Dear Friends,

Serving as your pastor these last two years have been a gift from the Lord at this late stage in my priestly ministry. As many of you know, OLMC was my home parish for 3 years before entering the seminary. Fr. (Msgr.) McCready, the pastor, was a wise and kind mentor, helping me to grasp a good understanding of the practicalities of the priesthood. He gave me a room in the rectory during vacations and even saw to it that I had a few extra dollars in my pocket.

There were, however a few tense moments when I thought my vocation might be in danger. Like the time I borrowed Fr. McCready’s prized graphite-shaft golf driver without asking permission, only to see the clubhead fly off the shaft on the driving range. That easily could have been the end of my seminary days, but eventually cooler heads prevailed (that I got the club repaired quickly certainly didn’t hurt matters).