Missive (24 June 2020)

     As I write this, on the Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, I am reflecting on the twenty years of priesthood that has come and gone in not much more than an instant.  Oddly enough, almost half of those twenty years have been spent here, with all of you.  Considering that another two of those years were spent in nearby Coon Valley, I have spent just over half of my priesthood within fifteen miles of the town in which I grew up.

     Another number that kind of astounds me is that I have spent eighteen of those twenty years in Catholic education, beginning with my first two-year assignment as chaplain / instructor of religion at Pacelli High School and St. Peter’s Middle School in Stevens Point.

     Other things I never would have guessed on that Saturday morning, twenty years ago: serving on the board of Catholic Charities for the Diocese of La Crosse for nine years; beginning an Hispanic ministry apostolate and building a new school in Arcadia; taking over a Latin Mass apostolate and running a school here in Cashton.  In between there have been two church renovations (St. Mary's - Coon Valley & St. Boniface - Waumandee), and the completion of a couple more renovations when I arrived in Cashton.

     With each of the adventures enumerated above there are dozens and, in some cases, hundreds of people whose lives of faith I have been privileged to share.  So many faces; so many Masses and confessions; so many baptisms, confirmations, weddings, and funerals; countless home visits, anointings, and just sitting and talking with people about God’s loving presence in their lives.  Priesthood truly is an adventure with twists and turns that one would never begin to guess starting out.  But one thing these twenty years have been is a privilege.

     Thank-you to all who have been part of making those years such a joy.  And, you might consider talking to the boys in your life about whether God might have such an adventure planned for their life.  All I can tell you is: it’s been a joy so far, and totally worth it.

     “May Christ our Lord help us all with His bountiful grace, so that we may know His holy will and perfectly fulfill it.” (St. Ignatius of Loyola)