From the Pastor's Pen - Parish Feast Day Celebration

THERE HAS ONLY BEEN ONE PRIEST AT ST. ROSE PHILIPPINE DUCHESNE PARISH IN ITS 13 YEARS. This surprising fact has come out thanks to last week’s Priests’ Convocation. The theme of the week was “An Intimate Sacramental Brotherhood”, from the Second Vatican Council’s document on the Ministry and Life of Priests. By ordination, priests share a common bond in which we have been formed into the image of Christ, to bring His words and actions to the community which is the Body of Christ. So each priest is intimately bound to the work and wellbeing of each other priest, especially in each diocese (ours is an Archdiocese). We spent a lot of time getting to know one another—I got to know some guys I had never known at all before. And it was delightful.

So, as Bishop Mike Sheridan said to us (he was Father Sheridan at St. Dismas in the late 60’s-70’s), we priests have a kind of family resemblance, as different as we may be. We all represent the same Christ in this community. Fr. Carl, me; Frs. Nienhaus, Rajpaul, D’Amico, Robeson, Father Nickolai: essentially we are one priest, Jesus Christ the High Priest.

We start now to publicly prepare for the Feast Day of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, which falls on Sunday this year so it will be the Sunday Mass Feast Nov. 17-18. And as this year is the 200th Anniversary of St. Rose landing in our area from France, we’ll have a special celebration before the Saturday Evening Mass, with dinner following. Click here to RSVP today!