The woman, too, has faced struggles. Linus Kinyua in honor of Priesthood Sunday. He always seems to have the right words when we face difficult times of illness or the death of a loved one. His outlook on life brings joy to ours. Learn from this special teaching by Pastor Chris how to use the name of Jesus to effect changes in your life, city and world I love to see you smile. He visits each classroom at least weekly and regularly attends sporting events and extracurricular activities. Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. He visits the homebound weekly and when called, rushes to the bedside of the dying, even those who are not members of the parish. of the gospel by lives of dedicated love. May God continue to bless the people of our parish with the support and love of a priest that truly loves what he is and lives for the Lord! Far be it from me to think that Fr. He guides his flock, watches over us, and is there when one of us calls out for help. Also, we noticed a large cat walking around the parish grounds, and it was Father with his face painted like a cat! If the priest hearing your confession cannot handle that or keeps doing the thing that is upsetting you, you can also just walk out. At the core of my being, I want you to have joy, a relationship with God and his Church, and you to know your incredible worth. I have lost track of all the wonderful ways he has given to the archdiocese, but in all those places, I know that he has touched many hearts! Joe makes time to have a presence around the parish and community. Amen! As he alks down the aisle after Mass, kids scramble to be on the end of the row so he can give them a fistbump. Priests are indeed a blessing to our Church and our congregations. Aaron there is a simple sincerity and devotion to taking Gods message to His flock. I'll start off with some general ideas that can be used almost on any occasion: 1. Michael Zuelch, for coming to our parish, St. Mary in St. Clair. We hope you stay at our parish for a long time! For our sons to have this presence of Christ an integral part of their lives has been profound. Zbigniew! Robert Slaton, associate pastor, are two amazing priests, each special in their own way. Major Joseph A. Cosci, Jr. U.S. Army Cyber Command, Ft. Belvoir, Virginia, I know it said to write a note, but we did a Letterman top 10! Your reverent celebration of the Mass inspires young and old alike to strive for heaven. _____ and _____, having witnessed your vows for marriage before God and all who are assembled here, by the authority invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. O loving and gracious God, Father of all, you. He always seems to have the right words when we face difficult times of illness or the death of a loved one. Noel has changed the lives of many here at Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital. Richard Sipe, a married former monk who did a study of celibacy, estimates that, at most, 10 percent of priests are celibate their entire lives. Well then he decided during our relationship that he was struggling with his desires to be priest still and wanted to go away and disern. Fr. His down-to-earth calmness helped us weather this situation. Marlene JohnstonSt. Mary, Our Lady Queen of Families, Warren. Bobs advice was very comforting and reassuring. Fr. He also has the unique gift of being able to bring out the gifts of other people to serve those in need. Our children respond to his gentle love with their own love and respect. If we know your situation, it helps us to counsel you. He is inspiring and gets our attention during the homilies. Everyday I see you I want to run into your arms and kiss you. When you need help with bills, he is there to give a helping hand. Hilarious, Lists, Priesthood Shaun McAfee He started the community dinner to feed the homeless people on Sundays. John exhibits leadership skills that allow him to collaborate with parishioners along an unbelievable range of competencies. Stanley, we thank you for everything you bring to us in your teachings and your wise words. He is always available to anyone who needs him and he greets everyone, personally, before each Mass. Stanley cares about all of his parishioners his flock at St. Mark Parish in Warren. No carnivals, just our big family getting together for hot dogs and fun. I am a very faithful Catholic and I want to do what God wants me to do. He is present in his parish. Thank you Fr. At Easter Vigil 2014, Fr. Lesniak. But, we were very blessed to have him choose to serve as our pastor at All Saints Parish in southwest Detroit. We have been abundantly blessed to have two amazing priests leading the flock at Holy Cross Hungarian Roman Catholic Church in Detroit, both are Franciscan Friars: our pastor, Fr. Answer (1 of 8): Priests are not 'available' for you to fall in love with. Joe Mallia is not only the pastor of St. Frances Cabrini Parish in Allen Park, but he is also its visionary, spiritual compass, servant and teacher. Pamela MertesImmaculate Conception, Ira Township, Fr. ET on EWTN: Holy Mass and Rosary on Thursday, April 13, 2023 - Thursday within the. Top 10 things we love about Fr. Karen Gorski, MA BCCHenry Ford Wyandotte Hospital. The man called to