St. Joseph of the Lakes

I began my life as your pastor on July 1, 2015. I am entering into my 9th year. It has been a time that has some great highs and lows. I was diagnosed with spinal stenosis in 2009. I was told then that sooner or later this physical malady would effect my professional and private life. As other issues emerged  throughout the years following the diagnosis I forgot that this was a serious malady that would become a great limitation for me. Almost from the beginning of my time with you I began to struggle with my ability to walk and to stand still. Within my first year I found it difficult to stand without some sort of support. By the time I went to Pennsylvania in my recovery from alcohol abuse along with a physical healing for the bacterial infection of my knee replacement I very much needed physical support to deal with the pain in my back and legs. All in all these certainly were not the “best” years of my physical life. 

I know that there have been several letters sent to the Archdiocese noting frustration that St. Joe’s has had to “tolerate” two physically impaired pastors in the past ten years. For those who are frustrated, I want you to know that I did not seek to become pastor at St. Joe’s when the time came for me to be moved. I actually applied to go to a different parish, but bishop Cozzens intervened and directed me to become pastor at Saint Joe’s. He felt I had something to give to this parish.  Archbishop Nienstedt agreed with him and sent me here in July 2015 as pastor. This parish has a great history of functioning without the constant presence of a pastor. In its founding as a “missionary” parish of St. Genevieve’s, the founding pastor was housed in Centerville and came here for a Sunday Mass. One of its long time pastors was Fr. Cheka who taught full time at Nazareth Hall and was part time pastor at St. Joe’s. I have found that this parish has significant parish leadership that is in many ways different from what I have encountered in other parishes. The leadership here actually takes its role seriously as it helps guide the future of our community. I have had too many other experiences where the leadership basically “rubber stamps” what the pastor wants. 

I remember the great frustration as Pope John Paul II declined because of his Parkinson’s disease. There were many who felt he should resign, since he was not physically capable of doing the job of the Pope. His response to this was to remind the faithful that Jesus hung on the cross and reminded his followers that those who would follow him have to take up their cross to follow him. He choose not to resign so that he could continue to be a sign of Christ with suffering as part of the journey of Christianity. As I try to make sense of my spinal stenosis I find myself being guided by Pope St. John Paul II’s response to his malady. I am trusting that Bishop Cozzens and Archbishop Nienstedt’s inclination to send me to you was guided by the Holy Spirit because God had a purpose for me to be your pastor. Perhaps I am mistaken, and I am getting in the way of the Holy Spirit. (There are those among you who feel this way).  My hope as I enter into this ninth year as your pastor is to live out God’s call as best as I can within the limits He has chosen to share with me.