The Church is Alive; the Church is Young

On Friday we travelled to Columbia, SC for the ordination of six men to the priesthood to serve for the Diocese of Charleston. Fr. Michael Cassabon is a young man in his twenties who has trained at the North American College in Rome.

Michael is a graduate of St Joseph’s Catholic School. He is our first graduate to be ordained as a priest. He is also a graduate of St Mary’s School, and a member of St Mary’s, Greenville. It was a great weekend of celebration for our whole Catholic community. It was very moving to be part of the ordination service on Friday, and then take part in Michael’s splendid first Mass of Thanksgiving at St Mary’s this morning.

In addition to the ordination this weekend, one of our young Dominican school teacher sisters made her solemn profession to the religious life today in Nashville. Sr Mary Lucy actually taught my youngest son in second grade this past year, and my wife has travelled to Nashville to support her.

More than that, today one of our girls; Catherine Pellicano leaves home to begin her period of postulancy as a Dominican sister in Nashville.

Soon we start a new school year at St Joseph’s with some fine new, young staff members.

In Greenville, South Carolina it’s great to be Catholic! Here the church is alive. The Church is young.