sacraments are celebrated in the same way.<\/p>\n
Certainly simply getting to know the parishioners and the parish have been the center of my focus. \u00a0Here things are a little less busy than at Immaculate where, in addition to the church, there is also a school, two cemeteries, and there was a gift shop. \u00a0With things a little less busy I have already been able to do some home visits.<\/p>\n
I love the small village setting and enjoy my walks around town. \u00a0It is a nice, peaceful place to live. \u00a0In the midst of the peaceful setting here, I think about all the violence going other places. \u00a0It has been a small part of my preaching at yesterday’s Daily Mass<\/a> and last Sunday<\/a>. \u00a0I think it is important that every one of us be praying for the victims and for an end to all violence. \u00a0We also need to think about what we can do. Last Sunday<\/a> I spoke about this in the context of “thy kingdom come”. \u00a0Part of life in a small town is how people more tend to know and care about each other. \u00a0We need to show that others are important to us, that all lives matter. \u00a0We may not know everyone but we can care. \u00a0As the pastor of St. Michael’s, I do my best to serve the people of God. \u00a0My interest in Catholic Charities is because I care about the people in the community. \u00a0I will never know all of them but that doesn’t stop me from caring.<\/p>\n I think back to a parishioner in the first parish where I served. \u00a0She was a probation officer. \u00a0I asked her what led her to this job. \u00a0She knew she had been richly blessed by God and wanted to help others in their struggles for a better life. \u00a0This is what is frequently called an “Attitude of Gratitude<\/a>“.<\/p>\n We can help make God’s kingdom known by sharing what we have been given, materially and spiritually.<\/p>\n Peace,<\/p>\n Fr. Jeff<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Tomorrow I complete my first month at St. Michael’s in Newark. \u00a0Of course, the month has been full of meeting new people. \u00a0Every parishioner is a new face to me. \u00a0While every person has been a new face to me, there still have been connections to the past. \u00a0One of the parishioners here is the …<\/p>\n