In reality, I have known for some time that this day was coming. Father had shared with me and a few select others quite some time ago that he believed that Holy Trinity would be his last Parish. I have watched him deal very bravely with the ups and downs of priestly life and Parish life over the last five years that we have served together while observing that it was taking an obvious toll on his body. When you are in that situation, you have to understand what your limitations are, and I certainly could grasp that, since I have to deal with exercising ministry while dealing with a disability as well as trying to raise a family at the same time.
Father Patrick has been at Holy Trinity for seven years, and in many ways it's a very different Parish than it was when he arrived, much for the better. He has insisted on a liturgical praxis which follows the rubrics of the Church, which means that someone who visits from elsewhere (and we have a lot of those from time to time) won't have to expect any surprises, it's a liturgy done by the book. He has also introduced monthly Eucharistic adoration and benediction at the parish level. It is my hope and prayer that in the future this practice will be extended to more than once a month. Many parishes have perpetual adoration. I don't think we are quite to that level yet (for we are a small country Parish whose members are quite spread out), but I do think that there is a greater interest in Eucharistic devotion, and I believe that leading Eucharistic Benediction from time to time has helped make me a better deacon. I think that devotion to the Eucharist is extremely important in the life of any member of the clergy, but certainly in the life of a deacon.
Father Patrick also demonstrated an openness that can be hard to find. When the McCarrick scandal broke and the stories of yet more depravity in the very depths of the Church was revealed yet again, Father Patrick's letter to parishioners reached out, and his secular background as an attorney, law professor, and judge allowed him to explain the legal as well as ecclesiastical and moral issues at play in a pastoral way that perhaps few could ever have done. His monthly "Ask the Pastor" clergy sessions opened the floor to parishioners to ask any questions they might wish. I enjoyed participating in them whenever I had the opportunity.
Most of all, I have found him to be a friend I could rely on to talk about issues relating to the ministry and to life in the Church in a way that it was difficult to share with others. Perhaps this is because I came to see that we viewed the Church and the world in a very similar light, and it can be hard to find others who see things so similarly to you that you can speak to them freely about your thoughts, especially about ecclesiastical matters and affairs. This doesn't mean that we saw eye to eye all the time (we often did, but not always), but because I came to understand how Father Patrick thinks, I found myself better able to anticipate what he would ask of me, especially at the altar. I also came to see how under-appreciated Father Patrick often is, because so many parishioners did not see how much he has literally worn himself to the bone for the good of the Parish.
Thus far, 2021 has been a year of some surprise and certainly of some loss. I've had a number of friends pass away over this past year and a half since COVID-19 began, in many cases people that I have known for a very long time but not seen for many years. Over the last couple of weeks my Dad passed away. Now, our parish is about to lose our pastor and we will undergo a time of transition, I am sure. We will have a new pastor beginning July 1st, Father Jim Harvey. Father Harvey will need our prayers, help, and support as he transitions to a very different environment. I look forward to serving him as best I can and helping him along the way in the very best way that I can.
Our faith is a gift from the Lord. For priests and deacons, the Ministry that we are blessed with is also a great gift, a Sacrament to remind us to help lead others to the Lord Jesus. It is at times such as this that I am reminded that the opportunities that we have to serve and minister to others are fleeting, and we need to make the most of them. I am deeply grateful for the example and Ministry of Father Patrick Resen, as well as for his role in my life as a deacon as friend, pastor, and confidante. I pray that I am able to be as much of a servant and confidant to future pastors as he has been to me. As he prepares to leave us at the middle of this month, I do not know when, or whether ever, I will see him again in this life. We have always said to each other that we will limp into Heaven together one day. May the Lord help me to get there. We can enjoy a drink together and assist in the Heavenly Liturgy.
Pray not only for priests who are holy, but for priests who live to strive to be.
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