JUNE 2018 Final Thoughts Amidst A Few Tears
The Ministry Director of Visitation of Our Lady is Christie Bourg . Christie is also the editor of the parish ’ s monthly newsletter . In that capacity , Christie asked me to answer a few questions before I leave VOL to start another passage of my life ’ s journey .
Where will you be moving to ? What will you be doing there ?
I will be moving to St . Philip Neri Parish in Metairie . St . Philip is approximately equal in size to VOL . You get there by taking a right on the Power Blvd . exit of I-Ten as you head toward the airport . In a hundred yards or so after you turn on Power , take a right on Kawanee . St . Philip is just a hop , skip and jump away . Its parishioners are mostly middle income and college educated . I will be the Parochial Vicar at St Philip . A very good friend of mine , Msgr . Harry Bugler , is pastor . Harry is my Spiritual Director . As Parochial Vicar , I will be doing just priestly things . Because I will no longer be dean or pastor , I will have no administrative duties , allowing me to cut my work week from 70-hours to 50-hours . I plan to use the extra hours to spend time with my family .
What are you looking forwad to at your new parish ?
When I became a priest , I decided to have a special ministry to the sick , the lonely and the dying . I have done a lot of that here at VOL , but my new role at St . Philip will enable me to do that kind of ministry even more . It will be a great gift to me .
When you first came to VOL , what were some of the things you wanted to accomplish ?
I wanted to make certain “ I ” did nothing but that “ we ” did a lot . I asked many people to tell me what they always wanted but never got . I was told the parish was the largest in the Archdiocese that did not have a gym for its school . So , although I was repeatedly told we couldn ’ t afford a gym , together we built Padre Hall II , not just a gym but a gym / auditorium / classroom building . Parishioners told me they wanted to beautify the campus . In short order , a chain link fence became a wrought iron fence . Landscaping dotted the campus , both the church and the school sides . The parishioners said , “ Can we have a shrine to the unborn ?” I said , “ With your help , sure !” Six months or so later , we had a beautiful shrine featuring a life size statue of the “ Visitation ,” a pregnant Mary greeting her pregnant cousin , Elizabeth . Along the way , we decided to place a lovely Candle House and beautiful gardens in the shrine site . I recommended a concrete statue , but parishioners commissioned a one-of-a-kind marble statue be sculpted in Italy . When I arrived , I committed to telling at least one story in each of my homilies . I believed that if Jesus used stories to make spiritual points , so could I . Fourteen years later , I have told more than 4,800 stories to the people of VOL . As I mentioned above , I wanted to be dedicated to the sick , lonely and dying . During my 14-years here , I have averaged about 15 such visits each week . I wanted us to be a Stewardship Parish . I wanted us dedicated to prayer , service and sacrificial giving . And , we made it happen . Every one of my homilies stressed stewardship , we developed more than 50 ministries and VOL became , by a stretch , the parish on the West Bank with the largest collections . Cajun Fest became one of the largest fairs in the entire archdiocese .
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