Priest and Friend

August 17, 2009 [254 views]

Our parish associate pastor was recently ordained in May. We were excited when we found out that he would be serving his first assignment at our parish, since we had heard very nice things about him. He joined us this past July.

My husband, Todd, and I are members of a “Teams of Our Lady” marriage group and we happened to be in need of a chaplain. We had been trying to find a priest, nun, or deacon for quite some time, but most of the ones we asked were already committed to another group.

One day, I had an idea to ask our incoming associate pastor, since I figured he probably hadn’t been asked by another group yet. To our pleasant surprise, he said yes! This past Saturday was his first time meeting our whole group and we spent a nice evening getting to know him.

Todd and I were hosting that night, so I requested that he give our home a blessing (once our other guests had left) and he was kind enough to agree. The blessing was peaceful and comforting. I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit moving in our home and flowing out of this kind new priest. Afterwards, the time flew by, as we carried on a conversation that lasted about two hours. He made us laugh and feel like we had been friends for many years. It was a great time.

The next morning after Mass, my family (including my parents) decided we would invite him to share lunch with us. I wondered if he would want to go, since we had just occupied a few hours of his time the previous night. To our delight, he graciously accepted the offer and met us at a family restaurant. It was a fabulous time of laughter and friendship, shared by all of us. It impressed me that he included our children in some of our conversation. He told us sentimental and funny stories of his journey into the priesthood. He didn’t wince when our precocious five-year old boldly and loudly inquired about his age. He proudly announced his age of forty-six and commented that it took him a long time to listen to God’s call to the priesthood.

Our new priest friend told us about different and exciting changes that are coming to our parish. He listened to our desires for what we would like to have, too. He also kindly considered what our oldest son, an altar server, would like to carry to the altar for the next Mass.

I can’t think of a better time we have shared recently with a new friend. I have had friends share that they are intimidated by priests and don’t know how to “break the ice”. I would encourage others to take the time to get to know their priests, because a lifelong Christ-centered friendship may just be in store. Pope Benedict XVI recently declared, “Year For Priests“, June 19, 2009 until June 19, 2010. Let us enjoy the beauty of our priests and keep them in our daily prayers!