With the Blues (+1 Callis) at the reception.
Well, thank you so much.
You were all so kind last Sunday and into the week for my twenty-fifth anniversary. You are much of the fabric of my life and my priesthood, and it was good to have a chance to be together under our beautiful trees, on such a perfect day. I was delighted but not surprised at how much everybody there seemed to enjoy being together, even if they had not previously known one another or spent time together. That was not hardly a surprise; in fact, it was just what I would have expected and hoped.
It was very low-key, people coming and going as they could on a busy but beautiful Sunday afternoon. The array of eats and treats was abundant and really rather elegant; the organizers made sure I got there early and took a plate to enjoy some myself. It’s hardly a Saint Bernadette function if there aren’t kids playing under (and in) the trees; that condition too was well met.
Fr. Ben Petty and Fr. Brian Sanderfoot, who like Fr. Novajosky were taking me out to dinner that evening, came mid-afternoon and enjoyed the reception too. Fr. Knestout, my classmate and friend, arrived right before dinner, and joined by Fr. Nate Anderson, the six of us went for a delightful celebratory evening. As befits such senior clergy as we now find ourselves to be, we were not out late.
Monday was of course a work day, but people continued to drop by, and drop off things. Tuesday, the twenty-third, was the anniversary itself, and after the 6:30 Mass (with some surprise guests from the Basilica sacristy sisters!) I was off to the Saint John Paul II Shrine. The Archdiocesan Priests’ One-Day Convocation (two speakers arranged for our edification by Cardinal Gregory) was followed by the Jubilarian Mass and Dinner, celebrating all of us marking 50th, 40th, and 25th anniversaries; there were no 60s this year. Cardinal Gregory himself, as you may have heard, was one of the 50s.
My classmate Fr. John Dillon (St. Francis of Assisi in Derwood) was the homilist at the Mass, as it is the custom for one of the 25s to do. A representative from each of the Jubilarian classes offered a talk at the end of the dinner, and I was graciously asked to be the 25er who spoke.
I began by observing: This particular twenty-five years has meant five presidents, four archbishops, three popes, two translations of the Mass, and one enduring mystery. It is when you count such things that you begin to realize how much has happened, and how much time a quarter-century actually is. It all spins by fairly quickly, as demonstrated by the sudden arrival of summertime, heralded by Memorial Day weekend. If you’re going to be on the road, be careful out there!
In local news, let me also point out that the population of the rectory will shift a little this weekend, as Fr. Santandreu returns from spending recent weeks back home in Buffalo, for his final two months with us; Fr. Novajosky and I look forward to welcoming also Father Gabriel Okafor, a priest of the Diocese of Monterrey (California) who will be in residence for two months as he begins the summer program in Canon Law at CUA.
Whether you’re with us for the weekend or the summer; whether you’re new around here, or have been with me for the long haul of priesting; you’re awfully good company, and I am grateful. Thank you, and may God bless you!
