Bob Jensen

What Do We Do In the Absence of a Priest?

I would not mind being compared to Pope Francis. I am going to have the same surgery he had. Next week I will have minor surgery for a hernia repair. It is day surgery, but I will be home at least one week for recovery. Fr. Jim will cover the weekend Masses for us.

My recovery time is a good occasion to remind all what we do in absence of a priest. The two main areas of concern center on the Sunday Gathering for Eucharist and for people who are dying. If we were not able to find a priest to help, we do have people trained to lead a Liturgy of the Word with the distribution of Communion in place of the Mass. If the situation was not planned for, we may not have sufficient number of consecrated hosts in the tabernacle. We would need to request a neighboring parish to consecrate additional hosts for us or simply have a Liturgy of the Word.

When a person is near death, the Church has a beautiful ritual called, “The Commendation of the Dying.” This may be led by a priest, deacon, or layperson. If a priest is not available, we will have trained staff members and parishioners who can be with be with families at this difficult but holy moment.

The Anointing of the Sick, which requires a priest, is that prayer which we pray for healing and recovery from serious illness.

The term, “Last Rites,” has not been in official use for the past 60 years, since the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. The closest thing to a last rite would be the Commendation of the Dying or the reception of Holy Communion by the one going home to God. Neither of these require a priest. As a priest, it is always a privilege to be with people at these moments, and they are a priority.

With Partners in the Gospel, maybe a priest will be able to focus more on pastoral ministry. With fewer priests, there may be more occasions for the laity to be the presence of the Church for one another.

What do we do in the absence of a priest? We continue being Church.

Staff Changes Coming

We will be saying goodbye to Andrea Mendoza, who has served our parish as the Pastoral Assistant for Social Outreach and Advocacy. Andrea has accepted a position with Catholic Community Services. I would like to thank Andrea for all she has done for the parish and wish her well in her new role.

Since Partners in the Gospel will entail combining the staff of two or more parishes, we are thinking of waiting until our parish family is finalized and announced in January before deciding how to staff this important area of parish ministry. I am counting on the many parish volunteers in our outreach and advocacy programs to keep these ministries active and thriving in this “in-between-time”.

Anne Frederick, our Pastoral Assistant for Stewardship and Evangelization, by mutual agreement, has decided to reduce her hours to give her more quality time with her grandchildren. She will continue part-time in her current position.

Our Youth Minster position has remained vacant for over a year. We are currently conducting interviews and hope to fill this position in time for our fall programs.

One of the main roles of our pastoral assistants is to empower and support parishioners to be engaged in ministry. If you are feeling the nudge to participate in a parish ministry please contact Anne, any staff member, or myself.