Year of the Priest -June 26, 2009

This past week began the “Year of the Priest.” So often the church gives us opportunities to look at key realities that make us Catholics. Almost 34 years ago I was ordained a priest by Bishop Gelineau. Since then I ministered in very diverse settings; inner city Central Falls and East Providence, the Catholic Center at URI, Brussels, Belgium as the pastor of an English-speaking community, St. Kevin’s in Warwick and now the suburban parish of St. Luke’s. It has been quite an experience being with people at key moments in their faith journey. Several times in the upcoming year I will reflect with you about key dimensions of a priest’s life. For me, the priest is called to be a person of communion with God and His people. My vocation is to build up the
Body of Christ. I do this by calling out the gifts of the parish community. Each person has so much to offer. To create an atmosphere where these gifts can be freely expressed goes to the heart of what I am about as a priest.
Fr. Bob Hawkins