This can be an emotional time of year in our parishes as we get word of new assignments for priests. A beloved pastor or parochial victor may be asked to serve a different parish or be called to work for the archdiocese. Some priests enter retirement; others enter ministry with their first assignments after ordination on June 21.
These changes are often difficult for parishioners and priests. During the last three years, I’ve lived with a young priest at St. Bartholomew’s Parish in Bethesda who is now being transferred. He is balancing the sadness of leaving a place he loves with excitement at new opportunities to do God’s work.
Parishioners also feel sadness – sometimes even pain – after coming to know and love a priest as a friend, spiritual leader, and brother in Christ who helps guide them on their journeys.
I realize not every situation is perfect, and sometimes a change of scenery is best for all. But I truly believe our priests do their very best to respond to God’s call to shepherd their flock and to love and serve all who come their way.
The truth is God gave us all different gifts and talents, and priests are no exception. Some are skilled administrators, and some are skilled preachers. Some are charismatic, and some are contemplative. We all wish we could be all things to all people, but God didn’t create us that way.
I remember years ago, when a pastor was retiring, the personnel board met with the people of the parish to hear what they wanted in their next pastor. As you would expect, the list of desired traits was lengthy and continued growing.
Someone who is good with youth. A great administrator who’s adept with finances. A prayerful spiritual leader. Someone with a heart for the poor, sick, needy, elderly, and disabled. Someone to grow the school and strengthen religious formation programs. A good homilist and presider. A nice guy. And on and on.
After dutifully listening for a long time, one of the priests on the board stood up and said to the parishioners, “I understand exactly what you want. Unfortunately, that man died 2,000 years ago and ascended to heaven.”
We chuckle, but there is truth in that statement. We priests are Christ’s representatives, but we are not divine. None of us has all the talents to fulfill all the demands to the degree everyone would like. We’re all different, but we have one thing in common: We try our best.
In my first assignment as pastor, I worked with a priest whose style of ministry was different than mine. He was much more into the rich trappings of the Church, like cassocks and such. I remember talking about it with him and saying, “We’re different in some of the ways we do our ministry, but we both have the same goal: bringing Jesus to the hearts and the lives of others.” He's a friend and great pastor all these years later.
The vast majority of the time, priests and people develop deep and lasting bonds. That’s why it’s hard to leave when called to do so. Most priests I know are extremely happy where they are and would prefer to stay. I have felt that way multiple times in my priesthood. But if we remember that God is in charge, the void of leaving a people and parish you love will be filled with the joys of serving a new part of God’s family at a new parish.
I learned this early in my priesthood. My first assignment as an associate at Little Flower, and our pastor at the time had recently been transferred from St. Andrew’s in Silver Spring. Someone said to him, “You must have left your heart at St. Andrew’s.”
“No”, he said. “What would a priest be without his heart?”
We find ways to fall in love again with the people we serve. It is not always easy to move, and quite frankly, some of us struggle with the transition. Through faith and perseverance, the new assignment becomes another response to God’s ongoing call and another opportunity to help others find Jesus.
If you have changes in your parish this year, I hope you welcome your new pastor or parochial vicar, give him as much support as you can, and embrace whatever gifts God has given him. They aren’t replacing a previous priest; they are their own priest sent to serve you.
You may even be lucky enough to have one of our new priests assigned to your parish. That happened more than usual last year with 16 new priests ordained in our archdiocese. We have five fine men ordained this year. As “baby priests,” they especially will benefit from all the support and care we can give as they begin their ministry of caring for us.
Remember to thank priests going on to another assignment. I suspect they served you well, and if you appreciated their efforts and their gifts, let them know that. It’s important to show our appreciation for all they've done for us, what they continue to do for the Church, and what they will do for more of God’s people in the future.
"A good shepherd, a pastor after God's heart, is the greatest treasure which the good Lord can grant to a parish, and one of the most precious gifts of divine mercy,” said St. John Vianney. As a fellow child of God, you are a treasure the Lord has given to your priests.
(Msgr. John Enzler serves as the mission advocate of Catholic Charities of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington and is a chaplain at his alma mater, St. John’s College High School in Washington. He writes the Faith in Action column for the archdiocese’s Catholic Standard and Spanish-language El Pregonero newspapers and websites.)
