2009 State of the Parish Address

Hook- If you haven’t heard, Fr. Ed Purcell died this week.  His funeral was Friday at St. Mary’s of the Woods Church in Princeville, which was his family’s parish during his childhood.

            Fr. Purcell was a retired priest of our diocese.  For many years he lived with his brother Joe in a trailer park out on Rome Road.  Rome Illinois is part of our parish territory, and so Fr. Purcell considered St. Edward’s his parish, and I was his pastor, which is a bit humbling for me.  The Bishop sometimes jokingly calls me the “Pope of Rome” because Rome Illinois is within my pastoral jurisdiction. However, if anyone was deserving of this nickname it would have been Fr. Purcell because his residence was actually in Rome, and because of his great holiness.  I only began to know Fr. Purcell in my six years here at St. Edward’s. In my first three years here at St. Edwards, Fr. Purcell as a very active member of our parish: he helped out with Masses and confessions; and he would come to many of our parish’s social and fund raising events. He was my confessor for those three years.  He impressed me by his humility and patience, and I could see why he was successful as a hospital chaplain which encompassed a bulk of his priestly ministry.  Three years ago he was called upon to reflect the Suffering Christ. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, and eventually the disease had progressed to such a point that he had to become a resident at St. Clare’s Nursing Home.  Even though he was confined to a wheel chair, he would often visit other patients, and would hear the confessions of many people who would come to the nursing home to visit him.  He has now gone home to God, but his love for the priesthood and his love for people will not be forgotten.  At least it won’t be forgotten by me.

 Point 1- On this Priesthood Sunday, in this holy year in honor of the priesthood, the death of Fr. Purcell has caused me to once again think about my own priesthood.

            When I was first ordained, I saw the priesthood as something I primarily did.  My model of a good priest was a man who devoted himself to prayer, the administration of the Sacraments, and the preaching of the gospel.  I still view the priesthood as primarily involving those three basic activities.  However, as time goes on, I begin to see the priesthood as less of what I do, and more of what I am.  At the heart of my very essence, I have been made a living sign of Jesus Christ. In today’s second reading, we are reminded that there is only one great high priest, and that’s our Lord Jesus Christ.  The only reason that I am called a priest is by the fact that Jesus has made me a participant in his priesthood.  In receiving the Sacrament of Holy Orders, I have become a living sacrament.  I am only the sign of Christ the great high priest being among us in mystery.  In no way am I deserving of this honor, and I am often in awe and wonder that Christ does work through me despite my limitations and my sinfulness.  I am the shepherd of the flock in Chillicothe only because it is a gift from the Good Shepherd in heaven, and – as I say in jest- because the bishop didn’t have anyone better to send here. 

Point 2- I have also come to see that the effectiveness of the shepherd is directly dependant on the willingness of the sheep to follow the voice of Christ in their own lives.

            In today’s bulletin, there is an abbreviated version of the parish’s annual report.  A copy of this report and the text of my homily today will be posted on the parish’s website.  Canon law requires that each parish submit an annual report to the diocese, and that the parish would be informed of this report.  On this report, you will see a great deal of statistics and numbers.  You will see how many baptisms, weddings, and funerals we had last year.  If you compare last year’s report with this year’s school enrollment numbers, you will notice that our school enrollment is up.  You will see how much money we gathered, and how much money we spent. In particular, you will see how much we spent on all our building projects: on the new parish hall; on the new preschool classrooms; and the parking lot.  You will also find how much of a parish debt we have as a result of building the preschool meeting rooms and other projects.

However, what all those statistics can’t show you is the story of how the parishioners of this parish have given of themselves out of love for Christ, and out of love for their neighbor.  Many of our parishioners have been heroic in the giving of their time, talent, and treasure.  They did this despite the personal and/or financial hardships they were experiencing, and despite the discouragement they got from other people. 

Point 3- The success of this parish is the result of pastor and parishioners working together to further the mission of Christ.

            There are so many people to thank for their leadership.  For the sake of brevity, I won’t be mentioning everybody.  Many of the people who give of themselves don’t really want their names mentioned, because they do it for Christ, and not for their own glory.  I do want to highlight the folks who volunteer with bingo, those who are volunteering for the auction, and other fund raiser activities.  Without these extra fund raisers we could not do all the things we are doing now.  This weekend we have the annual K.C. Breakfast which is a warm up activity of the auction, and in two weeks we have the annual auction.  I want to encourage all of you to be a part of that fund raiser.  I think it is important to remember that in addition to being a major source of our revenue, the auction is also a wonderful opportunity for fellowship.  It’s a way of networking with other people who also share the goal of working for the Kingdom of God.  Whether you can come to the auction or not, I want to encourage all the members of our parish to come to Mass on Sunday, continue to support the Sunday collection, and read the Sunday Bulletin.  In the Sunday Bulletin, we will always post other opportunities to give of your time, talent, and treasure in order to support the parish’s mission of spreading the Gospel in Chillicothe Illinois. 

Punch- Being a Shepherd of the flock is a precious gift to me, but part of the reason it is precious to me is seeing the goodness of the many sheep that belong to this flock.

 Father Glenn Harris