Published on 1 month ago
When appointed pastor of St. Mary/St.Joseph 25 years ago, Bishop Fiorenza mentioned that it was a 'nice' 'country' parish that he was sure I would enjoy. As the years have gone by, I have witnessed the transformation of the parish. The countryside is in process of disappearing with the development of so many subdivisions. Of course, this has been happening not only in our area but throughout our great State of Texas. The face is, the growth we have experienced falls short to the growth in other areas of our Archdiocese. Our growth, nevertheless, has been explosive. Such a great situation to have! Many parishes are losing parishioners and struggling financially. Our growth has been phenomenal. And, as a result of the financial support and our working together, our parish community has been able to achieve so much as new families are welcomed with open arms and eagerly jump in to become part our parish thereby making it so special. I hope it's obvious that what we all do is for the honor and glory of the Lord. It's that volunteer spirit linked with joyful witness that has been blessed by God throughout the years. As pastor, I am so proud of our communities of Faith. Priests throughout the Archdiocese envy me. Some are eagerly awaiting my retirement...lol. I have to remind myself how blessed I am and the responsibility I have as shepherd to such a great flock. Above the stove in the kitchen in St. Mary's hall there is a prayer: "Dear Lord, help us to serve You with an open mind, a loving heart and willing hands. In Your name we pray. Amen." This prayer summarizes what we all struggle to do as we volunteer to work together as the Lord's servants/workers. Sometimes we need to be reminded that we are all volunteers in His service. In Baptism we were incorporated into His service. We pledged ourselves to work together as loyal, joy-filled and considerate servants. 'Considerate' is what we often forget or excuse ourselves when we choose to be a bit forceful or even rude when dealing with each other. I find that even I have on occasion been a bit hard-handed when correcting behavior when a more gentle, Christ-like reminder would have achieved the desired result. I apologize for that. It's that Christ-like consideration that we need to cultivate in our dealing with one another. Feelings are so easily hurt/bruised. Awareness of that Christ-like consideration and charity when working together is critical in our witness to the Lord. Otherwise, we are just an organization doing some good stuff, sitting on a lot of land. Let us all be mindful how we ask, how we question, and the tone we use with one another. This includes especially when dealing with our office staff and those serving in ministries. We're all running around like chickens-with-our-heads- cutoff. There are times when what is asked won't be granted, can't be granted, could be granted but not now or will he considered. An attitude of 'you're here for what I want' and what 'I want it now' is the work of the devil who wants to cause division, discord, hurt feelings, gossip and make us UN-Christ-like. We need to be so careful that as we grow both in numbers and as we grow in deepening our love of Christ that we also grow in deepening our love of each other [and how we treat each other]. Just saying....a gentle reminder. We are so blessed. I sincerely hope that every one of you who reads this, especially if you're new to the parish, appreciates and relishes the many opportunities the Lord is inviting you and even challenging you to embrace and be an active, conscious and joy-filled participant/worker/witness to Him in our area of Texas entrusted to us. What a wonderful parish community we have been privileged to say is 'my faith home'! I'm proud of each and every one of you!! Lord, make us all Instruments of Your Peace