Safe Distance Confessions by Appointment call me 706-267-1073
or in the Meeting Room at 5pm on Saturday
Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Saturday Vigil Mass at 6pm
Sunday Morning Mass at 8am and 11am
Three options for participation:
1. In Church 2. In the Churchyard 3. At Home via livestream
Drive by Communion at 9:10am in front of the Rectory on Lovell Ave.
Praise and Worship Service – Sunday at 5pm Holy Hour for our Nation -- Join us in Church or via livestream
Daily Mass This week Monday through Friday at 8am
School for Disciples on Wednesday Join us in the Churchyard at 5:30pm for Prayer and Cocktails
We share our experience of Week #7 of the Ignatian Adventure
“He who receives a prophet because he is a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward.”
In the first reading at Masses this weekend, a “woman of influence” shows hospitality to the prophet Elisha. She recognizes him as a man of God, offers him food and even provides him a furnished room for when he visits. Elisha’s servant, Gehazi, reports that this woman has an aging husband and no son, which could suggest that she has been unable to conceive. Elisha promises that she will embrace a son.
I love this story. It asks us to reflect on the sense of hospitality and gratitude that people of faith should have for one another. The woman was kind to Elisha, seeking nothing from him. In return, Elisha shows gratitude and enables her to conceive.
Last weekend, I mentioned that at times it feels rather uncomfortable for me to preach a prophetic word. So, I don’t see myself as being a very good prophet. I hope I’m a pretty good parish priest, but whether it be as priest or prophet, I have always felt well received by the parishioners of any parish I’ve ever served in. I am so very grateful for the wonderful hospitality that I receive here at St. Michael. You’ve been so very kind to me.
In my first 14 years of priesthood, I had 7 different assignments. I wasn’t a very stable character back in those days. These days, I am doing a little better. In the last 27 years, I’ve had 6 more assignments. Praise God there will be no more assignment changes for me. In a few years (probably 3), my next move will be retirement. One knows going into it that it would be highly unusual for a priest to stay in one parish for his whole life, but still every move has been tough. I think a good parish priest needs to be close to the people of the parish. So, it is not easy to let go of those relationships and move on to start all over again.
This is a week of transition for the priests of the Diocese. Pray for them and their parishioners. The prayers of others and my own prayer has been thing that helped me overcome the stress of all those assignment changes. Prayer is the key to any Christian life but especially to the priesthood. When Archbishop Hartmayer ordained Bobby Phillips and Carlos Rivero at the Cathedral last Saturday, he told them as much, “You cannot be a servant in the spirit of Jesus unless you pray constantly. In prayer, you will take on the mind and the heart of the Good Shepherd. My dear brothers, prayer is not optional. For Jesus’ minister, it is to be your life blood, your source of inspiration, your indispensable support.”
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A memorial Mass will be held on Monday at 8am for Donna Kneece who worked in the Thrift Shop and as Housekeeper for the Parish.