Calling Down Fire {New Priest}

 

Opening with fire, Father Altenhofen hit it out of the park Sunday in his first weekend Masses at Sacred Heart.  Father Altenhofen commenced his sermons by sharing his life-long love of Sacred Scripture and admitting that he was always known as a "religious little character."  Father conveyed his particular fascination with the prophets, heroes from his youth. The image of the Prophet Elijah calling down fire upon the soaking wet altars in the 'prove your God' contest against the false prophets of Baal inspired and intrigued Father as a young boy.

"I knew this was the business for me!" Father exclaimed, revealing the first promptings toward his call to the priesthood from the early age of seven flowing from his relationship with the Word.  He reminded us that the roles of priest, prophet and king were conferred upon each one of us at our baptism. He exhorted each of us to courageously take up our role as a prophet in our daily lives, giving hope to the hopeless and rebuking wickedness while always sharing the love of Christ.  As a prophet represents God in the midst of the world, so are we to be the light of Christ as we fulfill the particular mission given to us by God.  Reminding us to be like St. Paul, who lived out his difficult ministry by relying upon God's grace, with which all things are possible, Father Altenhofen gave us quite a powerful pep talk.

Each hearing a call to the priesthood in his childhood and showing his profound reverence for the Holy Eucharist, our new priest and our outgoing priest have much in common.  Continuing to keep the confessional open for an hour daily, Fr. Altenhofen takes care of our souls in this sacrament of healing reconciliation as Fr. Qui Thac so lovingly did in his six years as our pastor.  This bears mentioning, as many parishes -even with thousands of registered Catholics- only hold the confessional open for one hour per week on Saturday afternoons.  We are extremely fortunate and grateful for the availability of confession at our little Church and praise God for sending us a priest willing to continue this life saving ministry despite the personal sacrifices involved.

The priestly height difference is worth mentioning, as our altar servers are learning to stretch and extend their reaches to hold the weighty Roman Missal up several inches higher for Father Altenhofen. Our new priest is off to a fine start in his ministry at Sacred Heart, and we look forward to being his students in the school of growing closer to Christ. 

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus {+Prayer for Fr. Qui Thac}

Father Qui Thac and Deacon Larry Gorman 

listen to the 11 o'clock choir's good-bye song for Father at his last Mass at Sacred Heart. 

Today, our universal Church celebrates the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  This very special feast falls within the octave (8-days) of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus (Corpus Christi), on which we solemnly commemorate the institution of the Holy Eucharist.  The priesthood of the new covenant, instituted by Christ when he breathed on the apostles, by God's grace, continues in the Church He founded to this very day.  Our priests, ordained by the laying on of hands by our bishops, trace their own ordination back to the apostles' ordination by Christ.  These holy men are chosen by God to bring us the flesh and blood of Jesus in communion.  On this Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, it is fitting to remember with great love the holy priests who have brought us into direct contact and sacred union with Christ in the sacraments, most especially the Holy Eucharist and reconciliation.
 
One particular devotion practiced around the world on this day is a prayer of reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Also on this day, a world wide day of prayer for priests has been promulgated.  As we pray this prayer for all priests today, we remember in a particular way our own Father Qui Thac, who will soon enter the Benedictine Monastery after faithfully serving as our pastor for six years at Sacred Heart.  How we love you, Father Qui Thac Nguyen.  You will always remain in our hearts and we pray that we will be joined together for all eternity within the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus...

Dear Father,

You came from among us
To be, for us, one who serves.

We thank you for ministering Christ to us
And helping us minister Christ to each other.
We are grateful for the many gifts you bring
To our community:
for drawing us together in worship,
for visiting us in our homes,

for comforting us in sickness,
for showing us compassion,
for blessing our marriage,
for baptizing our children,

for confirming us in our calling,
for supporting us in bereavement,

for helping us to grow in faith,
for encouraging us to take the initiative,
for helping the whole community realize
God's presence among us.

For our part, we pray that we may always be
Attentive to your needs 

and never take you
For granted. 

You, like us, need friendship and
Love, welcome and a sense of belonging,
kind words and acts of thoughtfulness.
We pray, also, for the priests who have
Wounded priesthood.
May we be willing to forgive
And may they be open to healing.
Let us support one another during times
Of crisis.
God our Father, we ask you to bless our
Priests and confirm them in their calling.
Give them the gifts they need
To respond with generosity and a joyful heart.
We offer this prayer for our priest,
Who is our brother and friend,

Amen