Pastor's Ponderings | August 23, 2020
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August 22, 2020As you read this, the diocese has a new priest. Fr. Alex Boucher has completed his yes to the call to the priesthood and has been anointed to serve his fellow Christians. We celebrate and give thanks that our parish will have the privilege of welcoming and continuing the formation of young Fr. Boucher.
At the ordination of a priest, when the bishop hands the new priest the chalice and paten with the bread and wine to be offered at Mass he says: “Receive from the Holy People of God the gifts to be offered to God. Know what you do, imitate what you celebrate, and conform your life to the mystery of the Lord’s cross.” These are heady words and a command that cannot be taken lightly. A priest must know that at Mass he acts in the person of Jesus and that in the prayers he says, he is inviting the Holy Spirit to bring heaven to earth. Nourished by the very gifts that each of us receive from the altar, the priest must then conform his life, day in and day out, to the life of Christ, even to taking up a cross. Put this way it seems very clear why so many are reluctant to take the plunge and say yes to the call to priesthood. I can assure you they do not know what they are missing.
For his generosity, for his courage, for his willingness to take on this vocation that continues to change every day, we offer Fr. Boucher our gratitude. We thank him for his yes, we thank him for his willingness to serve, and we thank him for his willingness to share his human weakness so that we may all see the strength of God shine through him.
Over the next few months, Fr. Alex, will learn what it is to be a priest. I ask that you pray for him every day. I ask that you be patient with him as he learns how to be what he has been learning about for the last few years. Please keep in mind that he lives with a grouchy old man, and that they both need your patience and prayers. I look forward to serving with this good and faithful man for many years to come.
Congratulations Fr. Boucher. Ad Multos Annos!
