A New Chapter

Our parish is stepping into a new chapter, and Katie's sharing what’s been on her heart, where she feels God is calling her personally, and where He might be calling the parish community.

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Welcome to season two of Relatable Catholic. We're back with new conversations, familiar faces, and the same heart for making the Catholic faith approachable, honest, and lived out in everyday life. Whether you've been here since day one or you're just finding us, we're so glad you're here. Welcome back. Hello, and welcome back to Relatable Catholic. I am just a small town girl living in a lonely world for real. Just a solo podcast today. It is just me, myself, and I. Well, Carl is here too, but he is resting on the couch. It's also like thundering and raining a little bit. So, oh, there's a big one. So I don't know. We'll see how this goes. It might be nice, like a little like nice ambiance in the background. Um, but anyways, welcome to this week's episode. It is just me, Katie, with you this week. Um, Mr. Till is embarking on his last week of summer school. So God bless him. Um, because man, do I not want to be teaching summer school? So he's almost done. So he's busy with that this week. And Angie is off on a family vacation. So she is busy with her family having fun, and Buddy and Annika are also on vacation. So that is why it is just me this week, and that's okay. So just me and Carl this week. Hopefully, Carl doesn't speak too much, but he looks pretty tired over there. Um, yeah, so we had a very busy transitional week this week. Um, this past week, as we have been leading up to for months um the big transition of our parishes and our priests has um come and now we're in it. So uh at the beginning of it, I was calling it gifing down the street. So we have gifted down the street right to where everything is gonna be. So gif journey in faith, that's what the program was called. Um, so we are yeah, just getting into the swing of things. So thank you for understanding we didn't have an episode last week because honestly, the podcast never even crossed my mind last week. It was busy, busy, busy. Um, so yeah, Father Andy is all packed up and gone. He would not let me help him pack because my idea of cleaning and packing is just like throwing everything away. And so he was worried I was gonna throw too much stuff away, so he wouldn't let me let me help, which is fine. Um, but we did have a really fun our parish had um a going away party uh last like see the Friday before he left, and it was awesome. We had mass and steaks, sandwiches, and a live band. It was yeah, it was really fun. Um there were over 500 people who attended, so it was really, really a good night, and it was just fun just seeing everybody in like one place. Um so yeah, it was fun. And so that that chapter is officially officially closed. Um so uh last Tuesday was when everything the big change, um a historic change, uh, where all of the priests were moving at at one time because their um their assignment started at their new parish at noon. So it was their goal to be at their noon par at their new parish by noon. Now I don't know if all of the priests managed to get to their new to their new um their new homes by noon, but uh I know they all tried because a lot of them like you don't think like it's like oh well yeah, just like go. But a lot of them had like hours to drive. Um and you know, moving all their stuff. Um yeah, so uh you probably like don't really think about it, but there's actually a ton of moving pieces when it comes to um priests moving. So especially this one because there were so many priests moving um just that that one day specifically. So for us in Bellevue, uh we had there were a bunch of um strong men who um helped Father Andy on Monday night move all of his stuff out and get it all packed in the trailer so he could take off on Tuesday morning. And then so Father Andy left around nine on Tuesday morning to get to his new parish. And then the ladies came in. I think there were probably around 30 ladies that um uh from the parish who came and we scrubbed the rectory from top to bottom. Um it I don't think it's been done for many years because like especially like the last transition between Father Gross and Father Andy, it was a really quick transition, um, like within a couple weeks. So there wasn't really a lot of like time to plan and make this all work, but um it worked this time and we had a ton of help like cleaning windows, cleaning. I mean, I was in the kitchen and we took every piece of the refrigerator out and cleaned it. Um, so we just really wanted um our new priest, Father Jacob, to come to come to our parish with uh a really nice clean blank slate. Um, so there was there was a lot of people there helping that day too. And then that afternoon, that moving crew had to come back because it was time to move in our new priest to um the parish. So uh in our pastorate, we have um two new priests, Father Ray Burkle, and he's actually we're the Makogata pastorate. So he's living in Makokoda, and then uh in Bellevue at St. Joe's, we have Father Jacob living at our our rectory um in St. Joe's. So there were there were so many people who who helped. Um, and it was really refreshing to see um just how many people wanted to help and were willing to help. Uh, so I hope that we can keep that spirit as we continue um to transition. So, and I know like over the next few weeks, like everything will start to get settled in and um some normalcy in the new schedule, and and it'll all be good. So I think you know, all these things they they take time. So I wanted to talk about first about the questions that I continue to get. Um, the first question is, how's Father Andy? He's fine, he's good, he settled. He claims he's unpacking, but I mean, maybe