On May 25, 1968, Deacon Frederick J. Nijem, Jr., entered the brand-new Saint John the Evangelist Church in Valdosta, to become the first priest ever ordained there. The church's pastor, Father Thomas J. Payne, waived the privilege of celebrating the first Mass in his new church, commenting, "I think it's the most appropriate thing that could happen to a new church-to launch a new priest. We broke ground last July with this in mind."Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
The theme for our Catholic Schools week is Faith, Academics and Service. I am happy to say that our Sacred Heart School lives and offers all three of these realities. Our school promotes faith. There is daily prayer in the class rooms, there is a Mass celebrated weekly with the student body. There are religion classes daily. And beyond all of this our school promotes an atmosphere of faith by the religious symbols in our school and the way we try and treat one another - with Christian respect and reverence.
Let's talk about this Gospel. John's death seems to be some kind of signal to Jesus that now is the time to begin his public ministry. Jesus has to wonder as he begins if John's fate awaits him. Whatever awaits, Jesus says directly, this is the moment of decision, the kingdom of God is upon you.
The Conversion of Saint Paul
On January 25th, the universal Church will celebrate the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, a man whose life gives great hope. I have always felt closeness towards Saint Paul since we share the same name, but the true source of this closeness is the hope he instills in me. An encounter with the risen Christ changed the course of this man's life. He was transformed from someone who persecuted Christians into one of the greatest apostles of Christianity.
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
I hope this New Year has gotten off to a good start for you. I wanted to bring you up to date on the young men from our parish who are involved in studies for the priesthood and religious orders. Vernon Knight has completed his second year of theology. Vernon is currently in Columbus, Georgia, serving a pastoral year at Our Lady of Lourdes parish. Upon completion of this pastoral year, Vernon will return to the seminary and finish his final two years of study before ordination.
What a rich story of Matthew tells – the events surrounding the birth of this child foretold his destiny. It is a clear sign that the hand of God is at work here- Jesus will be rejected by his own people – Herod - and accepted by the world – the magi. "Epiphany" means "manifestation" of Christ to the world. The story tells us that heaven and earth have come together; heaven in the form of a star and earth in the form of a child and heaven and earth align with one another - God's will is being done on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew wrote the story but God is the ultimate author of the life of Jesus.
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