the priesthood leaves his family and everything else to be "alone with God." It is necessary to have a time for personal reflection, to listen to God and verify if it's a divine inspiration or not. Fr. Zbigniew as our pastor. He accepts people, and life, as they are not as who or what he wishes they could be. The New York Times recently spoke to an Italian couple a woman and a priest who fell in love, putting the man in a situation where he "could lose everything" if their secret got out. Lesniak has guided us through the merger process with our neighboring parish, St. Clement. Fr. We have been at St. Alfred for 50 years, and when Fr. He keeps our hearts on fire for God!We deeply cherish having Fr. May I speak for everyone at St. Irenaeus Parish in saying we all have miles and miles of love for our shepherd. Fr. Fr. Im sure he remembers each and every assignment, even at the ripe age of 97! Fr. Craig is just what our parish needed, a breath of fresh air. St. Linus Catholic School in Dearborn Heights is beyond blessed to have Fr. George is always present before and after Mass, greeting the congregation, sharing in everyday life experiences. Ray Stadmeyer, OFM Cap., St. Charles has grown not only in membership, but in dedication to being a very strong anchor in the neighborhood known as West Village near Belle Isle, and the parish continues to serve the spiritual and human needs of the near east side neighborhood it has served for more than 125 years. All reached out to help because of Fr. From the beginning he has always made our family feel as if he had known us for a very long time. They run the St. John Capistrano Youth Foundation in New York City, and the newly dedicated Our Lady of Hungary Chapel in Washington, D.C., was Fr. We are so blessed to have a very special priest here at St. Mark the Evangelist Parish in Birmingham, Ala. Fr. Robert and Christine Phillips and familySt. Mark, Warren. He comprehends, penetrates, and transforms our culture through his homilies. He tells good stories. When I think of Fr. It cant be easy to balance all the demands of being a priest of both a school and a church, but Fr. We, at St. Isaac Jogues, are indeed blessed to have Fr. He has brought much joy and understanding by the Gospel and by his interpretation of the Gospel in his homilies. Fr. He was raised a Catholic in his native Puerto Rico, but in . That's because Catholic priests must commit to a vow of celibacy. Paul Chateau, pastor of Our Mother of Perpetual Help Parish in Oak Park, is an attentive shepherd to his flock. I go to Daily Mass, and sometimes I find myself looking at Father longer than I need to. At each parish he is very effective at preaching, visiting the sick, celebrating the Eucharist, encouraging the youth, evangelizing, working with the poor and more. We miss you, Fr. Father brushed up on his Spanish so he could minister to our parishioners who are of Mexican descent. He has an aura of peace and love, which is shared by all who come in contact with him. When filled with spirituality, generosity of spirit and humility, they inspire us to become better Catholics and to carry our faith out into an often-hostile world. You have also monitored the improvement of our parish grounds and given encouragement to us all. Dianne ErhardSt. Ephrem, Sterling Heights. He is sincerely happy that we are there and glad to see us. When someone needs a clergy person, the hospitals call on Fr. The members of the Friendship Club St. Anselm Parish, Dearborn Heights. He is kind and compassionate and funny and loving. Aaron always makes the time to hear a persons confession whenever they ask him. Thomas Villerot. We also thank Fr. No. Im here to be your waiter. Just transpose that to be servant. I cant tell you the number of people who came back to the Church because of Fr. During the past 11 years, Msgr. He made you feel he knew every person he buried. He is so easy to talk to, even when face-to-face in the confession room, always makes time to exchange in conversation, goes above and beyond to acknowledge a job well done and has an AWESOME sense of humor. Each week you join us at our club to let us know that we, too, are a vital part of the parish. Norman Thomas definitely deserves recognition in the upcoming Priesthood Sunday edition. He gives the best homilies every Sunday and theyre always from the heart never read off a piece of paper. Jim agreed to stay on only temporarily until a new full-time pastor was installed, but after six months agreed to stay on as long as his health remains good, and we pray it does for a long time! Zbigniew. We are also grateful to Fr. A different time we were part of a group of priests at a two-day program on Church renewal, organized by two local priests who had gone away on studies. Confessing to a priest makes you even more aware of God's mercy, because once the priest absolves your sin, you know immediately that God has forgiven you John 20: 23) The church has agreed that all Catholics must confess to the priest as a sign of true repentance, obey humbly, and stop finding reasons and justifications to disobey. I am 84 years old and a Catholic all my life and have never left Mass feeling as good as I do now. Johns fidelity to the Church