he really is. I hope he really is. Um, he's good. He is, I think, settling in to his new role too. So he is the pastor of his pastorate, so he'll have um, he'll have a little more of the heavy load on him. The next question is always have you met the new guys? Um I have met both the new priests um in our pastorate. Father Ray had mass last week Tuesday night. Um, and then Father Jacob had our masses. Let's see, we did Thursday morning, and then I attended Saturday night mass. So um, yes, I've met both of them. They are lovely, and I I've really enjoyed the interactions I've had with them so far. Um, and I'm excited. Uh, change is not easy for me, and I will say I am having a harder time than I anticipated I would. I um, you know, you really think you're prepared for all of this, and then it happens and yeah, it's different, and I'm working on it. I'm really excited to start working with the new priests on different things, and I'm trying to be as helpful as I can uh because I forget how much that they don't know about like even like the physical buildings. And these two priests that we have have seven buildings that they have to get used to. Um, so I I kind of like vacillate between like I don't want to be overly helpful, like okay, like we get it. And I also don't want to be not helpful enough that like it's overwhelming. So I myself am trying to find a balance in that. So I was helping on Saturday night um with so Father Jacob already has had to have a um a wedding already too, so he really jumped right in. So on Saturday there was a wedding and then mass. Um Saturday evening, the vitral mass, and I was doing different things and switching things and getting ready. I was sacristan, and then um I led father to the confessional, and then I got thinking about it because the the confessional light wasn't on to show that he was in there, and it's like, you know what? I bet he doesn't even know where the light is. Um, so I helped him turn on the light. But uh yeah, there's just little things that it's like, wow, like they really, this is such a big like we like I think I keep selfishly thinking about myself, like, oh, like this is such a big change for me, but also forgetting like what a big change it is for for these priests. Like I didn't have to move anything. I stayed right where I was, and they came to me and they really, I know, like it is their vocation, it's their their vow of obedience, but it's still like a really big deal to leave everything that you've known for the last how many years and kind of like start over. So um that's really something that we need to to keep in mind too. One thing that I've really been trying to reiterate to people and like even myself is that I'm really hoping that people aren't going to look for like characteristics of Father Andy in Father Ray and Father Jacob because we're all different people. Like uh Father Andy had his own like unique qualities that we loved, and now we need to find the unique qualities that we love about our new priests. So not going in with any expectations of like how they're going to be or what's going to happen, I think is um is our biggest, like our biggest task going into this is just like going in with an open mind, going in with grace that that these are different people with different gifts, different talents, different characteristics, and um, and not like judging them by something that we've known in the past. It sort of reminds me of when Father Cruzy left. So Father Phil Cruzy was at our parish um for quite a while and he was a beloved priest. I love Father Cruzy. Um, he really made an impact on our parish and our school. And I remember thinking sort of like the same thing when Father Cruzy left, like, oh, I feel really bad for the priest coming in because we have such high expectations because we love Father Cruzy so much that, you know, like who's gonna fill his shoes? Like, who nobody ever be the same as Father Cruzy? And um, and sort of feeling like the same thing right now is that it's really important for us to go in within with an open mind and an open heart. I really feel a calling for us to to be as welcoming and open-minded as we can in our new in our new pastorate, because I think that's that's where where God is calling us. I really loved um Father Jacob's message this weekend was because it's a big deal, like everything, all of the changes, it's a big deal. And there are a lot of different emotions, and and his message was like, if you're feeling these like anger, those kind of emotions, sadness, like it you have to go to Jesus with it. And if you're feeling happy, excited, um, go to Jesus with it, that Jesus should be the first, the first call in those feelings. And that's actually something that I've been working on too. Um actually with Father Andy in the confessional, that was one thing he um he was telling me, like it that, you know, when it when it like I I think all these things and complaining about these things, but I like I haven't brought them to God yet. Like I've telling other people, I'm like bringing them to the confessional, but yet like I haven't worked it through with God yet. So um I really thought that was a good message and it really tied in with what what I'm also also working on. Um I really, I really do think that this is um this is an opportunity to to trust God's plan. And I've been saying this all along that like if nothing else, this is this is a way to show to show like this is a physical way to show God that we trust because there is sort of like um a piece of suffering in it. Um and that and through so it's almost always through suffering that we grow closer, closer to the Lord. So um, yeah, so I I think there are opportunities for us to deepen our faith in this process. Um I think right now, like, especially like if you're feeling maybe like you don't want to go