“From home to home, heart to heart, one place to another, the warmth and joy of Christmas brings us closer to one another.”
- Emily Matthews
One of the greatest blessings of life is to share love with others, especially at Christmas. Love is a gift that brings life to both giver and receiver. As I share this message with you, let us remember that it is not the "excesses" that makes Christmas but the "essentials" — presence, spirit and love! Atop my desk is a reflection that I wrote in loving memory of a dear friend Fr. Nick Pesanka, whom God called home on January 21, 2011. Near the reflection is a candle that burns in his memory and a plaque that reads, “Faith.”
I’ve served St. Joseph Parish for the past three and a half years. It is a self-contained community, where one can easily walk to a bank, a pharmacy, a restaurant or a grocery store. The parish is just nine miles away from my mom who resides at the Little Sisters of the Poor. Thankfully, my 2006 blue Subaru Outback Sedan helps to get me up and down Pittsburgh’s hills of snow and ice!
There are 1,550 families that belong to Saint Joseph Parish. This year our parish family celebrated its 120th anniversary. I am grateful to have been just a small part of its history. I love visiting the sick, homebound and hospitalized. We host Pre-Cana Instructions three times a year with couples preparing for the Sacrament of Marriage. It is a joy to have our couples’ witness and wisdom-road maps to help new generations.
Fr. Gerry Rogala, a retired priest friend from Chicago, came to visit April 18-25. He assisted during Holy Week and the Triduum. On Easter Monday, April 25, the Diocese was blessed with the installation of the new Auxiliary Bishop, William John Waltersheid, who came to us from the Diocese of Harrisburg. He serves as Vicar for Clergy.
A great part of our parish family was lost in the closing of our school in June. We are grateful for the 58 years that this institution shaped the minds, hearts and the lives of tomorrow’s Catholic leaders. On June 16, there was a Mass of Thanksgiving celebrated by Fr. Harry R. Bielewicz, alumnus from the class of 1974, along with Region III Vicar, Fr. Samuel Esposito. Past principals, teachers, Felician Sisters and other alumni were in attendance.
I continue to strive to be a "life-long learner." I attended two weeks of continuing education through Seton Hall University’s International Institute for Clergy Formation: one held in Lutz, Florida from January 9-14, the other in Bon Secours Spiritual Center in Marriottsville, MD, from June 26-July 1.
On September 9, I took a group to see Joel Osteen (TV Evangelist from Lakewood Church in Houston, TX) speak at the Consol Energy Center for a "Night of Hope." That weekend was the 10th Anniversary of 9/11 which made it ever more important to be engaged in prayer. I was also glad that Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo came to speak November 19 in Pittsburgh on the gift of priesthood, “Consecrated and Sent.”
From October 16-20 I made a retreat to the Villa Maria Spirituality and Education Center which was given by Fr. James P. McCloskey, C.S.Sp. His theme was love and was based on 1 Corinthians 13. He spoke of eight various facets of love: 1) love sees, 2) love hangs in there, 3) love puts all its eggs in one basket, holds nothing back, 4) love lets go, 5) love tells it like it is, 6) love worries and it doesn’t worry, 7) love says, “Thanks” and 8) love never fails. He filled us with a new passion for our vocation, ministry and life itself! Breathing love into a soul brings us back to life! “Just as you were more determined to turn away from God, now turn back and serve Him with 10 times more determination” (Baruch 5: 28).
On October 21, I flew to Hilton Head, SC to marry Evona Marie Huminski and Justin Vance at Holy Family Catholic Church. There was a reception on the sand dunes and instead of the traditional unity candle, there was a sand-pouring ceremony. I baptized Evona at my first parish assignment of Our Lady of Fatima in Hopewell Township.
On March 11, 2012, I will reach the milestone of my 50th birthday. Wow, it’s hard to imagine celebrating half a century of life with five decades "over the dam!" One certainly is made aware how precious and special it is to treasure each new day. Through life’s twists and turns, wears and tears, complexities and challenges, opportunities and losses, crosses and resurrections, the constancy of Christ’s presence as Emmanuel, “God with us,” remains steady. To find one’s "niche" in life is to find one’s significant place.
It is a great blessing to serve as pastor of St. Joseph Parish. It keeps me humble and regularly "on my knees." Making decisions, balancing budgets, collaborating with Pastoral Care members, consulting with advisory committees and listening to the pulse of the people, to serve them more joyfully, sacrificially and tirelessly is the challenge of such a vocation. It is humbling to have been called by God to faithfully proclaim the greatest message the world will ever hear, that Jesus Christ came to earth to bring hope to a lost and dying world. I remember my mother signing her cards, “P.S. Remember, you’re loved!”
I celebrate my 24th anniversary to the priesthood on May 21, 2012. I know far better now the price and cost of discipleship than on my ordination day. In the words of St. Catherine of Siena, “Be willing to do without material things rather than lose the spiritual, especially in the dear holy work that God has put into your hands.”
I still enjoy watching Pittsburgh’s sports teams. I’ve had some setbacks in my running on the Montour Trail, having suffered shin splints and plantar fasciitis. But I love being 1/2 mile from the trail and enjoy riding my bike on it. I think Fr. Nick must have had a hand in my getting a key from the owners of the gym so that I can workout any time! Striving for balance and perspective in life is critical at any age. Log on to our web site to enter our St. Joseph Parish world. There you will find video homilies, reflections and our parish activities:
My Christmas prayer is that you continue to follow the Lord with a clear mind, an unburdened heart and a joyful spirit. May we get to know Him better every day, and perhaps without even realizing it, our life in the world will come to be a reflection of His.
Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year to all!
