Beginning Independent Sacramental Ministry

I think back to my years of Roman Catholic seminary when I was shadowing priests.  I watched what priests did; most of what they did, I could not do.  For instance, I could go and assist at mass, but I could not celebrate mass.  I would assist at weddings, but I was not presiding.  There is a distinction between watching and doing.

I felt a similar gap after I left the Roman Catholic priesthood.  There were families that called me as their pastor would not visit their dying loved ones.  I would visit but make it clear that I could not provide the Anointing of the Sick or Viaticum.  It was heartbreaking as these individuals wanted what I could no longer provide as I lacked any faculties to do so.

As I thought about returning to ministry, I saw another gap.  If I were to celebrate the sacraments without the approval of a bishop, I would be celebrating some illicitly and others would be invalid.  I was torn because any attempt to create an ISM community without being under a bishop was a dead-end.  Yet, I also recognized there would likely be a gap between the time I was incardinated and the time I would have a community to serve.  Would I be incardinated without a real community need?  In essence, my fear was that I would be a titular priest – one without any community.

I am now in that strange gap period where I am incardinated and appointed and yet I am looking for a community to serve.  This past week, I started reaching out to assisted living care facilities to introduce myself and see if there is a need among their residents.  It has only been a week since my incardination, but I have a strong drive to be of service to others.

Perhaps this is a bit scary for me.  In the past, I was always appointed to an existing community and the expectations were clear.  Here is something new – essentially creating a faith community from scratch.  At the same time, there is a sense of freedom as there are no deficits to resolve, facilities to improve, conflicts to overcome.  Here is a blank canvas.  A blank canvas can seem daunting because we want the first stroke to be perfect, but it need not be.

Please pray for me during this time of transition.  I know it takes a while to find and build community.  I must learn to be patient and trust the process.

Peace,

Ben