So Many Things!

My first few weeks as pastor of the NW-7 Family of Parishes has been chock-full of excitement, difficult decisions, and an overwhelming sense of being well... overwhelmed. But at the same time, my peace has grown daily, and I have more confidence that we will figure out a way to make this work as a Family of Parishes. In this regard, I cannot thank enough my vicars (Fr. Aaron, Fr. Steve, and Fr. Reckers) and my staff. They have been incredible to work with and I am so grateful for the way in which our Lord has prepared the way before us.

First, while we had planned on having the Sisters of the Children of Mary come to our Family of Parishes, after much prayer, discernment, and consultation with my vicars, brother priests, staff, parishioners, and trusted friends, I recognized that I could not in good conscience help the sisters get adjusted to parish life, along with supporting and investing in my parochial vicars and staff members, caring for all you who are my flock, and carry out my many pastoral duties. Not to mention take care of myself. This was not an easy decision and I know many of you are disappointed, but I believe this humbling experience has taught me a lot about my limitations and honoring those limitations. Please continue to pray for me and for the Sisters of the Children of Mary.

Next, after discussing and prayerfully discerning with the other priests in our Family of Parishes, some staff, and some credible advisors, we have decided that we will not have any eulogies within the context of funeral Masses. Meaning that there is still a homily from the priest or deacon, but we will not allow comments about the deceased within the funeral liturgy. A eulogy can still be made at the funeral home, at the gravesite, or at the funeral luncheon. This will allow the individual speaking to not be constrained by the reverence, decorum, and dignity required for the funeral liturgy. A funeral Mass is ultimately about praying for the soul of the deceased individual to enter the heavenly wedding banquet and praying for the consolation of the family and friends of the deceased. We want to protect the purpose of the funeral liturgy. Thank you for your understanding in both above decisions.

Please pray for our young people who are attending the Steubenville Youth Conference this weekend. This is a wonderful opportunity for our young people to grow in love for our Lord and develop healthy friendships with peers who also want to grow in their faith. They are our future, and it is a tremendous thing that we get to invest in our youth through your generosity.

Thank you to the incredible staff in our Family of Parishes. They have been amazing to work with as mentioned above and have shown a growing appreciation and acceptance of my vision for our Family of Parishes as it develops. They are absolutely wonderful.

Peace in Christ,

Fr. Jarred Kohn