Holy Family of Jesus, Mary & Joseph

Dear Parishioners, 

On January 1, I will mark six months as pastor of St. Peter’s & St. Hubert’s. I can’t really say that time has flown or that it seems a long time. I guess because I’m in a very familiar place - back here in Reserve after over 45 years since going off to college for a year, and then to the seminary. Back in July 2017 I began my three-years as pastor at St. Hubert’s in Garyville – a somewhat equally-familiar place since I grew up in Reserve. In late 2021, when Hurricane Ida damaged the rectory at St. Gertrude’s where I was pastor, I moved in with my mother on Central Avenue and drove the 40- minute commute to Des Allemands every day for almost two years until I was able to move back into the repaired rectory. So for the past seven years, I have reconnected in a more direct way with my hometown, family, and longtime friends, and again, for the past six months, have literally become the pastor of my lifelong home church parish. As you may know, priests were not sent back to their home parishes for ministry because of the familiarity, and in small towns, that familiarity is even more heightened. But times and practices change, even in the Catholic Church, and here I am – literally back home and pastor of the parish where I, like almost all of you, received my initial sacraments. My return to St. Peter’s and St. Hubert’s has been a interesting yet good one for me, and yet your welcome and reception of me has been wonderful – I certainly knew that would be the case. There was only one or two other parishes that I was being considered for with the reassignment of pastors this past July, yet Archbishop Aymond chose me. With my knowledge and experience of both St. Hubert and St. Peter parishes, I feel I can be a good pastor and spiritual leader with the coming-together of the Reserve and Garyville communities. I’d like to conclude with a favorite Gospel passage of mine - the Annunciation. The Angel Gabriel tells Mary that nothing is impossible for God, and Mary responds that she is the handmaid of the Lord, and for His plan for her to take place in her life. I embraced Mary’s words and am the servant of the Lord. May His will be done in me, according to His Word.