Priesthood Sunday
September 17, 2023
Next Sunday, Sept. 24 is Priesthood Sunday, a special day set aside to honor priesthood in the United States. This day we reflect upon and affirm the role of the priesthood in the life of the Church. Each day I am grateful that God led me to this vocation and that He gives me the strength, courage and opportunity to do this as best I can. This coming year we have a total of 49 men from our archdiocese studing at our seminary. They give me so much hope for our diocese. I know there are many young men in our parish who are discerning their vocation and I ask that you pray for them. If you feel called to the priesthood, please do not hesitate to reach out to me. I would be more than happy to meet with you and answer any questions. I have been fortunate enough to have had four new parochial vicars and to share the excitement of their first few years of their priest-hoods. Each one of them had their own special gifts to share and their support has been invaluable. Many of you have also been through the journey with these young priests — Fr. Jason Williams, Fr. Jacob Willig, Fr. Anthony Marcelli and now Fr. Alex Dugas. We also have had the help of other wonderful and well-seasoned priests. I couldn’t have done it without the assistance of the late Fr. Elmer Smith, Msgr. Frank Lane, Fr. Dave Sunberg, Fr. Tom Dennemenn and Fr. Ken Schartz. We also have two priests that assist us each month from the seminary: Fr. Anthony Brausch and Fr. Andrew Moss. If you have had an experience or heard a homily from these priests that helped you in some way, please write to them and let them know. Next Sunday is a day to give them thanks for their sacrifice and to help us continue to grow the vocation of the priesthood! Fr. Sunberg, Fr. Brausch, and Fr. Moss: Mt. Saint Mary's Seminary 6616 Beechmont Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45230, Fr. Jacob Willig: 111 E High St, Oxford, OH 45056 Fr. Jason Williams: 100 E. 8th St #8, Cincinnati, OH 45202, Msgr. Frank Lane: 198 East Broad St. Columbus 43215. All other priests can receive letters at St. Cecilia and St. Mary.

Amen? Amen.
Father Jamie

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Pastor's Ramblings

We celebrated our one-year anniversary at the Oratory of St. John Vianney at St. Anthony Church on Sunday, September 10. Fr. Alex presided over the Mass, and we had a wonderful reception afterward to celebrate the day. We also formally welcomed Fr. Alex to our parish family. Thank you to everyone who helped to make this wonderful celebration happen!