We all are the Priestly People of God. Together, we are leaders in responding to the emotional and spiritual needs of Priests and Brothers. November 2014 - Vol. 30 No. 11 Year of Consecrated Life O God, throughout the ages you have called women and men to pursue lives of perfect charity, through evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience. During this Year of Consecrated Life, we give you thanks for these courageous witnesses of Faith and models of inspiration. The pursuit of holy lives teaches us to make a more perfect offering of ourselves to you. Continue to enrich your Church by calling forth sons and daughters who, having found the pearl of great price, treasure the Kingdom of Heaven above all things. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever Amen.
65 Years of Priestly Ministry Father Gregory resides in retirement at the Community House in Dittmer Missouri. Ordained 65 years and professed as a Servant of the Paraclete for 50 years, his commitment to the priesthood and the ministry of the Servants of the Paraclete is evidenced in his life of service to priests and religious brothers. Father Gregory has served in Minnesota, Vermont, California, New Mexico and Missouri over these many years. Ordained in the diocese of Galveston Texas on December 17, 1949, he served in parishes there until Father Urban Gerhardt sp asked Fr. Gregory to join an order of priests and religious brothers that worked with their confreres in many capacities. Fr. Gregory took his first vows as a Servant of the Paraclete on September 3, 1964. Fr. Gregory has recently spent some time visiting with family in Ohio and with his longtime friend, Patrick, in Boston. We share some of the pictures of these momentous times in his priestly and religious life with Priestly People. Please continue to pray with Father Gregory for priests and religious across the world. Father Gregory celebrating his 65th anniversary of ordination at a celebratory mass at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Methuen MA Father Gregory McCormick sp Father Gregory thanking the congregation for coming to celebrate this milestone in his life with him. Father Gregory with Father Chris Casey, pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel and Patrick O Connell, lifelong friend of Fr. Gregory s.
Fifty Years in Vows As I reflect on my fifty years in religious life as a Servant of the Paraclete, I find my mind goes back to roots in Clones, County Monaghan in Ireland. The seeds of my vocation were surely planted there through the influence and example of my parents who practiced and lived their faith in every way, and also through the good formation received in the catholic schools which I attended. When I was 16 my parents decided to move to England for work, and the whole family moved there, to Luton. It was in 1960 that I first encountered the Servants of the Paraclete. I had been thinking of a possible vocation, and I had learned about a little community in Brownshill in Gloucestershire. While visiting that community, they introduced me to the Servants of the Paraclete who had a house in the same village. I learned about the unique and sublime charism of this Congregation which has a Eucharistic spirituality and whose apostolate is to serve priests & brothers, especially those who may need to come away from their ministry for more intense prayer, counseling, fraternity and spiritual direction. The motto, I was told, was For Christ in his Priest. I came to believe this was my vocation. After some time, I was accepted for the novitiate which I made in England. Our Founder, Fr. Gerald Fitzgerald was still alive at that time, and I always consider it a great grace that I was able to meet him personally several times between then, and his death in 1969. He really was an extraordinary man, and a holy priest. Towards the end of my novitiate I was asked to go to Rome to our house there, which was a house of studies. It was in Rome that I made my first vows on October 27th 1964. In the following ten or so years, I served in several of our houses back in England, then Scotland, France and in New Mexico. A significant event for me occurred in 1979 when I was introduced to an instrument called the The Progoff Intensive Journal. I found it personally helpful in processing the events of my own life, and was given permission to study the journal, and eventually I was able to become a certified Progoff Journal Consultant. I felt that this equipped me to give more to the priests and brothers who came to our residential programs. It was a privilege to assist them, and it made me feel humble as they shared some of their memories and stories with me. It was a more direct involvement in our apostolate, and I counted it a great privilege. In 1996 I entered into a phase of my vocation which I had never expected when I entered the Congregation. God is a God of surprises! One of our members, Fr. Peter Lechner asked me to go to the Philippines to explore establishing our order there. I volunteered, with some trepidation, to go with him and to work with him. It was not always easy it never is when you are pioneering. Yet, somehow I feel it was the most rewarding and maybe the most fruitful part of my life as a servant of the Paraclete. It was certainly fulfilling! As a result of this act of faith on the part of the leadership of our Congregation, we are now established in Tagaytay, Philippines, and in two places in Vietnam. Through this initiative some West African brothers have joined us and soon we may establish a small community in Ghana. Little did we know that the very humble and sometimes difficult beginning we made there would result in all this! I thank God that I was able to play a little part in all of this, even if