Outgoing pastor Fr. O’Hare
waves good-bye in July 2000
waves good-bye in July 2000
My time at St. Joseph’s is almost up, and I’m finding the approaching separation more traumatic than I had anticipated. It is said that a priest marries the Church. St. Joseph’s has been a beloved spouse and family to me for 13 years. How to bear the coming separation? The only way to bear any separation is to practice detachment from every thing and every one but Christ. Four years ago, a series of conflicts, misunderstandings, and infidelities within the parish stung me with particular force. For about a week, I struggled with confusion and sadness, but came to realize that no one can quench our deepest thirst for love but Christ. In that dark hour, I clung to Jesus Christ, my true spouse; God forced me to detach from the human and earthly consolations the Church affords. In the end, we must have only Jesus, and each other only in Him. St. Bernard wrote, “Whatever you may write, it cannot delight me unless I read it in the name of Jesus.”
Why am I leaving such a beautiful parish? A priest couldn’t ask for a more accommodating, well-ordered, and comfortable community. But we are not here for comfort, and I have become too attached. Perhaps many of us have become too attached, and we need to keep moving towards heaven. We are pilgrims, and have here no lasting city.
Besides, I think that the parish could use some fresh pastoral energy. For a while now, some indicators of parish growth — Mass attendance, numbers in the adoration chapel, offertory income, confessions, numbers of PSR families attending Mass, attendance at Bible studies, prayer groups, and catechism classes — seem to have tapered off. I myself am a bit worn out, jaded toward the Diocese, weary of conflict, and perhaps overly controlling. The Diocese has established term limits for a reason, and I think it’s time for a new pastor. We could all stand a bit of detachment from what has become too
comfortable — to seek the face of Christ with renewed purity and energy. It will certainly purify me, and I hope it will purify the parish as a whole. Let’s keep moving toward Him alone. Only Jesus can satisfy our hearts!
Why am I leaving such a beautiful parish? A priest couldn’t ask for a more accommodating, well-ordered, and comfortable community. But we are not here for comfort, and I have become too attached. Perhaps many of us have become too attached, and we need to keep moving towards heaven. We are pilgrims, and have here no lasting city.
Besides, I think that the parish could use some fresh pastoral energy. For a while now, some indicators of parish growth — Mass attendance, numbers in the adoration chapel, offertory income, confessions, numbers of PSR families attending Mass, attendance at Bible studies, prayer groups, and catechism classes — seem to have tapered off. I myself am a bit worn out, jaded toward the Diocese, weary of conflict, and perhaps overly controlling. The Diocese has established term limits for a reason, and I think it’s time for a new pastor. We could all stand a bit of detachment from what has become too
comfortable — to seek the face of Christ with renewed purity and energy. It will certainly purify me, and I hope it will purify the parish as a whole. Let’s keep moving toward Him alone. Only Jesus can satisfy our hearts!
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