35 Years

How things change.  Don't we often say that?  I am very much aware of the nature of change, as the 35th anniversary of my ordination to the priesthood approaches, on September 30, 2013.  Here are a few statistical markers of the changes from 1978 to 2013:

• World population in 1978, 4.3 billion souls (2013, 7.1 billion)--a 65% increase.
• United States population 222 million (today, 317 million)--a 42% increase.  
• Dow Jones average 805 (today, 15,191)--an incredible 1888% increase.  
• Inflation 7.6% (today, 2.0%).  
• Cost of new home $54,800 (today, $245,000)--a 447% increase. 
• Median household income $15,060 (today, $52,000)--a 345% increase.  
• Gallon of gasoline $0.63 (today, $3.65)--a 579% increase.  
• Postage stamp $0.13 ($0.46)--a 353% increase.  

And our church has changed.  The biggest effect of Vatican II came in 1970 when "the new Mass" became widely used in the U.S.  The priest switched from praying in Latin with his back mostly to the people to praying in the "vernacular" (language of the people) and facing the assembly.  But in 1978 Holy Communion was only distributed by a priest (no Eucharistic ministers), only with one species (no Precious Blood offered to the congregation), and only on the tongue (not in the hand).  For four years in my first assignment at St. Therese, Munhall, there were three of us priests for only six Sunday Masses.  But we also had to help with distributing Holy Communion at two more.  Pastors still wore their black cassocks and birettas over to church from the rectory.  It was only in the early 1980s that we priests stopped coming out of the sacristy to begin Mass and go back into the sacristy at the end of Mass--no greeting of folks in the back of church or at the entrances.

In 1978 70 year old Vincent M. Leonard, the 9th bishop of Pittsburgh, ordained our class of 12 men.  There were 333 parishes in the Diocese of Pittsburgh that year (today, 200)--a decrease of 60%; 525 active diocesan priests (today, 242)--a decrease of 46%; 24 deacons (today, 110)--an increase of 460%; and about 950,000 Catholics (today, 635,000)--a decrease of 33%.  In those days the expectation was that it would take 15 to 18 years for a newly ordained priest in Pittsburgh to become a pastor.  Today if you are lucky if you get four years as a parochial vicar before heading a parish.

1978 was also "the year of three popes."  After 15 years serving as the Bishop of Rome, Paul VI died on August 6.  Albino Luciani was elected pope on August 26, taking the unique name John Paul I and honoring his immediate predecessors, the architects of the Second Vatican Council.  But he unexpectedly died of a heart attack on September 28 after only 33 days in office.  Karol Wojtyla, the 58 year old archbishop of Krakow, Poland, was elected pope on October 16, the first non-Italian to sit on the chair of St. Peter in 455 years.  He took the name John Paul II.  Next year he will be formally declared a saint.

Of the 12 of us ordained in 1978, one has died, two left the ministry after seven years, and one is off the job.  Several of my classmates have served in Lawrence County over the years.  Most of us have been pastors twice as long as we were assistants (now, parochial vicars).  Several of us have served in multiple church or multiple parish situations.  Four of us have served at the level of the diocese, one classmate is now an episcopal vicar, one is rector of a major seminary.  Almost all of us have multiple pastoral responsibilities.  the only thing we have escaped is the burden of being named a bishop.

On September 30, 1978, we walked into St. Paul Cathedral, Oakland, under black bunting, as the church mourned the death of Pope John Paul I, who had died a mere 48 hours earlier.  Since then we have prayed for three popes, served four and a half diocesan bishops (including one diocesan administrator--sorry, Bishop Paul Bradley!), preached too many sermons and celebrated too many Masses, baptisms, weddings and funerals to count.  We have more weight and less hair, more yesterdays and fewer tomorrows than when we were ordained.  But I dare to say that we are nevertheless even more committed to serving Jesus Christ and his people as priests of the Catholic Church that we were on our ordination day.

On the last Sunday of September, we will gather with our families and close friends for a concelebrated Mass and festive supper to mark this anniversary.  We have been faithful to this anniversary celebration every single year.   We'll hug each other, tell jokes, do a little clerical gossiping, whisper stories of our last visit to the doctor, and pick the guy who will host our anniversary celebration next year.  We are more cynical and yet at the same time wiser through the passing of the years.  

Please pray for my classmates and me.  Pray for all in Holy Orders--deacons, priests, bishops--who serve the church.  Pray for increased vocations to the priesthood, religious life, married life, single life, and ministry to the church.

My classmates:

• Father Bob Cedolia, pastor, St. Anne Parish, Castle Shannon
• Father Mike Decewicz, pastor, St. Juan Diego Parish, Sharpsburg
• Father Sam Esposito, episcopal vicar, vicariate 2
• Father Vic Molka, pastor, St. Valentine Parish, Bethel Park
• Father Ben Vaghetto, pastor, St. Alphonsus Parish, McDonald, pastor, St. Patrick Parish, Oakdale/North Fayette, and adjutant judicial vicar
• Father Tim Whalen, rector, St. Vincent Seminary, Latrobe
• Father Rich Yagesh, pastor, Holy Child Parish, Bridgeville

and our honorary classmate, Father Dan Whalen, brother of Tim who was ordained in the great jubilee year of 2000, who is pastor of Holy Spirit Parish, Millvale, and St. Nicholas Parish, Millvale.