A New Assignment

"There is one that will be a shocking surprise." "I bet that Father will be moved, I saw him in his office on the phone looking very serious." "Well, from what I've heard, there is one announcement that is going to be a really huge deal."

There is no greater time for theories and rumors than during the time of year when priests are assigned to a different parish. Priests are moved for various reasons; to fulfill pastoral needs of a parish community or to replace a priest who is retiring or has health issues that render him unable to serve the parish. The bishop of the diocese is the one who ultimately makes these decisions of where priests will be assigned. It's certainly no easy task and I'm grateful that I don't have that weight of responsibility.

However, by virtue of my unique position at the diocese, I witness the evolution of the inevitable guesses of who might be moved and where they might go. This year, as I listened to the speculation and the theories unfold, I realized that what I was hearing was real concern and a genuine fear for the potential loss of a person's priest. It wasn't just that people were curious about something that they didn't know. It was almost as if they were trying to wrap their minds around changes that hadn't even taken place yet.

It's a very human response. Change is not something that comes easily for most people, especially in matters that are important to them- like their faith. For some, changes can be quite difficult to process, and in this case, even the time period before change causes anxiety. Yet, in all fairness, the statement, "one announcement is going to be a really huge deal," could actually be said for all the announcements. Because, from the perspective of all those people that are impacted personally, it actually IS a big deal. All priests have different personalities, strengths and ways of doing things. Like I mentioned before, dealing with change isn't always easy.

Yet, throughout this time when I was fielding questions of, "so, do you know anything?" or "what can you tell us?" I couldn't help but feel that there was something missing. That something is, I believe, an opportunity for us as Catholics to practice trust. Even when we do find out what priests are being reassigned, we may not always know the reasons why and we may not be happy with the decision. The only one who does know why is the same person that has been called by the pontiff to shepherd and guide our diocese--our bishop.

We may not know the reasons why, but we have to trust that the bishop makes decisions for what is best for the people, the priests and the parishes of our diocese as a whole. It's the same way that we are called to trust that no matter what happens or regardless of our level of understanding why, God has a plan for our lives and for the lives of those around us. We also trust that even in situations when there could be human error, God will work out everything for good for those who love him.

And, just to be clear, assignment information is highly confidential and kept that way on purpose. In our diocese, the impacted priests are told first, then, on a designated weekend the impacted parishes are told, and finally, the entire diocese is made aware through the diocesan newspaper and website the following week. Asking diocesan staff does not get information any sooner than the schedule that Bishop prepares. So, perhaps this is another lesson within the occurrence of priest assignments-- a lesson in patience. I know that I personally sometimes struggle wondering why things don't happen on my timeline or why I can't see the entire picture before I am supposed to. Ultimately, that lesson of patience is connected to the lesson of trust and just because we can't see it all at once, or when we want to, doesn't mean that God isn't at work in our lives. We trust because we do not know and that's faith.

So, what about the new assignments? The truth is that we have no control over where priests will be assigned to serve the diocese. So, while it's easier said than done, stop worrying about it! Pray for all the difficult decisions that Bishop has to make for the diocese. Pray for vocations to the priesthood. Pray for more trust and patience while we work on the assignment given to all of us: and that is-- to go a place of trust in God's divine plan, a deeper conversion and a place of obedience even in times of not fully understanding why.

And for those new assignments given to priests? Well, you'll just have to read the newspaper to find out.