Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church

So Bishop Burbidge appointed me as a Vicar Forane (= Dean). Thank you bishop for your confidence and entrusting this work to me. It is a five year appointment, renewable for a second term at the discretion of the bishop.

Which begs the questions: ‘what is a Vicar Forane? And do you get to wear a fancy new hat?’

First: no new hat.

Second: the position of Vicar Forane, is appointed by the local bishop. His role is to oversee the priests of
a particular area. Each diocese is divided into areas called vicariates. In the United States, the position is usually referred to as a dean and the region as a deanery.

Canon Law lists among the duties of the Dean: to oversee the spiritual needs of the priests in his region, to be attentive to pastoral issues in his region, to coordinate regional pastoral responses, to ensure that religious functions are celebrated according to the provisions of the Sacred Liturgy, to check that the parish registers are correctly entered and duly safeguarded, to check that ecclesiastical goods are carefully administered, to encourage the clergy to attend at the prescribed time lectures and theological meetings or conferences, to visit each parish in the Deanery at a frequency determined by the bishop.

Cliff notes: In essence, the role is to assist the bishop in the smaller but essential matters of the diocese, the wellbeing of the clergy, and the administration of parishes.

Also you still call me ‘Father.’ No new hat, no new trim on my cassock, but I do get to update the bulletin with the title! So the bulletin will have me listed as Very Rev. John Paul Mosimann, Vicar Forane, Pastor.

I am still your pastor, that isn’t changing!

pax,

Very Reverend John P. Mosimann, Vicar Forane, Pastor

 

What is for me the first sign that summer is drawing to a close? ‘back to school sales?’ Nope. ‘Football training camp?’ Nope. ‘Beach vacations?’ Nope. All those once signaled the end of summer, but no longer. Now, it is ‘Graduated Server Appreciation.’

Every year, I try to have the servers who graduated high school serve one last time in the summer when I can give them a rosary, and a thank-you-card with a little piece of green in it!

Perseverance really is everything.

For the priesthood, and for marriage the measure of our vocations isn’t the intensity of our love, nor the acclaim, nor the number of friends and parishioners. The measure is our perseverance until the end of our lives.

I believe that servers persevering in serving at the altar is great training in the virtue of perseverance. There often comes a time in the service at the altar when the server gets bored, and it is no longer new and exciting. Young, new excited servers often serve with more excitement than expertise. Keeping our seasoned experienced servers help to train, mentor, and direct the energetic enthusiasm of youth.

Occasionally I have had a server complain, “but the young kids annoy me when they are bouncing off the walls!” To which I answer, “you were young once too. Now your calm helps to keep the celebration reverent and on point. This is now when you are most useful to me and all of the priests!”

Yes, the servers are transitioning to a new season of life. I know that the lesson of perseverance will serve them to better live whatever vocation they embrace: marriage, priesthood, or religious life!

A special shout out of gratitude to this year’s five young men and women who persevered to the end of their season of service at the altar: Jayson, Timothy, Lauren, Cyrus, and Chris!

pax,

Father John Mosimann