About this time next week (Dec. 7th) I will flying over the east coast of the U.S. heading toward Atlanta on my way to Nawlins'.
Given that my ministry in Nawlins' will be parochial vicar to a large suburban parish, I'm anticipating some changes in the content posted here at HancAquam.
The most immediate change will be the addition of homilies. . .remember those? St Dominic's has two daily Masses and about four or five Sunday Masses. That's a lot of preachin'.
The other change will likely be a reduction in the frequency or the outright disappearance of Coffee Bowl Browsing. We'll have to wait and see if there's time to indulge this particular habit.
The last three years have been one long academic retreat with occasional breaks for teaching and parish work. The next three years will be the exact opposite, assuming I can find a teaching job in Nawlins'.
Anyway, bear with me and pray for me. As always, God bless, Fr. Philip Neri, OP.
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Father, you will do well I am sure. I will pray for you and that your new parish opens their hearts to you and gets to know how kind and warm you are.
ReplyDeleteAre you in charge of finding your own teaching job? I don't know how that kind of thing works. We have a priest in residence who is about to finish his Ph.D. and will be expected to teach somewhere but I don't know if his Order sends him to a place like Providence College or what.
Can you tell us how it works in your Order, when a priest will work at a job outside the parish?
Well, I'll miss coffee bowl browsing, try not to be envious of the Nawlins faithful for getting a very good homilist (and, in all likelihood, also a very good confessor) and continue to keep you in my prayers . . . and check back here often.
ReplyDeleteToo bad you're more drawn to poetry than fiction, going where you are you could write the definitive sequel to Confederacy of Dunces.
Gregg, my creative writing efforts have included short stories. Actually, I think the stories are better than the poetry. Maybe being in Nawlins will inspire me.
ReplyDeleteBanjo, like all things involving the Order and the Church, it's complicated. We are assigned to a house or priory. There's usually some sort of ministry attached to the assignment. My assignment to Nawlins includes a job as parochial vicar at St Dominic's. I've been given permission to seek out an adjunct teaching job--one class a semester so I can keep my classroom skills sharp. I have zero interest in a full-time, tenured academic position. Too much politics, too many meetings, etc.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, some of the friars will seek out regular teaching positions at Catholic colleges or seminaries. That will be their ministry. When a province has a college or high school, the friars are often expected to help staff it. Providence College is one example.