Plans for Welcoming our New Associate Pastor, Father Patrick Chibuko

by Father Joe

Plans for Welcoming our New Associate Pastor,
Father Patrick Chibuko

Having celebrated Fr. Lambert’s five years of ministry with us as he moves to Divine Mercy Parish in Quincy,* our attention now turns to welcoming our new Associate Pastor, Father Patrick Chibuko. Fr. Patrick was born in Nigeria and has lived most of
his life there. He was ordained as a diocesan priest for the Diocese of Enugu. After ministering in their cathedral and another parish, Fr. Patrick was sent to Rome for further studies in liturgy, then served as a professor and department head in the Catholic University of West Africa. He also helped establish an institute for Catholic evangelization in his homeland. After thirty years in academia and a weekend assistant in parishes, Fr. Patrick is eager to return to parish life full-time. Our parishes can now benefit from his varied experiences because he asked his bishop in Nigeria to allow him to help the Church in the United States as a parish priest.
To give all our parishioners an initial opportunity to meet Fr. Patrick, we will welcome him at one parish each weekend, when he will celebrate all the Masses and we will offer a coffee and snack social time between the Sunday Masses. Since there is already a coffee scheduled at St. Mary on the first Sunday of June, Fr. Patrick will celebrate all the Masses in St. Mary Parish on June 1-2, with a social in St. Mary Hall 10:30-11:30 AM that Sunday. Fr. Patrick will then celebrate all the Masses in St. Martha Parish on June 8-9 (name tag Sunday), with a social in the St. Martha Hall from 9:00-9:45 AM that Sunday.
As you know, every priest has a different personality and style, and brings different talents based on which gifts the Holy Spirit has given each person. I remind you of these obvious facts only because it can be easy for us to slip into assuming Fr. Patrick will fill the roles that Fr. lambert had - but Fr. Patrick is not Fr. Lambert! While I will ask Fr. Patrick to do some of the same tasks, we all must give Fr. Patrick the room to be himself. From the time I have spent with him this far, I think you will come to love Fr. Patrick as much as you have loved previous priests who have served St. Martha Parish and St. Mary Parish!

* If you missed the chance to thank him and wish him well, Fr. Lambert’s new contact information is: Divine Mercy Parish 386 Hancock St., Quincy, Ma 02171. (617) 328-8666