Bounce from place to place: California

Note: This is Part 2 on my miniseries on how I ended up in Rome, the Eternal City. Check out the introduction.

“Bittersweet” would describe my nine months at St. Peter Chanel Church in Hawaiian Gardens, Calif. Here are some reasons for the part “bitter”:

  • Time: A common refrain during this time was “It will be better next year.” The hard work of today will pay off later. But there would be no “next year.” Now, I can claim the shortest assignment at the parish with 8 months as a transitional deacon and 9 days as a priest. Many times, I questioned whether I made a difference in so short a time. (More on that below.)
  • Stress: My introduction to this miniseries painted my parish ministry as a raging river. My September 2022 arrival came a few weeks after the parish has a new pastor. My adjustment coincided with building a lesson plan for Confirmation classes and organizing the altar servers. The preparation for my priestly ordination loomed over my head. The list went on and on and on. I quickly learned that nothing goes as planned and that I would have to be comfortable with half-baked plans. The blog suffered with no updates for five months. Again, insert the question of making a difference. (More on that below.)
St. Peter Chanel Church has daily Eucharistic Adoration. The altar was set up for Advent in December 2022. But the picture best captures my joys and hardships at the parish: Purple for the hardship and the monstrance for the joy.

Here are some reasons for the part “sweet”:

  • People: The parishioners, parish workers, volunteers and my Oblate brothers were a wonderful support during this time. Many prayers, acts of kindness, pieces of advice and compliments came to me. As I wrote in my article announcing my departure in May 2022, I left behind my gratitude to everyone.
  • Weather: I have always heard about the wonderful weather in Southern California. But experiencing it was a joy. OK, it was gray and rainy in December and January. But those sunny afternoons brought a sense of optimism and hope. When I saw snow on the foothills north of the parish, a nostalgia of Northern California touched my heart. A little gift from Jesus.
  • Graces: Lastly, Jesus wanted to remind me that nothing was in vain. One day, a teenager stopped me and told me how she was living my lessons when I substituted for a teacher. During my latest trip to the parish in July, a woman told me that she considered me one of her spiritual fathers. That comment will be a source of prayer for me for many months to come.

In the spring, I received news of my next assignment. A deep desire to earn my doctorate in Mariology and teach at a major seminary had been in my heart. But I thought that would happen after five years of parish work. But Jesus, through my superiors, decided to make that dream happen NOW. My plans for a long-term stay in California melted away in another scramble of packing and travel planning.

An example of my long-term plans was setting up the confessional in my office. For nine days, I enjoyed this setup. But now it belongs to someone else.

But before that, many other things have to happen.

At the end of May, I packed up and flew out of California. Thus, my second bounce begins.

God bless.

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