at the time, none of us had any idea what the Lord had in store for us! On returning to the USA in 1999 I have continued my ministry in various houses, mostly in New Mexico and in Missouri. I am now assigned to our Community house in Jemez Springs New Mexico. We are four in community and our house here is now a place of hospitality and prayer for priests. We, the core community, have a more contemplative life-style than is possible in other houses of the Congregation. We have two Holy Hours each week-day, and commit ourselves to intercede especially for priests and brothers, as well as welcoming priests and brothers who would like to share our life together. So at this time, my life is mainly hospitality and prayer. I thank God for his grace, which has brought me to this time of my life when I celebrated my Golden Jubilee on 27th October 2014. Br. Bernard Scollon, s.p. Celebrating with members of Mary Mother of Priests Chapel in Jemez Springs NM Brother Bernard celebrating 50 years of vows as a Servant of the Paraclete with his community members; Fr. Benedict sp and Brother John Paul sp
50 Years of Religious Life - A Tapestry of Grace My 50 years of religious life have been a tapestry of grace. God I sensed began calling me to the priesthood and religious life when I became an altar server. My devote parents were instruments in my formation, education and vocational journey Invited after an unexpected meeting by our Founder Fr. Gerald M. C. Fitzgerald to become a servant of the Paraclete, I began a journey of formation in Rome, Italy. The spirit of communityfamily -fraternity made my transition into the novitiate, first profession, studies and ultimately priestly ordination a graced experience. Along the way I grew into an awareness of the uniqueness of my servant vocation priests helping priests. My life story could be characterized only as extraordinary, a life story of richness in blessings and unique ministerial experiences. I began to discover some of the artistry involved in God s design for what was to become my life s servant vocation. My personal story of grace began by my listening to our Founder Fr. Gerald and in conversations, homilies, writings and example of what it means to see Christ in his wounded and vulnerable priests and brothers. The vision of a life dedicated to such a unique apostolate truly moved me. The emphasis on daily Eucharistic adoration connoted divine assistance, the devotion to Mary, Mother of priests appealed to me immensely, also intercessory prayers to the saints. The metaphor striving to have a family like spirit in our communities, spoke to me having been blessed with one. My early years of formation and education continued to pass unimpeded filled with the tranquil joy of growing in my call as servant vocation. The necessary transitions were minimal in contrast to the gift of a vocation as servant of the Paraclete. God was co-authoring my life. He kept the winds of doubt and fear away from me during my early years in the religious life. After my ordination to the priesthood in March 1968 and a little time before I began to experience, deaths, setbacks and fatigue. All very normal ingredients into any vocational choice. However, invincible faith was a component of my spiritual life, Paraclete formation and life-style. For 50 years I have not known any other culture then that of living with priests and brothers and serving them in their needs. The gamut runs from administering the sacrament of reconciliation, spiritual accompaniment, directing residential treatment centers, half way houses, clergy retreat ministry, continuing care workshops, prison visitation ministry, assisted living ministry, formation ministry, week-end supply ministry and leadership ministry. Having been the recipient of hundreds of priestly, personal and spiritual biographies, plus tradgies, I have received more than I have given. The priests and brothers in our care became my teachers, instruments of moral heroism and vocational fidelity. Being a servant of the Paraclete priest helped me focus on God s grace constantly working in the live of all of us, His endless care. We servants become servants of grace and hope, because that s the goal of grace, the goal of God s love and mercy in action. In the lives of all of us there are dark chapters and they can outnumber the happy ones. A rule of thumb of a definition of grace for me is God reveals Himself and calls endlessly. Ministering to priests, I have experienced God s unwavering graciousness. That there are no limits to the distance which God will travel on our journeys. That He engages creatively in the consequences of our disastrous choices. That forgiveness is without boundaries and that the call to return home to light, joy and community never goes silent. The Paraclete programs have striven throughout their history to a loving presence of priest helping priest with the co-operation of a sensitive professional staff at all levels. The resident begins to feel safe, secure and experience a healing process. After some time with the power of his peers a priest or a brother begins to review his whole sorry life and find, to his amazement there was no hint of condemnation, only limitless understanding and compassion. He has cried tears of repentance which seemed to cleansed him to the depth of his being. He experiences a personal and spiritual resurrection. God gifted me with a vocation vision through the providential encounter with our Founder Fr. Gerald Fitzgerald. And the vision has not dimmed over 50 years of being a servant of the Paraclete. The vision articulated by Fr. Gerald has been my anchor in the development of my character and servant vocation, for which I am eternally grateful to God, my Congregation, family and friends.
