A Word from Your Pastor - June 14

Dear Parishioners:

As most of you have heard, I recently participated in the funeral of my cousin Dawn Gideon Altomari in Pittsburgh.  It was celebrated at the Cathedral of St. Paul in Pittsburgh and I was able to concelebrate with my classmate from seminary, the Very Reverend Kris Stubna, who is rector of the Cathedral Parish.  This was a trip down memory lane for me in many ways.

My cousin Dawn was only a year older than me and we saw each other growing up now and then on my family visits to relatives in Pittsburgh.  She became a remarkable woman who worked in administration in many hospitals throughout the country, including Pittsburgh, New York and Washington, D.C.  She was truly “successful” as far as the world is concerned in many ways.  But what was highlighted at the funeral Mass was the reality of what motivated her – namely her Faith (she and her husband Kevin were faithful members of the St. Paul Cathedral Parish) and Love.  The gathering brought my family into contact with many cousins and others whom we don’t see often enough.  It also included people of many different faiths involved in health care work who knew her and joined the family in mourning the loss.  What I came away with from the experience of the celebration of her life was a renewed awareness of the impact each of us can have on those around us.

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/postgazette/obituary.aspx?n=dawn-marie-gideon-altomari&pid=175012951

A second aspect of the journey down memory lane was the opportunity to spend time with Fr. Kris.  30 years ago, he and his parents came down to Columbus for my ordination (June 22, 1985), and a week later, I and my family were present for his ordination in Pittsburgh on June 29.  We had a chance to talk about all that has happened in those years.  Again, I have returned home with a sense of renewed appreciation for the gift of priestly ministry and the recognition of what these 30 years of experience of labor in the Lord’s vineyard have brought to me.

Today, my ordination classmate Fr. Jeff Rimelspach and I are celebrating a special Mass at St. Margaret of Cortona at 2 p.m.  Please join us in a prayer of thanksgiving for all that the Lord has done for us in these years.  May we continue to serve the Lord in His People with joy for the Gospel.

As we welcome Fr. Henry Byekwaso this weekend for the Mission Appeal on behalf of the Archdiocese of Kampala, may we all be generous in our response to the Lord’s call to share what He has given to us with those who are so in need.  The truest sign of the work of the Spirit among us is our willingness to share what we have received.