I welcome this opportunity to address you as the pastor of Mary Immaculate, St. Rose, and the Newman Center. I give thanks to God for having brought me to you through the work of the Holy Spirit and the discernment of Bishop McKnight and the personnel board of the Diocese of Jefferson City. I look forward to the many graces that He will provide us as we all work together to bring the Light of Christ into the world through Word, Sacrament, and Service.
I am so appreciative of the work Msgr. Cox has done in his past years of service in our community. It is a true honor and privilege to follow such a priest as he is, so dedicated in his vocation and his love for the Church. I am sure you will miss him terribly, especially for his gift of preaching. Msgr. Cox seems to know what is on God’s mind at any one moment. God may seem silent at times, but Msgr. Cox knows what He would say! He makes the words of Sacred Scripture truly living and effective, not just by what he says, but by what he does in ministering the sacraments. I will be praying for him especially in his new assignment in this time of transition, which will be a challenge as all parishes continue to adapt to the new realities which the pandemic has brought upon us.
I look forward to getting to know all of you and the particular gifts which you bring to the Lord’s service. All of us will have many questions to ask each other, so I hope to provide many opportunities in the coming weeks to visit with everyone. I especially appreciate that the parish staff, the deacons, and all those serving in some ministry capacity will be going through a time of adjustment. I hope that clear communication, frequent dialogue, and a lot of patience will get us all on the same page so that we can continue the good work we are already accomplishing and attend to the acute needs that arise, as surely they will.
I appreciate all those who have already reached out and welcomed me even before my arrival. In these past seven weeks since the announcements of the new appointments in the diocese, I have had countless people stop me to put in a good word for Kirksville: “You’ll love it up there!” I am sure I will. Eventually you will hear my thoughts about theological geography. If we believe in the idea of “the Holy Land”, and are familiar with the sacred places where God visited his people throughout history, we certainly can count on the fact that God has chosen this part of north central Missouri for a particular mission. I can’t wait to see what God has already done here through the generations of the faithful in these parts. And I can count on God’s presence among us, a clear light that we can follow without fear.