Father Nguyen will serve as a parochial vicar at Holy Spirit Parish in Wells/Kennebunk. He will assist the newly appointed pastor, Father Ed Clifford, in serving the people of that parish community. Father Pham will reside at All Saints Parish in Brunswick and will begin canon law studies at The Catholic University in Washington, D.C., in the new academic year. While studying, he will offer priestly ministry on a limited basis at a parish in the Archdiocese of Washington. I am very happy for our new priests and for our diocese. The ordination of these men has allowed me to reflect on parish ministry and the role of the priest within it. I would like to share some thoughts with you.

Based on the Gospel accounts of Jesus washing the feet of His disciples and teaching them about service and self-gift, I propose an image of the parish that is based on an inverted equilateral triangle (one with equal sides), with the parish priest serving as the apex (or bottom point) of the triangle.

In John 13, Jesus surprises His disciples during the Last Supper by washing their feet. His surprise is a reversal of roles. Jesus, by washing their feet, takes on the role of the servant. The account, as told by John, includes the following verses:

So, when he had washed their feet [and] put his garments back on and reclined at table again, he said to them, “Do you realize what I have done for you?

You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master,’ and rightly so, for indeed I am.

If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet.

I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do” (Jn 13:12-15).

In Matthew 20, Jesus is responding to a request from the mother of two of His disciples, James and John, for places of honor for her sons when He comes into His kingdom. Seizing the opportunity to clarify the kingdom of God, Jesus uses the moment to teach His disciples about modeling their apostolic lives on His example of being a gift to others, saying:

“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones make their authority over them felt.

But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.

Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mt 20:25-28).

By His incarnation, life, death, and resurrection, Jesus made Himself a gift for the salvation of the entire human race. Priests are not saviors, but by modeling the life and ministry of Jesus, they are to offer themselves as gifts to those they serve.

Looking at the parish as an inverted equilateral triangle, the top represents the baptized, the adopted daughters and sons of the Father who are participants in the parish. The parish population is indeed more than just the baptized. On a day-to-day ministerial basis, the priest is serving the baptized. Among other things, he officiates at funerals for the baptized, celebrates holy Mass, distributes the body and blood of Jesus to the baptized, and teaches the baptized or those who wish to be baptized. In his letter to the Galatians, St. Paul writes: 

For through faith, you are all children of God in Christ Jesus.

For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Gal 3:26-28).

The baptized are many and diverse. These are the people the parish priest meets and ministers to on a regular basis. 

As we move from the base to the bottom point of the inverted triangle, two sides of the triangle direct our vision. In this image, these sides represent two essential realities of parish ministry — that of the word and the sacraments. These ministries flow from the priest to the baptized and from the baptized to the priest. Both priest and people are enriched and graced by the reality of the word and the sacraments.

In every parish, the Holy Spirit bestows charisms, or gifts, upon members of the community to enrich and enhance the pastoral life of the community, aiding and assisting growth in holiness. St. Paul writes:

Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us exercise them:

if prophecy, in proportion to the faith;

if ministry, in ministering;

if one is a teacher, teaching;

if one exhorts, in exhortation;

if one contributes, in generosity;

if one is over others, with diligence;

if one does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness (Rom 12:6-8).

The parish priest, as a servant to the community, is entrusted with discerning and creating means for the Spirit to manifest and work in the community through charisms. Discernment is needed and requires diligence on the part of the parish priest and the people bestowed with the charisms. Balance is needed.

For an inverted triangle to balance on its point, the center of mass will be a point on a straight line somewhere in between the point and the top, horizontal part. To me, this reality of balance represents how both the people and the priest must have Christ in their midst. If Christ is not the center of mass for the community, there is no balance. Most likely, this parish will be driven by ego rather than Christ. If Jesus is not the center, someone else or some group will seek to occupy the center of mass, and there will be no balance but rather discord and manipulation.

Keeping Christ in the center is the key. Keeping the mission of the Church as our guide for ministry is necessary. Parishioners who exercise the charisms of the Holy Spirit are needed for the building up of the community. Pastors who model their ministry on Christ, who came to serve and not be served, are essential to a healthy parish. Please pray for your parishes, parish leaders, and priests. May Christ always be the center.