This last Thursday I celebrated my fourth anniversary of priesthood. I was ordained by Archbishop Brunett on June 13th, 2009 and celebrated my first Mass of Thanksgiving at our Lady Star of the Sea in Bremerton.
Whenever I celebrate Sunday Mass, I am reminded of how wonderful it is to be a priest - I am privileged to be able to celebrate the Mass with and for you all. And that's a truth that I think we priests don't put out there often enough: it is truly wonderful to be a priest!
Among the many joys of the priestly vocation, Sunday Masses, celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation and making hospital visits are among my favorites. It is an amazing gift to be invited into some of the most important, and often vulnerable, points of your lives. Sharing in the weekly sacrifice of the Mass and catching up with you afterwards to hear about how your week is going and praying for your needs. Receiving you in the confessional and together calling on the mercy of God that he so freely gives. Visiting you in your homes, at care facilities and in the hospital to anointing and prepare for the eternal reward that has been prepared for us by Christ. What a blessed life - what great work!
Thank you for your support of the priestly ministry. May we continue to pray for the vocations that are growing in our parishes, for the next generation of priests!