Who I thought I was catching the eye of all the nuns…..

Today’s date has come and gone many times over the course of my ministry, and most of the time if I remember it I can blame it on someone else who has reminded me as I tend to forget it.  But 24 years ago today I took the vows of a priest, and in all honesty, just like my high school sports career, it seems like yesterday.

Who I REALLY WAS in 1990….

But the priesthood for me has never been something I intended to mark “time in” over, for I discovered very early on that it had very little to do with what had passed, and everything to do with the present and the future.  Sure, I suppose I don’t show myself to be a greenhorn all that much anymore, but I also know that I will never be classified as “prone to perfection” either.  I have always just taken it one day at a time, and have been blessed far more than I can ever describe.  It is has been, and continues to be, a high honor, a very humbling call, and one that to this day I take very seriously.

Probably a more realistic perception…..

Yes, even after 24 years as a priest (and 25 totally ordained if I live to June 23rd) I am less connected to institutional side and the structures and such of the Church, as I am connected to the One who calls us all by name.

So tonight this is short and sweet, just like the sermon you’d dream I would deliver!  And I will close just by sharing with you a few pictures to reflect a little a bit of the last 24 years.  No clergy were harmed in the production of this posting.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

(Father, 24 in) Tommy+