May 19, 1973 was a glorious spring day in Boston. Early that morning I drove to the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston to be ordained a priest and that morning's rite has shaped every day of my life since.
I am grateful to God for the past thirty-seven years of serving the people of the Church through the preaching of the gospel and the celebration of the sacraments. Of course a priest's life includes much more than "preaching and presiding" but everything he does in some way flows from the Word he breaks open and comes to be offered on the the altar of our prayer through, with and in Christ.
No one could have forecast 37 years ago where the Catholic path would take us. Still fairly fresh from Vatican II, my ministry began in heady, hopeful times. Those days, now, seem distant but I still have many fond and good memories of the people of my first parish, St. Ann in Wollaston. Looking back, I think they were very gentle and patient with this newly ordained cleric.
After completing my five year assignment there I was given a year to pursue a degree in liturgical studies at the University of Notre Dame. That one year stretched into four when, after completing my degree, I took a position on the formation staff of Moreau Seminary at Notre Dame, worked in the Office of Campus Ministry and served as a chaplain and assistant rector at Morrissey Manor, a men's residence hall. One of the most beautiful Holy Week's I've ever celebrated included a very simple Triduum with a small group of students in the Morrissey chapel.
Returning to Boston in 1982, I began a nine year assignment at St. Ann University Parish where I served as a campus minister at Northeastern University and Emerson College. The music and worship at St. Ann's and my work with the Catholic student group at Emerson are among my best memories of those years.
After 13 years of campus work I returned to more typical parochial ministry at St. Joseph Parish in Medway in 1991. I was there only three years before being named a pastor for the first time but those years in Medway provided a great way to return to parish life after serving in campus work for so long.
In 1994 I became the pastor of Our Lady Help of Christians Parish in West Concord. Ten wonderful years there turned into an extended stay in Concord when Our Lady and St. Bernard Parishes were reconfigured and I became pastor of the newly formed Holy Family Parish in 2004.
I've been blessed with varied assignments and have met hundreds, thousands of wonderful people whose paths have crossed mine in this life we call the Church. Not every day has been easy and these past eight years have certainly been difficult for all of us. Even the best days now are shadowed by the memory of those whose innocence was stolen from them and the absence of those whose trust and confidence in the Church has been shattered.
Without God's help and the graciousness of so many of God's people, I could never have made it to this anniversary. These have been wonderful, difficult, joyful, painful, challenging years to serve as a priest and I am grateful for every one of them.
On this 37th anniversary of my ordination, I'd be grateful for your prayers for me and my classmates.
Thank you!
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