Two Anniversaries: Our Nation and Our Parish

Oldest Catholic Church in the Original Thirteen States

Founded in 1641 by Jesuits who arrived on the Ark and Dove to assist in forming a new English Colony, St. Ignatius Church, in Port Tobacco, Maryland, remains the oldest continuously serving Catholic Parish in the original thirteen States.  It was here, in 1789, that Father John Carroll was invested as the first Roman Catholic bishop in the United States, although his consecration took place later in England, thereby establishing the Diocese of Baltimore.


This weekend marks the first anniversary of my arrival at Good Shepherd as your pastor.

The past year has been a wonderful experience for me, and I am very grateful for the warm welcome you have all given me.  I am especially grateful for the help, moral support, and friendship given me by Father Colm O'Ryan, your former pastor who remains with us in retirement, and Father George O'Brien, who has been in residence doing fill-in service for these many years.

It has been truly a delight getting to know you and becoming part of this tremendously vital Good Shepherd and Beverly Hills community.

This first year has been one of observing and waiting, all the while trying to be as faithful as I can in serving you and meeting your needs and expectations.  Experience has taught me, sometimes painfully, that hasty and precipitous action all too often brings regret, and lasting change must be in the form of organic growth -- evolution, not revolution.

At this time, however, foundations are being laid for the future growth and well-being of our parish community in very significant way.  Last month we welcomed Deacon Eric Stoltz to ministry here at Good Shepherd.  He will continue to be here for one or two Masses every Sunday, and will preach the homily about once  month.  As he gets to know the parish and you get to know him, you'll discover what tremendous gifts he brings to many areas of ministry here.

This week, Mr. Michael Caraway will be joining our parish staff as Director of Administration.  His responsibilities will include nearly every aspect of running the business and administrative side of the parish.  Having someone in this position has long been a felt need here.  In fact, before I came, the Parish Finance Council recommended that a person be hired to manage parish business, but Fr. Colm wisely decided it would be better if the new pastor be free to do that.  I've spent the past year uncovering the various needs and challenges unique to this parish (every parish is different!) in order to find the best person to help fulfill those needs.  I also bring fifteen years of experience working in my former with hand-in-hand with a Director of Administration in managing the complexities of a modern parish.  After a two-month search by a committee made of up of parishioners, several candidates were presented to me for interview, and the search committee concurred with me that Michael Caraway was the best choice.  He begins work this week, and you will have a opportunity to meet him over the next few weeks.

This week we are also beginning a year-long strategic planning process called the Parish Assessment and Renewal.  Father Tom Sweetser, a Jesuit from Milwaukee, will guide us in assessing our own strengths and weaknesses as a parish community in relation to our fulfillment of the Mission of Jesus Christ in our midst, which, after all, is what we are all about.  He has worked with several hundred parishes over more than thirty years, and if anyone in the United States knows the best practices and potentials of American parishes deeply and intimately, it's Father Sweetser.  He worked with me in my former parish, Our Lady of the Assumption in Claremont, and helped its people to grow into a dynamic and vibrant faith community.  You will certainly be hearing more about this as the summer progresses, and every member of the parish will have the opportunity to take part.

As pastor of my former parish, I was frequently asked to be s guest speaker at the Independence Day Celebration at Memorial Park in Claremont.  I valued this invitation because it was an opportunity to bring our Catholic faith tradition into the American public forum in a unique way,  As we celebrate the Fourth of July this year, I've been asked to post some of the best of these speeches on this blog.  (They are all the "July 2" entries preceding this one.)  I've covered such topics as the cost of Religious Freedom, humility as a national virtue, Father Junipero Serra, the real meaning of "under God,"  and an early reflection on the election of Pope Benedict XVI.  Of course, the tragic event of September 11, 2001 forms the backdrop for many of these reflections, and it remains an ongoing challenge to probe the realities of our world today in light of faith.  This is not a task that yields easy certitudes, and always requires generous understanding.

My daily prayers are with you as we together seek to be faithful to the Lord's call in our midst.  I love you.

Fr. Tom Welbers