Emanating from my faith and the pioneer servants who witnessed what is meant to be a servant-disciple, I can truly claim that I have no regrets about my choice to follow Christ in this sublime yet difficult ministry. Being a part of a healing community serving priests is a affirmatively enriching experience that I would not exchange for any other profession. Summarized in the words of Pope Francis upon his return from the Asian Youth Day, I hope that I will leave a good memory, limitless hope, and a loving witness in service to Christ in his priests. And that I may have lighted the way for someone through the night into the day. Thank you, Lord for 50 personally and spiritually enriching years in your service, as your Spirit s servant. Fr. Liam in ministry Father Liam Hoare sp
Mary, Mother and Model of Vocations Every aspect of priestly formation can be referred to Mary, the human being who has responded better than any other to God s call. Mary became both the servant and the disciple of the Word to the point of conceiving, in her heart and in her flesh, the Word made man, so as to give him to mankind. Mary was called to educate the one Eternal Priest, who became docile and subject to her motherly authority. With her example and intercession the Blessed Virgin keeps vigilant watch over the growth of vocations and priestly life in the Church. Pope John Paul II, I Will Give You Shepherds, 1992. Eucharist: Heart of Vocations Eucharistic adoration is an essential way of being with the Lord...There we can speak with him about everything. We can offer him our petitions, our concerns, our troubles, our joys, our gratitude, our disappointments, our needs and our aspirations. There we can also constantly ask him: Lord send laborers into your harvest! Help me to be a good worker in your vineyard! (Pope Benedict XVI, September 11, 2006) Prayer for Vocations God our Father, we thank you for calling men and women to serve in your Son s Kingdom as priests, deacons, religious, and consecrated persons. Send your Holy Spirit to help us respond generously and courageously to your call. May our community of faith support vocations of sacrificial love in our youth. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Servants of the Paraclete Introduce two newly sponsored ministries in Jemez Springs NM The Fitzgerald Center www.thefitzgeraldcenter.org MISSION STATEMENT The Father Fitzgerald Retreat and Renewal Center is an outreach ministry, sponsored by the Servants of the Paraclete, who are serving people of faith desiring to draw closer to the God of their understanding. Serenity Hospitality Tranquility The Fitzgerald Center sits amid fifteen acres of canyons, mesas, ponderosa pines and mountains in the Jemez. Native lands surround the Center with spectacular views, unrivaled sunrises and sunsets and a sacredness that is felt upon arrival. These enchanted lands offer renewal of mind and spirit, healing waters, tranquil settings, and a peacefulness found in nature s beauty. The Fitzgerald Center is open for use as a gathering place for adults who wish to plan conferences, retreats, meetings and other sessions that fit the mission of the Center. Mary Queen of All Nations www.maryqueenofallnations.net Our Congregation exists to serve priests and brothers. At Mary Queen of All Nations, we offer a simple ministry; hospitality to priests and brothers who want to, come away to a quiet place for a time. In recent years our ministry has been blessed with expansion in the Philippines, Vietnam and West Africa. That is why our most recent foundation here in the USA is named Mary Queen of All Nations. We welcome Priests from other countries Priests from all areas of the US Priest and religious support groups Prayer groups Jesu Caritas Groups
Servants of the Paraclete PO Box 9 Cedar Hill, MO 63016 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED November Newsletter NON PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID PRESORT MAIL, INC. Mass Stipends We appreciate the many mass stipends that we receive. We thank you for supporting that part of our ministry. The Servants of the Paraclete receive mass stipends from our donors and they look forward to celebrating liturgy with those who offer masses for loved ones, friends and family members. Name of the person to be remembered in a mass celebrated by a Servant of the Paraclete living deceased Please send an acknowledgement card regarding the mass stipend to the following: Name: Address: City, State, Zip: If you are requesting a specific date, please allow us enough time to send the stipends to our priests. Thank you Return to: Servants of the Paraclete PO Box 9 Cedar Hill, MO 63016 DEVELOPMENT OFFICE Marian Wolaver 636-274-5226 x303 mwolaver@theservants.org PO Box 9 Cedar Hill, MO 63016