Ministry is a word with medieval roots that refers to service. Applied to Christian religion, it identifies how we care for one another in implementing the mandate of Jesus to wash each other’s feet. For the past 48 years, I have had the privilege of living ministry as a priest in many different places. As I conclude full time ministry as a pastor, I am humbled to be retiring from such a wonderful community: The Lexington Catholic Collaborative and from the most historic community in our nation.
Pope Francis encourages us to be open and willing to accompany one another on our journeys of faith. As a priest, I have been privileged to accompany many people over the past 5 decades through times of great sadness, great joy and many moments in between. Sadly, three young boys entered eternal life during my Lexington tenure: Nate Cavallo, Quinn Amsler and Declan O’Connell. I am grateful for their prayers and have been deeply touched by the outstanding faith and courage of their families.
More than a few brides and grooms have gifted me with their invitation to walk with them toward the celebrations of their unions. Baptisms are also moments of great joy and celebration. Over the past 6 years, I have had the awesome honor of providing this first blessing to 149 children and the great fortune to also welcome newcomers to our church as adults.
When we began our Volunteer Appreciation Nights several years ago, it was edifying to see how many people exercise various ministries of service within Sacred Heart and St. Brigid’s parishes. Even more affirming was the intermingling of parishioners from our two parishes as we celebrated some outstanding individuals and reminded ourselves that we are one Body of Christ, the Church.
Because music is such an important part of our Eucharistic liturgies, celebrating Mass in our two different churches has been a great joy for me. Our adult choir at Sacred Heart, our two choirs at St. Brigid’s and our Sunday evening band have provided different flavors of liturgical excellence that is uncommon within one church community. When the pandemic is completely behind us, my prayer is that the richness of this variety will spring back into life. My favorite, of course, has been the growth of our children’s choir that has attracted so many young families to our community.
Suppers with the pastor for our Confirmation students is another highlight of my time in Lexington. Our young people are bright, enthusiastic and more than able to carry on the great gift of our faith as they reach for new heights of excellence in their own lives.
St. Patrick’s Day celebrations and Italian nights were among the most joyful and over-crowded events during my Lexington sojourn. When the pandemic finally becomes a bad memory, these kinds of events will need new blood (and old blood) to make them happen. In a very subtle way, they contributed enormously to the wellbeing and unity of our community, for which I am most grateful.
Christian service is truly a hallmark of our Lexington Community. Haiti, Honduras, Roxbury, Framingham Prison, Haley House, Rosie’s Place, Parenting Journey and so many more are the beneficiaries of the good works and generosity of our two parishes. I am sure that we are all proud, as I am, of the great work in which we are privileged to participate.
Our Collaborative Pastoral Council and our Finance Councils have been a great support for our community and for me personally. I am most grateful for their ministry and service. I am equally grateful for the wonderful, committed staff that I have been privileged to work with during my six-year term as pastor. Their gifts are numberless and they share these abundantly. We are all blessed to have them working so hard to build up and nourish the faith-life of our community.
As I prepare to retire this month, I am deeply grateful to all the parishioners of Sacred Heart and St. Brigid parishes for your affirmation and support. During this pandemic, everyone has gone the extra-mile to support our parishes and been so understanding as we have tried to keep everyone healthy and safe.
We live in very challenging times. Our task as Christians and as Catholics is to always walk in the Light of Christ. When we allow our faith to illuminate the path ahead and critique the path that we are on, good things emerge. God’s love is larger than anything we can imagine. Keeping this in mind has energized me since my ordination in 1973.
Thank you all for the opportunity to walk with you in faith and love for these past 6 years. It has been an honor and privilege to serve this beautiful Lexington community!
God Bless Msgr. Paul