to mass anymore, or or there's no mass at my a weekend mass at my parish. So I I'm just gonna go on the weekday. Um, which the week weekday mass is beautiful, but it is not, it doesn't count as your weekend obligation or your Sunday obligation. So um weekday mass is just an extra, but it's actually the Sunday, the Saturday vigil and the Sunday Mass that are your your obligation to go to. Um, but so I think that it's a call to just keep persevering, even if you don't really want to, or you're not connecting, or you don't feel like you're home yet, um in in a different parish. I really, really pray that you can keep persevering and just just keep going. Um, because I think things take time. And I think through persevering, it's just like when God asks us to persevere in prayer, um, that you know, like keep coming, keep asking. That's what the Lord asks of us in prayer. And I think that's what he's asking us of right now to to keep coming, keep showing up, um, keep growing. And uh this is a time that maybe we're being called to step out of our comfort zones, maybe to take on a role in in the parish that we we haven't before, whether that's like lecturing or sacristaning or like becoming an usher, or maybe you're really passionate about party planning, and maybe you want to do some social events or something, plans and social events. Um, I think that this is a good opportunity to do that. Um, definitely meeting new people. I think this is, I think probably the most important thing is is being welcoming and um maybe inviting someone to to church because there's there's a good chance that they feel displaced. And and it sounds really uncomfortable even to even as I'm saying it, like I'm not gonna go ask someone. Um, but if the opportunity arises, I think that, yeah, I think that is something good that we could do right now is to invite someone to mass because it might just be them going or just attending one time for them or for anyone to realize that okay, like it's not that bad. Like Jesus is still there in the Eucharist, and that's and that's why I'm here. Um, or maybe it's taking on more of a leadership role. We really need to pray for our parishes, we need to pray for our priests, especially as they transition, um, because as hard it is as it is for us, it's I think even harder on them. So um make sure you keep them in your prayers and and help in any way you can. Um, I've been really thinking lately too about focusing on the blessings and instead of like all of the things that are changing, um, to think about all of the good things that um I one thing this weekend, mass, I went Saturday night, it was packed, and it looked like Sunday was just as full. So um there are beautiful things in in this in this transition. Um, it is beautiful to see the church so full, and um, it was awesome to see so many people together at Father Andy's farewell reception. So, like I do think that as hard as it is, there are good things that that are definitely gonna come out of it. And um, I think that's that's all we can do right now is really focus on the good things and and how and really listening to God's call and how how we can be disciples, how we can be, how we can better serve um in our communities and our parish communities. So um, yeah, that's I don't have anything else to talk about. That's really the only thing that has been um has been happening. And uh I think I really liked how Father Jacob said, like it's okay however you're feeling, because like I and it it changes every day for me. Some days I'm excited about it, and you know, like the like just the the transition and you know the the school year ahead and and then other days it makes me cry. So it just it just I think it's okay however however we're feeling, but I think just showing up and persevering is is good and finding your community, um, you know, relying on your church community because everybody is going through the same thing. So um just really working together, coming together, and and making making the most out of this, out of um, out of this change. Okay, well, um I did get a new car, a new ish car, the newest car I've ever had. And I have many can you relays this week. Um, so I have never had this nice of a car. And I have just been trying to think of any excuse to drive around. I went to Target, I've been to, oh, I've got an Amazon return. I better go take that back. Oh, you know, like, oh, I'm like, I I guess I should go go groceries. So um, that's a can you relate? I got a new car and I'm so excited. I'm really mostly excited about the button to open the back hatch. So when I order groceries, I can just I don't have to get out of my car at all. I do like struggle to make small talks sometimes. So I am excited to just hit that button and then hit the button again. Um, I'm really excited about that. So um, yeah, I uh am so excited. My garden is flourishing. I have already harvested a couple cucumbers. I think this is everybody's like case this year. I don't know. I'm gonna have so many cucumbers, I don't know what I'm gonna do with them all. So that's exciting. My flowers are blooming. I every day I go out and I just look in my garden and think how beautiful it is. I don't even like cucumbers that much, but I guess I'm gonna learn really learn to like them. So I guess my can you relate is do you ever like if you've gotten a new car, just like just want to drive it everywhere? And if you have a garden, do you eagerly go outside every morning just to see what's grown? It like, even though like I know it's not time to harvest it yet, but like I just want to go out and like look at it, admire it. Um, yeah, so that's all for this week. A nice short one to get you through this Thursday. So that's all for this week, and we will catch you next week. As always, we are praying for you and hoping that you have a great week. Bye.