and his reverent celebration of the sacraments and the Eucharist that he demonstrates to the parishioners by his love for the Church and Jesus Christ. Here are some easy tips to help you spot a valuable 45 RPM record right away. Your family, a house that you own, current residence, home of record, car registration, drivers license, area code, etc., could each be in a different state. I'd be an ingrate if I fail to appreciate every bit of the roles you played in my life. Prayer #14. Craig Giera had some big shoes to fill when he took over after the death of our beloved Fr. Jim graciously agreed to come out of retirement nearly two years ago from Florida to be our pastor. He loves everyone no matter who it is. Barnabas Kiss, OFM, and our associate pastor, Fr. St. John Vianney describes a priest as He who is not for himself, he is for you. Thats our pastor, Fr. Several grades contributed to this letter of gratitude. His parishioners are his family and he desires to know us individually. Bob, who essentially said that ending his life was NOT the correct choice. Fr. Your homilies are edifying and you make it known by your words and actions that your mission as a priest is the salvation of our souls. Fr. On several occasions, fellow parishioners have expressed how Fr. Seldom do we find someone who so wonderfully and lovingly embraces and lives his vocation. Then He grows in us and reveals to us all the secrets of His heart. I want to write about what Father gives to us:Where Father is, there is love When our hearts are light, the day is bright With Fathers love, there is a song We know that nothing will go wrong With his love there is a smile To make all things worthwhile With his love there is quiet and peace We are in a place where turmoils cease Once in a while I may be out of touch But Father will mold and shape me and do so much Fathers love with make the church a better place For every color, creed or race Father is our best friend, tried and true Someone we can tell our troubles to Father, we never yearned for riches of silver or gold The treasures youve given us cannot be bought or sold. For a believer to marry an unbeliever is to sin grievously against God and God's people. If we want to slide into our pew and be passively entertained for an hour then we do not understand the reality of the Mass. Any time I went to Holy Trinity, I witnessed the line-up of needy people he took care of, that my dad used to speak of. We just want to let you know what a blessing Fr. He makes Mass really special. Aaron DePeyster became the shepherd to St. Sebastian Parish, Dearborn Heights, in July 2011. Then theres our pastor, Fr. You've probably spent hours flipping through your stacks of vintage records only to come away empty-handed. As a teenager, he connected with us in ways that you didnt see back then. He has watched me grow from a little girl to a woman of faith. Jim Lopez as a pre-marital counselor at Holy Cross, St. Catherine and St. Mark churches in Marine City. This is why Confession reveals the priest's own soul; it reveals his willingness to sacrifice his life with Christ. You're in love with him because he's somewhat "ordered" and a decent human being! It was more important than preparing for just the wedding day. Jim Grau, during Priesthood Sunday. We know he cares and loves each one of us as lambs given to him by God to shepherd. I pray that we are able to continue to grow with his guidance and love for many, many more years to come. He works lovingly with the highly educated to poorly educated and unskilled volunteers. Fr. He has always been a witness to consistency and kindness and is an example of being a servant to his flock at St. Joseph the Worker Parish in Lake Orion. Leo. It is said that people get feelings about other people. Tomek Maka and currently Fr. Bob welcomed me into the Church. They already have a commitment and that commitment is to God, his Church, and God's people. Joe when he enters any of their classrooms. Msgr. One was a Japanese family. James Moloney is an extraordinary parish priest. What makes Fr. Joe takes time during faith formation so that we can make things right with Jesus again. Everyone has their own expectations for their parish. Thank you, Fr. No parish cook or housekeeper. We could never thank Fr. To Father, excellence is not enough. Paul is committed to modeling discipleship. Leo Sabourin has been a blessing to us at St. Constance Parish in Taylor. David Burgard, Fr. We are ever so blessed to have him. He went off the highway to avoid fallen trash and debris; hitting something off the highway killed him. I first heard of him through my dad, a union-activist at Ford Motor, who used to also go to meetings at Holy Trinity Church in downtown Detroit; there Fr. Darrell Roman. He deserves it. Anthony ===== There are many reasons for you not to like your priest. The greeting you read on the website is pretty much universal. We thank the Lord for allowing us to have him with us as our pastor, spiritual guide, the one who is there for us when we need him the most. One of the first who comes to mind is Fr. He demonstrates these characteristics himself, but admits to not being perfect. 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