Dear Parishioners,
This past weekend I had the
opportunity to join some of my priest-classmates and other friends as we
celebrated the Silver Jubilee of Priestly
Ordination of one of my long-time friends, Msgr. Gregory Gordon. Msgr. Gordon
is a priest of the Diocese of Las Vegas, NV.
(As you probably remember, I also celebrated twenty-five years of
ministerial Priesthood in May, 2012.) This
jubilee was a special opportunity for us to join together and to spend some
time renewing friendships while making some new ones. Our common bond was the ministerial Priesthood of Jesus Christ in which we
are privileged to share.
While in Las
Vegas—affectionately known as Sin City—we
participated in a number of rather holy
occasions. Among the various Masses and
receptions that we attended, we witnessed the inaugural broadcast of Immaculate Heart Catholic Radio in the
city of Las Vegas. Now the people in
this area have 24 hour Catholic broadcasting over the airwaves!
I began reminiscing back to 1987 to St. Ann’s Church in Wildwood,
NJ where I was ordained to the Roman Catholic Priesthood by the late Bishop
George H. Guilfoyle. Bishop Guilfoyle had
been a former Auxiliary Bishop of New
York City before heading our diocese.
My ordination was at the beginning of the Marian Year, called at the time by Blessed Pope John Paul II
.
Many things have changed in the
Church in 25 years. Parishes have been
merged. Unfortunately, some churches
were closed. Some of my seminary
schoolmates are now bishops heading
their own dioceses or serving as auxiliaries in various larger
archdioceses. Various people come and
go, in and out of our lives.
When I occasionally look at the videos
of my Ordination and First Mass—filmed by a couple of my high school classmates—I
am reminded of those various people who are no longer with us, including Bishop
Guilfoyle, a number of diocesan priests
and my own father.
During my priesthood in the
Diocese of Camden, I have seen three other bishops serve as its leader—Bishop James
McHugh, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, and Bishop Joseph Galante—and this morning I
received word that Bishop Dennis
Sullivan has been appointed the 8th
Bishop of the Diocese of Camden.
Interestingly, Bishop Sullivan
begins here after serving as an Auxiliary Bishop of New York City. He begins as
our leader in this Year of Faith, recently
called by Pope Benedict XVI.
We welcome Bishop Sullivan to our
diocese and we offer him our prayers and support. May your years in our diocese bring a
deepened faith to the people you serve!
Ad
Multos Annos!
Fr. Ed Namiotka
Pastor
Bishop Dennis J. Sullivan
8th Bishop of Camden
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