Our Mothers & Mary, Mother of Priests

God blesses us in so many ways, and in our country this Sunday we especially honor the gift of our mothers. While parent-child relationships can be complicated at times, we are grateful for the ways we are blessings to each other. We give thanks to God for those who gave us birth and to those who embraced us as mothers through adoption or as step-mothers. Their motherly care helped us grow and they continue to guide us in strong and gentle ways. We give thanks for godmothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers. We are grateful for women who may not be mothers but still love and shape us with motherly care and compassion. Our hearts go out to mothers who are separated from their children because of war, poverty, or conflict. And we pray for those mothers who have gone to their eternal reward with God; may our bonds of love and affection continue to unite us until we meet again.

As our parishes continue to pray for Fr. Bill’s health and future ministry, we are also praying for the blessing of another priest to be assigned to our collaborative. Jesus shares his Blessed Mother Mary with all of his disciples, for her example and maternal love and support. In a particular way, Mary is considered Mother and Queen of Priests (Regina Cleri) to guide priests to serve more faithfully as ministers of her son, Jesus. This time of year there are a lot of priest transfers, including nearby parishes in North Attleboro and Attleboro who will be receiving new pastors in late June (serving 2 or 3 parishes each). As you know, the number of active priests continues to decline, so there is no guarantee there will be a second priest for our parishes. There will not be enough priests to fill all the parish openings until more people respond to the call to be faithful disciples of Christ and more men respond to the call to serve God’s beloved people as priests. This is why two of our Local Plan Priorities are Strengthening the Sunday Experience and Vocations and Discernment, Especially Diocesan Priesthood. I’m happy to announce that our current efforts to promote vocation awareness will now be guided by our new Collaborative Vocations Team, with co-chairs Steve Rolfe (from St. Martha) and Cheryl Germano (from St. Mary). This will give all parishes greater hope for future lay and ordained ministers.

This Saturday, May 18, our Archdiocese of Boston will be blessed to be able to ordain 14 new priests - finally surpassing the size of my ordination class 22 years ago! These new priests, together with the half-dozen or so priests who are transferring from other parishes, will soon learn where they will be sent or “missioned” by Cardinal Seán.

At times we can have unrealistic expectations of a priest entering a new assignment. Each one of them is a unique human person, with his gifts and limitations, who is about to go through both a move and “job change” at the same time. So let us use this week to pray not only for another priest for our parishes, but for all priests - seasoned and newly ordained - who will start a new assignment in the coming months, that the Blessed Mother, their parish-ioners, and brother priests may all lift them up lovingly to God and support them in their new assignments.