We journey together

Dear parishioners,

On January 29th this year, I received an unexpected phone call. Fr. Tom was calling on behalf of the clergy assignment board, informing me that Fr. Ron was looking to retire in July and that I was being asked to consider taking his place. With no new priests being ordained for our diocese this year, and with all of the big changes happening across our diocese, I had anticipated that I would be staying in my current assignment for at least one more year.

This new information got my mind spinning as I thought about the many layers of impact this change would involve. I experienced some sadness at the thought of pulling up my roots and leaving the people and places I had come to know and love in the past four years. I thought of the initiatives I had been planning for the upcoming year that would now go uncompleted. But within a day or two I began to experience some excitement and sense of adventure for what this new assignment might bring. I began to prepare myself for it by reading the parish bulletin online, watching the live-stream Mass, and exploring the parish website to learn more about this ACC.

I am excited to officially be here now, and I look forward to getting to know you all and these parish communities. By way of brief introduction, I grew up on a farm just outside of Paynesville. I have one brother, four sisters, and ten nieces and nephews (and counting). I was ordained in 2020 and spent two years in Fergus Falls, Elizabeth, and Pelican Rapids before moving to Little Falls in 2022. I’m an avid reader and especially love learning about the saints and how to cultivate and live a deep life of prayer and holiness. I enjoy insightful one-liners and quotes, and I often work them into my homilies.

In the Gospel this weekend, Jesus speaks of the things the Father reveals to “little ones” while hiding them from “the wise and the learned”. This is a reminder to us that God’s wisdom goes far beyond human wisdom, and when we are humble enough to acknowledge and cooperate with this reality, God draws us into the depths of his divine wisdom and love. This is not to deny the importance and value of using our minds to study and learn. After all, the Church has a rich intellectual tradition that has formed many saints and led them into deeper relationship with the Lord. The point is that if we rely on our own efforts and understanding in our approach to God, we’re not going to get very far. God’s mind is like the ocean; our mind is like a bucket. We can stand on the shore and fill our bucket ourselves, or we can let ourselves be swept out to sea by God. The wise and learned of this world are often too prideful to believe in anything more than they can fit into their bucket. The little ones are humble and are therefore willing to be led by God and his Church into a deep life of prayer and holiness. Humility is the foundation of prayer and growth in the spiritual life. Take some time this week to reflect on this question: do I try to fill my own bucket in the spiritual life, or do I, in humility, let God take the lead and sweep me out to sea through a life of prayer and surrender to the divine revelation

He has imparted to the Church?

As I look forward to serving this ACC, feel free to send me an email introducing yourself and sharing anything about yourselves that you see fit. I’m sure it will take some time to connect names with faces, so please remind me of your name at least the first few times I meet you.

Know of my prayers, and please add me to your daily prayers as we journey together.

Fr. Patrick