A New Challenge

Spiritual writers who reflect on the life and ministry of Catholic clergy -- deacons, priests, bishops -- do not like the term "career" to describe what the man has done since ordination.  Careers are planned, executed with focus and precision, and most often in our money- and famed-soaked society are filled with unholy ambition.


In contrast, in an ideal world the life and ministry of the ordained are to be guided not my personal desires but by the needs of the faithful, or the needs of distressed people.  Also, Catholic clergy, whether secular (diocesan) or vowed religious, pledge obedience to their superior, and go where the diocese/order/Vatican direct.


I accept all that.  Yet you can still look back at one's "career" and see patterns.


One of those patterns in my 33 years as a priest is shorter assignments.  Depending on how you count, I've had no fewer than 13 assignments, with the longest being 7 1/2 years.  Another pattern is moving around.  I have changed residences about once every three years.  And I have fallen into the pattern of being an agent of change as a pastor.  I merged two communities into Incarnation of the Lord Parish (North Side); I closed three church buildings (St. John Vianney, Hilltop); I merged three parishes into Saint Juan Diego Parish, Sharpsburg.  (Of course I didn't do these things alone.  In each case I worked closely, and for years, with the lay leadership of each parish, and acted only after the support of diocesan staff and the formal approval of the diocesan bishop.)


Now again I am asked to transfer, move and be an agent of change.


On Wednesday I met with Bishop David Zubik and received from him the assignment of being pastor of the four parishes in the city of New Castle:  Mary Mother of Hope Parish, St. Joseph the Worker Parish, St. Vincent de Paul Parish, and St. Vitus Parish.  Last August 1 the bishop had assigned me as administrator of St. Vincent and St. Vitus parishes.  Now, in addition I take leadership of the two parishes Father Victor Molka formerly guided.  (On July 9 he was given a new assignment as pastor of St. Valentine Parish, Bethel Park.)


In canon law, an administrator of a parish is a temporary appointment, a pastor is a stable office with a term of six years.  Functionally the administrator and pastor do the same work--lead the community.


To help me in this task the bishop has given me two fine parochial vicars, Father William Siple and Father Nicholas Vaskov.  And the bishop suggested that instead of spreading the priests around, one each to a separate rectory, that we guys reside in the same rectory.


Today I visited the 28 room Mary Mother of Hope rectory just off the "diamond," the center of New Castle's business district.  There is more than enough room for all of us priests.  Each of us will have a five room suite, if you can believe it, with a few rooms left over for the occasional guest and for storage.  Living under the same roof will help us communicate better, and allow us to support one another in this challenging ministry of serving four parishes.


So I receive another assignment.  I move again, out of my current home on the campus of St. Vincent de Paul.  And I'm asked to be an agent of change.


But this change is different.  The four parishes in the city of New Castle, along with the other four parishes in Lawrence County, have been working together on several ministry fronts for years now:  RCIA, nursing home pastoral coverage, youth ministry.  Bishop Zubik and I are agreed that now is not the time to pursue formal structural change, such as merging parishes or closing churches.  Rather, I hope to work with the pastoral and finance council members, the staffs, volunteers and faithful of all the parishes to work even more closely together on as many issues as possible.  Collaboration is the key term.  


Then, open to the Spirit, and recognizing the declining number of people in our county and priests in our presbyterate, somewhere down the line (that is, years from now) the people may recognize the need for unity as one parish.


For now, however, my desire is to work with four unique parishes to be the very best we can be, as a hospitable, evangelizing, caring Catholic community in New Castle.  


Stay tuned.