From St. Mary Parish (Fort Walton Beach) to St. Mary Parish (Pensacola)
It has been twenty-eight days since I have arrived at St. Mary Catholic Church in Pensacola, and unpacked my running shoes and books. I’m ready for my second assignment — whatever Father Dominic Phan Sa needs me to do. I’ve been going to the nursing homes, visiting the elderly at the nursing homes, bringing the sacraments: anointing of the sick, confession, and the Eucharist.
It’s been a real challenge learning all the parishioners’ names but the people have been real nice about it. Sunday we had our parish picnic and I was put to the test of remembering as many as I could. Needless to say I needed some more practice of remembering who is who. At the picnic we had hamburgers, hotdogs, chicken, and just about every kind of side dish you could think of. When it came to the sweets we had enough for everybody to enjoy.
We had games for all the different kids to play — volleyball, badminton, ultimate frisbee, horseshoes, and face painting for the younger ones. We had a great turnout of our church family at our annual picnic.
I have been saying Mass every day and preaching the word of God. The people have been very friendly and supportive in everything I have done here at St.Mary’s.
“The Eucharist, that which comes to us through the hands of our spiritual fathers, is considered to be the source and the summit of our spiritual lives. It’s the very reason we are Catholic, that Christ gave us this gift through the hands of our priest.” (Sacramentum Caritatis)
I am blessed to be here but I look to the future with confidence, that God will inspire me to serve the Church with love and compassion of Christ.
Father Bob Johnson, Sept. 28, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
My parent's 40th Anniversary, Sept. 12, 2009
It must have been half-way through my last year of seminary that I realized that within my first year of priesthood my parents would be celebrating their 40 years of marriage. From that time my siblings and I started to plan for this momentous occasion. We were thinking renting a hall, inviting all their friends, and having a big party for their marriage. When it came down to it, all my parents wanted was us to be together. This not the easiest task.
The Anniversary mass and dinner would take place in Clearwater, FL where my parents live. My older brother Luke, his wife Mary, and their two daughters Amy and Isabelle live in Loveland, Colorado. My older sister was living in Glendale, California. My younger brother Philip, who lives the closest, lives in Orlando, FL. By the grace of God we all arrived safe and in good humor.
It was a Saturday that we were going to celebrate a mass for my parents. The first thought was to have it just before dinner, and celebrate the Sunday's liturgy as a vigil. However, we decided to celebrate it earlier. I had planned on it being the Sunday's liturgy so I scrambled and picked out the ritual mass for anniversaries, and some readings that are given for anniversaries. I had my parents read the first reading and the responsorial psalm. My Dad read the words from Psalm 128, "May you see your children's children," he looked to his left and right at his two granddaughters. It was such a graceful moment.
As I said a prayer of blessing over my parents after the homily and blessed their rings with holy water, my Mom's eyes watered with tears of joy. I ask her afterwards what had struck her so powerfully. She said that when they got married she could not have imagined that 40 years later that she would receive a blessing from her own son on her anniversary.
As I left my family and returned to my parish family, I felt and still do feel recharged by the experience. It was because of my parents' radical living of their vocation in marriage that gave birth to my vocation as a priest. It is their love that they shared with me that allowed me to experience God's love and to give God's love daily to those who I encounter every day.
The Anniversary mass and dinner would take place in Clearwater, FL where my parents live. My older brother Luke, his wife Mary, and their two daughters Amy and Isabelle live in Loveland, Colorado. My older sister was living in Glendale, California. My younger brother Philip, who lives the closest, lives in Orlando, FL. By the grace of God we all arrived safe and in good humor.
It was a Saturday that we were going to celebrate a mass for my parents. The first thought was to have it just before dinner, and celebrate the Sunday's liturgy as a vigil. However, we decided to celebrate it earlier. I had planned on it being the Sunday's liturgy so I scrambled and picked out the ritual mass for anniversaries, and some readings that are given for anniversaries. I had my parents read the first reading and the responsorial psalm. My Dad read the words from Psalm 128, "May you see your children's children," he looked to his left and right at his two granddaughters. It was such a graceful moment.
