From our new “Interim Administrator” Father Joshua Allen:
For a few weeks, friends, you’ll not be getting a “Pastor’s Column,” but rather a letter from me…the Interim Administrator of St. Brigid Parish. You might be asking yourself, “What’s an Administrator, and why do we have one?” Good question. When I found out I was going to be the guy, I asked the same thing!
An Administrator is someone deputed by the Archbishop to operate the parish temporarily until a Pastor is assigned. The Pastor for St. Brigid has already been chosen, and we await the announcement of his name. In the meantime…until mid-June or so, I will be taking care of all of the day-to-day pastoral needs of the parish.
So…though we are without a pastor for a short time, we are not without Sacraments, and we are not without all the care that the Church wishes to offer to us. The Administrator has all of the obligations (and necessary permissions) of a Pastor, but without the longevity.
Fortunately, because of the vision of Bishop Talley, Fr. Michael Silloway is living with us in the rectory. Fr. Michael is the chaplain at St. Pius X Catholic High School, and he is a personal friend. We studied several years in Rome together. Fr. Michael has shown great generosity with the parish: he is basically stepping in to fulfill a parochial vicar role with respect to Masses on Sundays. This is a great gift to us! We hope to have Fr. Michael with us for a long time, and now, because of his generosity, we will not experience a parade of coverage priests on Sundays. For the most part, you will see either Fr. Michael or myself on Sundays. So please welcome Fr. Michael into our parish community.
We should know who the new pastor is going to be in June. Until then, let’s remember to pray for him each and every day. Every pastor has a great responsibility before God, and it is never easy to fulfill. He needs our help to accomplish the good work of our Lord on a day to day basis.
Of course, you know about the exciting events approaching for the parish. We have first communions coming up on May 11! I have taken so much pleasure in watching our second graders prepare to receive Holy Communion this year under the guidance of our dedicated catechists and Catholic School teachers. I can see the excitement on many of their faces as they come forward to receive blessings at Mass, knowing that the time is growing near when they will experience the blessed union with our Lord which comes from receiving his Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity in the Sacred Host! I have only celebrated one First Communion Mass in my life, and that was in Rome…in Italian. The poor children! But I’m looking forward to witnessing this wonderful Sacrament shared by our children!
On May 25, Brian Baker will be ordained a Transitional Deacon at the Cathedral of Christ the King. He will preach his first homily and serve at the altar for the first time on the following day at the 10:45AM Mass, on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. Good luck with that homily, Deacon-Elect Brian!
And finally, on June 8, our very own Deacon Dennis Dorner, Jr. will be ordained a Priest of Jesus Christ at the Cathedral. His first Mass is scheduled for the next day at 10:45. If you’ve never been to a first priestly Mass, this is your chance. You’ve never seen anything like it. I hope you all can come out to support both Brian and Deacon Dennis as they begin to engage in the ministry of the Lord’s Vineyard…one as Christ the Servant and the other as Christ the High Priest!
And then before you know it…we’ll have a new pastor.
Until then, please be patient with me, and pray for me!