The Vicar's View

Fr. Jarred’s been gone this past week for retreat, which means that he forces me to do all the hard work, including this week’s bulletin article! By the time this is published he should be back, which means that the rectory will be a little noisier again... I guess I will have to manage! I have very much appreciated the opportunity to spend my first months as a priest with him and witnessing his example of dedication, love, and leadership for Holy Angels and its parishioners.

I very much appreciate all the Christmas cards, gifts, and baked goods that people have sent to me and to Fr. Jarred. It has also been a joy to have many people invite us over to their homes for meals or gatherings. If I were really on top of things, I would send out a thank you card to each of you. The reality is, though, that I still have not finished writing and sending out all the thank you cards from my ordination, so I think that my priority should be on those! Know that your generosity and kind words over the last few months have not gone unnoticed, and I give thanks for all of you.

On New Year’s Eve, I got permission to add a candlelit Mass at 11:30 p.m. The idea was that people would be able to receive Holy Communion right around when the new year began. I had been to a number of these over the years in Dayton, where the priest tried to time the consecration exactly to midnight and to all the fireworks going off in the Dayton neighborhood. I was not planning on being that exact with my timing, close meant that Holy Communion would either be the last thing we do in 2021 or the first thing in 2022; either one a great thing! First, I was blown away by the number of people who joined me on that evening: parishioners, Lehman high schoolers, seminarians. But the thing that moved me the most was the fact that, without planning it at all (I don’t wear a watch during Mass), I was saying the words of Institution when I heard banging. I first thought maybe there was a young child hitting the pew in front of them. But I realized that, sure enough, fireworks were going off as I elevated the Sacred Host right at the stroke of Midnight. A few students have even told me they saw the flashes of light through some of the stained-glass windows. I’ve been able to reflect upon this great gift of God for me and for each of those gathered there that night, and I can say it is one of the most powerful moments of celebrating Mass that I have experienced in my (admittedly short) priesthood. It has led me to a deep sense of gratitude that God has called me to this humbling vocation, to this incredible parish at Holy Angels, to the great opportunities at Lehman, and to be a small part of each of your lives. Thank you for who each of you are, for your witness to this community of the Catholic faith, and for your witness to me. Whatever happens in the future, I am grateful for this time I have been granted to be a priest here at Holy Angels.

Peace in Christ,
Fr. Aaron Hess