Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time—August 4, 2019

Dear Friends in Christ:

This week I had a “first.” You would think that I have had all the firsts possible for my priestly ministry since I have been a priest for 16 years now, but no this past week I experienced a “first” and it got me thinking about priesthood. You see last Tuesday, July 23rd, Doreen Festa, a member of our parish staff passed away. This past Wednesday I celebrated her Funeral Mass. It was the first time I have had to celebrate a Funeral Mass for someone who worked for me. Doreen worked for the past couple of years assisting in our Religious Education Program and helping the little ones of our parish family.

So there I was at the altar, doing my thing-my priestly thing-when it dawned on me that this was the first time in my 16 years that this happened. It was a privileged opportunity to commend to the love and mercy of God the soul of someone who was such a joy to know and work with. It was a privileged opportunity to remind those in attendance, many of our fellow parish staff members, that Jesus is there for us in every moment of every day and certainly in the midst of our sorrow and grief. Jesus is there asking us to place our trust in His promise that all who live and believe in Him will never die!