Musings in my free time
Happy Easter! It is strange to find ourselves in the final week before the end of the season, the celebration of Pentecost, and the return to Ordinary Time. After the forty days of Lent, the forty days leading up to the Ascension, and these last ten days before Pentecost, I am both eager and reluctant … Read more
This week has started out in perhaps the most delightful way: with the birth of my first niece, Charlotte Ruth Maurer (pictured right)! My sister-in-law, brother, and their three boys – along with all of us extended family – have been eagerly looking forward to welcoming her into the world. She was born about 1 … Read more
In my post last week I laid out the preliminary decisions needing made for Parish Family 49 before July 1. I’d like to take some time to talk about the first item on that list: priest housing. Not only relevant to us priests who are preparing to move, the location & nearness of parish priests … Read more
This week is a bit of a whirlwind – at least from where I’m sitting. On Sunday evening, I drove out to my folks’ place on the peninsula in preparation for an all-day visit to two of the five communities I will be serving starting in July. I got to meet the PAAs, the principal, … Read more
Over the last several days I have reached out to the priest administrators and lead staff of the communities within Parish Family 49. By the time this post goes live, I hope to have made progress in initial plans to visit the various churches and begin making connections with the deacons, staff and key leadership … Read more
Phew! Between being gone on vacation to see the eclipse and spending last week with my brother priests in preparation for the next stage of Partners in the Gospel, I am ready to be back to a normal(ish) routine at the parish…. though I’m dreading the inevitable onslaught of deferred messages and tasks. Ah well … Read more
As concrete preparations begin for the next phase of Partners in the Gospel, the question of mission takes center stage in discernment and discussion. What I am coming to realize that what appears to be a singular question is in fact multifaceted. To my count, there are actually three questions of mission: Anyone who is … Read more
Almost a year ago, I started a series at the parish website – a weekly pastor’s post. I quickly found that I enjoy the opportunity to research saints I wouldn’t otherwise celebrate or know, muse a bit on topics that didn’t quite fit the bulletin or in a homily, highlight current events in-parish and out, … Read more
Across the archdiocese, announcements are being made at every parish about priest transitions. On one hand – and I’m surely not alone in this! – it is good to finally have priest (re)assignments known publicly. On the other hand, this is another benchmark where things get real: major changes are coming and we can’t pretend … Read more