A Blessed Decade

Dear Friends in Christ,

            As I shared at all the Masses last weekend, Archbishop Lori has appointed me as Pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Ellicott City and has appointed Fr. Canisius Tah to succeed me as your new Pastor, effective July 1.  I will begin meeting with Fr. Canisius to help him during this time of pastoral transition.  He is very eager to shepherd this great flock here at St. Joseph Church & School.  You can visit Fr. Canisius’ two parishes where he currently pastors on their respective websites at St. Gabriel in Woodlawn and St. Charles Borromeo in Pikesville.  Originally from Cameroon, Fr. Canisius completed his priestly formation at Mt. St Mary’s Seminary and was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Baltimore on June 21, 2014.   

            For me personally, this move is bittersweet.  On June 23 I will begin my 20th year of priestly ministry, so half of my priesthood has been given to shepherding this great parish.  I have so many good memories over these past ten years.  In particular, I am grateful for the way we responded during the pandemic.  Our ability to adapt and create an outdoor sanctuary on our soccer field during a six-month period before we could return to the church was unique and unifying.  I can still vividly remember looking out from our elevated stage behind the altar upon a sea of parishioners worshipping the Lord, kneeling in the grass during the consecration, and approaching in orderly lines to receive the holy Eucharist.  This required a herculean effort from our parish volunteers each week- a testament to the level of engagement amongst a committed core and our dedicated staff. 

            I believe our response to the pandemic- which strengthened our parish and attracted new members- propelled the success of our capital campaign to replace the church’s heating and cooling system and our church renovation, for the glory of God.  While we retained the intimate feel of the original design, we added some liturgical elements that have elevated the sense of the sacred.  Our newly designed music area has also been a great addition.  Finally, the acoustical treatment we installed has greatly enhanced the ability to receive both the spoken word and our strong music program as well.  As I now gaze out from behind our stone altar- which will be consecrated by Archbishop Lori on May 31- I am moved and inspired by the cultural dynamism of our parish.  We most certainly reflect the Church born at Pentecost.  I hope you can join us on June 13 for the 4:30 pm Vigil Mass, followed by a celebration in the parish center to mark these past 10 years.  My Dad will take the stage one last time, with my sister Maggie on backup vocals as part of the entertainment program.  I’m confident that Mom will be singing along with us from heaven.  The blessing of my new assignment, however, is that my sister Maggie and her family belong to OLPH and it is much closer to my father’s house as well.  My task as a pastor, wherever that may be, is the same:  To shepherd, sanctify, and teach, as we strive to make our way through the narrow gate to the Father’s House.  I conclude this decade feeling most blessed by all of you and confident that my memory will live on because I allowed Christ to work through me.

With Love and Gratitude,