June 2018 SPECIAL EDITION June 2018 SPECIAL EDITION | Page 4

JUNE 2018
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Did you expect to stay 14-years?
Of all your vicars, which one(s) taught you
most?
I didn’t expect to live 14 years.
As I said above, Father Billy taught me
humility. Father Steve Bruno taught me that
hard work and fun can go hand in hand.
What were some of your most memorable
experiences at VOL?
Father Billy Reed was the Parochial Vicar
when I arrived at VOL. Father Billy had
advanced Parkinson’s Disease. He was a holy
man. He was a terrible administrator but a
beautiful priest. Father
Billy taught me humility.
He would call me rather
often in the middle of the
night to ask me to come
to his room and help him
to get off his toilet. Each
time, he had been there
for hours, trying to get
off by himself so that he
wouldn’t “bother” me.
Hurricane Katrina
taught me gratitude.
Comparatively speaking,
we were spared. We had
approximately $300,000
of damages, but we were
up and running quickly.
I especially remember
telling myself “Be
grateful, Mike” during
the almost ten hours it took me to clean out the
refrigerators on campus. The smell was
sickening. But, none of our parishioners died.
School Masses always delighted me. Talking
about God to our school children always made
me feel like I was atop the world. Cajun Fest
amazed me. The people, especially the members
of the Men’s Club, always worked like Trojans
for a full year but, at one and the same time, had
a blast doing it. I remember standing on the fair
grounds during a violent thunder storm which
was destroying a year’s hard work. They guy
next to me said, “Don’t worry, Father. We’ll get
it done next week.” He was wrong. We were up
and running the next day.
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What was your most humbling experience at
VOL?
One cold February morning, I was outside
praying. I saw Father Billy
walking barefoot to church.
He had his socks in his
hand. He couldn’t get them
on himself. When I got to
church, I saw our sacristan,
Pauline Plaisance, putting
Father Billy’s socks and
shoes on his feet.
What will you miss most
about VOL?
The people. A fabulous and
fun staff. Getting pied in
the face at Cajun Fest.
Will you be coming back
to visit? Celebrate Mass?
If Father Braud asks, I will
rush over.
What advice would you give to Father Braud,
our incoming pastor?
When I was president of the TV station in
Nashville, I once asked Sarah Cannon, the real
name of the country music star, Minnie Pearl,
what was the secret to her success. Sarah said,
“Mike, just love them and they’ll love you right
back.” My advice to Father Braud is to follow
Minnie’s advice. And don’t hesitate to cry when
you’re leaving something good.