A reader has told us that Fr. Peter Enyan-Boadu has received an assignment as Parochial Vicar at St. Lawrence in Greece. This is a surprising move when one takes into account the fact that there are still six openings with (potentially) no other priests available, and that St. Lawrence presently has three priests on staff (Frs. Falletta, Haycock and O’Brien).
Fr. Falletta is over the diocesan retirement age but appears to be continuing on in his role as pastor of St. Lawrence. I’m not sure about the ages of the other two priests.
Here are openings yet to be filled:
(1) Pastor at Immaculate Conception (Rochester/Corn Hill)
(1-2) Parochial Vicars at Blessed Kateri (Irondequoit)
(1) Parochial Vicar at Blessed Trinity (Waverly, Newark Valley, Apalachin, Owego)
(1) Parochial Vicar at St. Mary (Canandaigua)
(1) Chaplain at Rochester Institute of Technology (Henrietta)
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St. Lawrence is blessed to have Father Peter. We will miss him at Nativity.
God Bless all the new appointees in their new positions. May God guide them and give them love, peace, courage, and strength to do His will. God bless all those who serve in His name in our diocese, and especially edify the priests with His Grace in the Knowledge of the Great Privilege and Responsibility of their Vocation.
On another topic, if you go to “Interstate Catholic” website, there is news regarding the upcoming 100th Anniversary Mass at SS. Peter and Paul Church at the West Main Street location on Sunday, June 26th at 12 noon. Bishop Clark is the main celebrant. From what I have heard, the mass is being concelebrated. SS. Peter and Paul Church is a beautiful Gothic Church which still has its high altar, communion rails, and beautiful, detailed artwork throughout.
Addendum- 12 noon on Sunday always makes me think of the High Mass I attended on Sundays at the church near my family’s summer abode. Remember High Mass?
Isn’t St. Lawrence a combination of one pastor and two retired residents from Mooney? Maybe Fr. Peter will be there to take over when Fr. F. decides to (his call–getting older) slow down. Very big parish (if not the largest). You don’t want a pastor just out of boot camp leading that one. Needs a bit of experience (opinion) in taking over.
christian 1954 says June 21, 2011 at 12:59 AM:
I think you mean to say that Sts Peter and Paul Church in Rochester (now a Coptic church)is in the style of a classic Roman church basilica(and not gothic). Perhaps you were thinking of St. Michael’s when you wrote that?
Thanks for correcting me Bernie. I must have been dyslexic or aphasic! Yes, SS. Peter and Paul Church is a beautiful classic Roman church basilica with detailed design and artwork. The Coptic Church now owns the church and has their Divine Liturgy there. The Coptic Church kept the name SS. Peter and Paul Church as SS. Peter and Paul are also very important saints in the Coptic Church. Their feast day is also an extremely important feast day in the Coptic Church. While I don’t advocate attending church there on a regular basis or using their Divine Liturgy in lieu of going to Mass, I think it is hospitable on our part to accept an invitation for a special event at that church when offered out of hospitality on the part of the clergy and parishioners of the current congregation. SS. Peter and Paul Church is very inspiring due to architecture and artwork, but apart from that, being there for a special event demonstrates our will for Christian unity. We are also representing the Roman Catholic Church when the invitation is extended to us. We go out of love of God and neighbor-Let’s call it Christian love.
Jim M. here: I certainly hope they appoint one or two priests for the Blessed Kateri Parish. With Frs. Leone and Horan leaving, that only leaves Fr. Tanck and Fr. Morgan. (I believe that Fr. Trovato is recently retired.)
From what I hear, no additional priests will be appointed to Blessed Kateri.
And if this is true, Fr. Tanck needs to reopen STA immediately and stop using the smaller churches. Less priests = fewer Masses = the need for larger churches. STA seats 1,000.
Father Haycock is 81 and an order priest from Mooney. Father Falletta may have “chastised”
on that occasion, but he is a good pastor. It is refreshing to have a priest who offers the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with respect and doesn’t change anything. Great homilist, too. Yes it is the largest parish in the diocese.
St. Mark shouldn’t be in that list. It’s the second smallest Greece parish after Holy Name. I’d throw in Assumption as one of the largest.
I believe Blessed Kateri in Irondequoit is the largest parish now in the DoR. It has over 5000 registered parishioners.
Fr. Tanck is forced to rely on retired priests because no priests want to come to Irondequoit. The word on the street is that it is a “mess.” During the pastoral planning process, parishioners were told by Fr. Tanck and the IPPG that some of the their churches must close because there were not enough priests. They conveniently told parishioners that all the retired priests in Irondequoit could not be counted. And yet now, they are counting the retired priests because no active priests will step foot in Irondequoit.
Fr. Tanck, the IPPG, and ultimately the DoR are crazy to keep a 1000 seat STA church closed. It has taken only a year for the folly of their foolish pastoral plan to fall apart!
True, but these positions are posted by the DoR just like any other job opening and priests can apply for a position or not. My guess is that there is at least one posting for Irondequoit but no one has applied for it. Certainly, the Bishop could appoint someone to fill the position but the normal process is for the priests to apply for an open position with the Bishop making the final decision from among the applicants.
I agree with Anonymous -139145 that very likely Fr. Stan did not want to come to OLOL. He was in the middle of his second 6 year term, with people who obviously love him, being sent to what has been an impossible territory to administer, spread over 700+ square miles. But it isn’t just the distance, it is the destruction wrought by the previous pastorate. Fr. Ring has been there for nearly 10 years; he is responsible for a totally secretive and divisive pastoral planning process which tore parishes apart. He has closed two churches, apparently spending down the treasuries, and assembled a staff also at odds with the parishioners (at least Cris Wensel was already job-sharing at St. Louis and hopefully she will leave OLOL; the Business Manager is still an issue.) On almost any level, liturgy, finance, church buildings (see Zeal posts), religious education, and personal relationships, it is the pits. Why would any priest in his sane mind apply? (Why would any priest want to work with Fr. Tanck for that matter?)
But, beneath the surface is a bigger reality. The people’s hearts react to the heart of their pastor. Fr. Stan apparently is loved in Webster. If so, and it seems so, it is because he is lovable. If he just brings himself to the situation, and is honest, open and caring, the rest will take care of itself. People aren’t different in different places, but the priests are. The 6-year shuffle makes folks dread the change, and often have to change churches (or change back.) It impedes faith community relationships, and certainly leads to wondering “Why give much? The next priest may not be a good steward.” One only has to look at Fr. Ring’s spending down the St. Mary treasury, and spending an absurd amount on an ego sanctuary in Naples to see the point. To many parishioners of OLOL, anyone who comes has got to be an upside (kind of like this blog in viewing a changeover of the Bishop. He too has his work cut out for him. ) But people want to love and trust their leaders, like children who keep running to the abusive parent, hoping this time for loving care.
Canonically, I don’t think the bishop has the authority to re-assign a pastor during his term, absent misconduct or some other disciplinary matter. I think the bishop must have asked Fr. Stan to move, and Fr. Stan must have agreed.
This isn’t the first time Fr. Stan has had to clean up a mess. He came to St. Paul’s just after a popular priest was removed in scandal.
Extern priest, Fr. Peter Nkansah Adu-Boaher will become Parochial Vicar at Blessed Trinity/St. Patrick as soon as the paperwork is in order and he arrives in the states.
Fr. O’Brien (St. Lawrence) was a well liked priest when he was assigned in Elmira. His relatives still live in the area. Father was never a DoR priest. He is a Jesuit priest.