Looking back at the weekly messages of Father Paul Counce, first published in The Carpenter, our weekly Parish Bulletin
Published: May 16, 2021
My dear Parishioners and Friends,
Well, last week certainly was a busy one, although pretty much “behind the scenes” the whole time as the secrets were kept at first and then exploded as expected a few days later. As you learned here in this space a week ago, my time as pastor of St. Joseph Cathedral Parish is coming to a close on June 30. And as you probably learned both at Mass and in the deluge of publicity put out by the diocesan communications secretariat last weekend, Father Cary Bani will become the pastor here on July 1.
Many longtime parishioners and friends of the Cathedral will remember Father Cary, who’ll be 64 later this summer. He’s a very good friend of Father Jerry Young, our pastor from 1997-2009, and often visited here then. He’s even better known for being a medical doctor, although he left his career in radiology behind when he was ordained a priest in 2007. His most recent assignment was as pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in the lovely little town of Saint Francisville north of here. But I think it’s best to let him introduce himself once he gets here, although if he wishes to write something already for publication even sooner here in The Carpenter before he arrives that will be fine too.
In the meantime there’s a fair amount of work still to be tended to on Cathedral Square. Sadly, the recent morning thunderstorms have exposed at least two more leaks in our venerable Cathedral’s 150-year-old roof. I hope we can fix them before Fr. Cary arrives, although these kinds of things are notoriously difficult to locate and repair.
In fact I’ve got to buckle down and see what else needs to be done by me before I leave and start work anew at the Catholic Life Center. Although I will be glad to give up the reins of oversight and administration here, and as a result perhaps my daily routine will become a tad more predictable, as I said here last week I am not going to be retiring. My return to full-time work in canon law with our diocesan Tribunal is important, especially over the next couple of years during which the bishop and I hope for it to transition into a primarily lay-led office. Once I get moved and settled – and enjoy a week at Gulf Shores with my family in July! – I will certainly have a good deal of Tribunal work waiting for me.
But this weekend (Sunday, May 16) we’re going to have a special Mass and picnic especially for our children and grandchildren! The 10:30 Mass is here, of course, but the picnic will be at the Pavilion at Magnolia Mound. Are you bringing your lawn chairs, your energy, your smiles and your appetites? It will be a great way to visit, and you know, also to begin saying goodbye (or at least, “Till we meet again”).
Always in Christ,
Father Paul Counce