As I said a prayer of blessing over my parents after the homily and blessed their rings with holy water, my Mom's eyes watered with tears of joy. I ask her afterwards what had struck her so powerfully. She said that when they got married she could not have imagined that 40 years later that she would receive a blessing from her own son on her anniversary.
As I left my family and returned to my parish family, I felt and still do feel recharged by the experience. It was because of my parents' radical living of their vocation in marriage that gave birth to my vocation as a priest. It is their love that they shared with me that allowed me to experience God's love and to give God's love daily to those who I encounter every day.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Learning a New Art Form: the Day Off
Most mornings I rise from bed before the gift of the new day’s light, ready myself, go to the Judge’s Chambers (the Blessed Sacrament Chapel) for a few minutes; retrieve the newspaper — which I think is purposely thrown in the ditch each morning — and review the headlines. Then I return to the chapel and pray Office of Readings followed by daily Mass homily prep. Then I eat my yummy waffles (or other fruits of this good earth) and I drink “wake-up juice”, aka coffee. I finish and then return to the chapel for Morning Prayer. Then I prepare to depart for Good Shepherd for Mass and/or other pastoral responsibilities (i.e. hospital, homebound, etc.) that weave throughout the day. I pray Daytime Prayer meanwhile, inevitably, my hunger returns around the noontime hour and I remedy that with lunch. The early afternoon I try to set aside time for weekend homily prep and other study (i.e. journal articles, books, e-news, etc.). Typically, I’ll have an afternoon appointment or two then I return home for Evening Prayer and supper with Fathers Foley and Winkeljohn. The evening usually includes parish activities and miscellaneous office business. I return home for Night Prayer and little nighttime reading and BAM..I’m out = full day.
*Notice I’ve used many qualifiers such as “most” and “typically”— ANYTHING can happen to change this flow. My prayer is simply to echo the Psalmist: “My heart is ready, O God.” Also, I didn’t mention the weekends. I asked for them off, but wasn’t successful.
BUT…A new art form is developing: The Day Off! It is an art. My basic materials that I try always to include in this very important masterpiece are 1) NO ALARM, 2) NO SHAVING and 3) LITTLE OR NO TECHNOLOGY. Brief comments on 1 and 3 (N.B. I think most men know where I’m coming from with 2). 1) It’s so nice to allow the Lord and His angels to wake me in the AM and not the annoying sound of some plastic device. 3) I really feel a difference in my soul when I take a 24 hour break from the cell phone and computer.
These above comments, some serious, some in jest, are merely to say that the art of the day off has become, for me, geared to re-creative leisure and rest that allows an intentional spiritual space and atmosphere to emerge for holy and refreshing communion with God (cf. Mk 6:30-31). This priest needs the fine tuning of his interior listening to the unique offered call to holiness and to better serve the needs of His People. I’m also His mission. The art of the day off is the art of allowing Him to be successful in that mission.
All this and loads of fun, too!!!
Father Will
*Notice I’ve used many qualifiers such as “most” and “typically”— ANYTHING can happen to change this flow. My prayer is simply to echo the Psalmist: “My heart is ready, O God.” Also, I didn’t mention the weekends. I asked for them off, but wasn’t successful.
BUT…A new art form is developing: The Day Off! It is an art. My basic materials that I try always to include in this very important masterpiece are 1) NO ALARM, 2) NO SHAVING and 3) LITTLE OR NO TECHNOLOGY. Brief comments on 1 and 3 (N.B. I think most men know where I’m coming from with 2). 1) It’s so nice to allow the Lord and His angels to wake me in the AM and not the annoying sound of some plastic device. 3) I really feel a difference in my soul when I take a 24 hour break from the cell phone and computer.
These above comments, some serious, some in jest, are merely to say that the art of the day off has become, for me, geared to re-creative leisure and rest that allows an intentional spiritual space and atmosphere to emerge for holy and refreshing communion with God (cf. Mk 6:30-31). This priest needs the fine tuning of his interior listening to the unique offered call to holiness and to better serve the needs of His People. I’m also His mission. The art of the day off is the art of allowing Him to be successful in that mission.
All this and loads of fun, too!!!
Father Will
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