Looking back at the weekly messages of Father Paul Counce, first published in The Carpenter, our weekly Parish Bulletin
Published: August 04, 2019
Every now and then a priest has to do something that he considers a bit awkward. Sometimes it’s as simple as mopping the ladies’ restroom in-between Masses because it’s the weekend and there’s no one else to do it! Sometimes it’s complicated, like answering the question, “Why does a non-Catholic need an annulment?” Sometimes it’s personal, between Father and his physician. And sometimes it’s very public, between me and you.
You are invited to a special Mass and reception here at the Cathedral on Friday evening, August 16, at 7 pm, in celebration of my 40th Anniversary of priesthood. There, I said it. I just feel awkward mentioning it, I don’t know why. I guess in some ways it seems as if I’m inviting you to come to a party celebrating me. But that’s really not true. Celebrating the sacred gift of the priesthood which Jesus bestowed on His Church is always worthwhile. And as Father Frank Uter emphasized during his Golden Jubilee earlier this year, it’s also a celebration of “shared ministry,” for the priest in his work offers the Lord to people, but in their reception of the sacraments, preaching, teaching, presence, and so forth, they also minister graces in abundance back to him.
So I hope you’re free to come that evening. It should be a nice Mass, and a nice reception afterwards. I hope many of my brother priests can be here, along with family as well as friends from the various places where I’ve lived and served. I’ve asked my good friend Bishop Shelton Fabre to preach: he’s close enough to me to come up with something interesting to say, and close enough to God to know what to leave out!
With the opening of the school-year just around the corner, let me make one more announcement: parents of children in grades 1 through 11 of public schools must register them in our Parish School of Religion program, or let us know of the other Parish where they will be attending. The schedule of this year’s group sessions is found on p. 3 of The Carpenter this week, but it’s not enough to just “show up”: there are books and other materials to order! The cost per family is minimal, but no price can be put on the value of sharing our precious Catholic faith with the generations yet to come! So call the Parish Office at 225-387-5928 (or send an email to office@cathedralbr.org) if you need to register or just have questions!
Finally, let me offer a quick word about the Parable of the Rich Fool (Lk 12:16-21) in this weekend’s Gospel. Jesus’ sums up His teaching in the last verse about the doomed man who died frustrated and punished, since he’d only thought about benefits in this life: “Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God.” Has it ever occurred to you that selfishness is not just the preserve of the wealthy, that there are Poor Fools and Middle-class Fools too? That’s the kind of thought that just might bring a lump into any throat!
Yours in Christ,
Very Rev Paul D. Counce
