Last weekend, we bid a grateful, though sad, farewell to Father Paul Lesupati as he transitions to his new parish assignment in Quincy. But our sorrow is replaced with the joy of being able to welcome not just one, but two new priests to our parish this weekend, Father Daniel McGrath, and Father Pius Nwiyi.
As with Father Paul, Father Daniel McGrath will be beginning his life as a priest here with us at the Cathedral as a newly ordained priest. Although this is certainly not the first assignment for Father Pius, it is technically his first parish assignment in the United States (though he has been living in Chicago for the past few years). So for both of them, being here will be a new beginning, and I am personally grateful for the opportunity that we all have to welcome them as they prepare to experience the various aspects of pastoral ministry that they will be invited into while here at the Cathedral.
When a priest comes to a parish, he has as lot to learn. He has to learn the normal routine for celebrating the sacraments, where to find various things in the sacristy and throughout the Rectory, how to adjust to living in common with other priests, learning names of parishioners, and the list goes on. A lot of that takes place behind the scenes, so the parishioners might only be exposed to a small amount of what this transition entails. For many, they ask questions like – “How long does he preach?”, “Will he be loud enough for us to hear – will we be able to understand him?”, “Can we relate to him?” Of course, we want our priests to be effective in their preaching, reverent as they celebrate Mass, compassionate in the confessional, joyful when greeting people after Mass. But I invite all of us to realize that this transition does not always take place all at once, and to have patience, always giving them the benefit of the doubt, and most importantly, praying for them. As parishioners, we can sometimes feel the burden of having to get to know another new priest, but with all due respect, your transition to welcoming a new priest is fairly minor in comparison to all that they are going through. For many of us, we see the priests for an hour, maybe slightly more, each weekend, and we go back to our daily lives, often not thinking much about them or the parish. For these new priests, this is their entire life, it is always on their minds, it is all encompassing. Taking all of this on is a lot, so please be understanding of all they are going through, especially these first few months.
As the pastor to these new priests, I feel a great sense of responsibility to help them in this transition. Sure, I want them to “do the work” or parish life, but they are not here just to work. I want them to be holy, happy, healthy priests, and to the extent that they are just that, they will be all the more effective in serving the many needs of our parish.
With that in mind, I bring to your attention again the three Hail Mary’s that I have asked us to pray each day. Recall that one of those three Hail Mary’s is for the clergy of the parish. Perhaps over the next month or so, you could begin that Hail Mary by saying: “For the clergy of our parish, especially for Father Daniel McGrath and Father Pius Nwiyi, that they be holy, happy, and healthy priests…Hail Mary…” The other clergy of the parish are happy to let the attention be given to our new priests, as we all know how you have and continue to pray for us each day. For me personally, I have no doubt that I am holier, happier, and healthier as a priest than ever before, and I believe firmly that your prayers have helped with that significantly, and I know your prayers will likewise help our two new priests in growing in these ways as well.
Father Alford