The Dreaded Email

Praying for our priests and parishes during changes

04/26/2025

Mark 16:9-15 When Jesus had risen, early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. She went and told his companions who were mourning and weeping. When they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe. After this he appeared in another form to two of them walking along on their way to the country. They returned and told the others; but they did not believe them either. But later, as the Eleven were at table, he appeared to them and rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart because they had not believed those who saw him after he had been raised. He said to them, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.”

Yesterday all the priests and deacons of the diocese received “the dreaded email” from Bishop Taylor announcing the clergy changes for this year. And I have good news and bad news, which do you want to hear first?

Well, the bad news is that Fr. Samy will be leaving us to become the pastor of Our Lady of Fatima in Benton. And the good news is that I am not being moved. Or, then again, some may think the first is good news and the second is bad news. Take your pick.

Fr. Samy has been with us for such a short time – only 10 months – but he has been a huge blessing. He was sent here to get a little rest and recharge his pastoral batteries, but he jumped in with both feet and quickly became a fully engaged member of the parish.

He frequently visited the Ladies Auxiliary, the Hispanic Prayer Group, ate lunch with the school children, had coffee with the Men of Faith, blessed homes, celebrated funerals and weddings, and enjoyed going to families’ home for supper.

One of the tell-tale signs of effective pastoral care is when a priest is invited back to previous parishes to celebrate baptisms, weddings, and funerals – hatch, match, and dispatch, as we say in the business. Fr. Samy was frequently “on the road again” taking care of people not only here at I.C. but everywhere he had left a pastoral footprint.

In addition to Fr. Samy’s departure on June 6 – the effective date of most of the clergy changes – Fr. Jayraj Sure will arrive here at I.C. as our new associate pastor. Our revolving door of associate priests continue to spin steadily. I don’t know too much about Fr. Jayraj; I’ve only met him a couple of times at clergy gatherings.

But he is currently the associate pastor of St. Raphael Church in Springdale, the largest Catholic church in the entire state of Arkansas. So he comes with lots of pastoral experience under his Roman collar. My first impressions of him were that he is a humble, quiet man, and seems very prayerful.

Naturally, he can speak English and Spanish, besides his native language of Telagu from India. We may not always fully appreciate how challenging it is for foreign priests to learn not only a second but a third new language. That linguistic wherewithal demonstrates their heart is in the right place, and we should welcome them with open hearts, even if they speak with a heavy accent.

With the departure of Fr. Samy and the arrival of Fr. Jayraj, we get a good glimpse of what’s happening in the gospel today. Jesus says at the end of the second gospel: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.” Notice Jesus did not say: “Stay in the country where you know the language, like the laws, enjoy the cuisine, and proclaim the gospel.”

Rather, Jesus makes it crystal clear that a priest’s real parish is not I.C. or Our Lady of Fatima, or St. Raphael, but the whole world. If you want to count how many parishioners I have, it’s not the 6,000 here at I.C. but the 6 billion all over the world. When we look at things in that light, Fr. Samy and Fr. Jayraj fulfill Jesus’ missionary mandate far better than me, sitting at home mixing my martini’s.

My friends, please pray for all the priests who will be moved and all the parishes who will get new priests. Such changes are not easy for anyone because we are all creatures of habit, and we get used to things, and we get used to people. And we all disdain the disruption of our daily routines.

But every new priest we meet helps us to know Jesus the true Priest, who ministers to us through him. And every new parish we are sent to helps us to know the Bride of Christ, the Church, for whom Jesus shed his Precious Blood. We should love every priest as Jesus’ beloved brother, and every parish as his beloved Bride. And both become possible thanks to “the dreaded email.”

Praised be Jesus Christ!