This weekend, we welcome newly ordained Fr. Cameron Ferrell to our parish.  Like I mentioned a few weeks ago, he comes from SS Peter and Paul in Doylestown.  He has been in the seminary for 9 years and is ready to serve!  I can’t help but think of my early days of priesthood when I arrived at St. Gabriel Parish in Mentor.  I remember being ready to jump in and do everything.  I remember the wisdom Fr. Fred Pausche, the pastor there at the time, gave me in my first week …“take your time, go slow, give yourself a year to learn what it means to be a priest.”  I remember that brought me great peace.  I give the same advice to Fr. Cameron.  I also remember my dad helping me unload my stuff at the rectory and sharing something along the lines of “its only work if you make it work.”  Our jobs, our vocations are truly what we make of them.  Fr. Ed Suszynski, the parochial vicar at the time, always reminded me of that as well.  Wherever we find ourselves, our attitude is what makes the difference.  How we look at things, how we invite the Holy Spirit into our decisions and the direction we want to take will make all the difference as well.  As we welcome Fr. Cameron, take a moment and pray for him.  Lift him up to the Lord.  Moving from seminary life to parish life takes time.  One moves from a scheduled life to an unscheduled one.  No day is the same.  That’s one thing I love about priesthood.  Whenever we start something new it is always a good invitation to put your hands up and go for the ride.

In the gospel, Jesus says “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for His harvest.”  Thank You, Lord, for how You have answered that prayer for us.  Then He says “As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.”  We pray for Fr. Cameron and his classmates as they begin their priestly ministry to cure, raise up, cleanse, drive out and give of themselves so that Jesus’ love may be known to all they encounter on their journey.

Peace and blessings,
Fr. Jeremy