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Date of Ordination- May 26, 2007
Current Assignment- Parochial vicar of Sacred Heart Church, Massena; and St.Lawrence Church, Louisville; moving to Malone
Catholic Community Sept.30

1.) What's your favorite prayer?
My favorite prayer is a simple morning offering:
“The thoughts of my mind (hands on head), the
work of my hands (hands out), the love of my
heart (hands on heart), I give to you O Lord (hands
raised upward to God).

2.) Favorite saint?
The saint who currently interests me is St.
Simeon Stylites (390-459). I learned more about
him when I read a book called Saints for Now,
edited by Clare Boothe Luce. The article was by
George Lamb. St. Simeon lived a life of contemplation
on top of a wooden pillar or pole, which had
begun at six cubits, then twelve, and finally thirtysix
cubits or 54 feet. Crowds came to hear him
preach and experienced great conversions to the
faith. As Lamb notes, he seemed to have been
famous “by doing absolutely nothing. He had
done nothing and got paid for it, so to speak.” His
life was much more difficult and disciplined than
that, but it shows how the saints include people of
all different personalities and ways of life, who
were transformed by the love of Christ.

3.) A holy moment in your priesthood:
One special moment was this spring when my
Mom and Dad spoke at the marriage jubilee, a
gathering of about 40 couples from the local
parishes. They told the story of how they met in
the Philippines, Mom’s home country, when Dad
was in the Peace Corps. It really confirmed the
Providence of God in my life story and that of my
family. It was also great for them to meet some of
the people I serve with Father Manfred.

4.) Something you've learned from your brother priests (or a particular priest):
The importance of keeping one’s interests and
hobbies and hopefully exploring new ones. Jesus
was truly divine and truly human and the priesthood
must reflect both. For instance, I ran crosscountry
and track in high school and have kept up
with my jogging, though not as intensely as when
I was competing as a student-athlete. And this
summer I haven’t been able to jog, because I
sprained my ankle in June! It was the last day of
school and I was playing basketball with 6th
graders from Trinity when I came down funny and
turned it. The following Sunday, the lector made
the announcement, “Please pray for Father Bernie
that he will realize that he’s not as young as he
used to be!”

5.) Favorite part of being a priest:
The inspiring example of the faith that people
share with me. When people ask for advice about
trials and struggles in their lives, it is tough not to
have the answers, but it is always a call to prayer
and reliance on God.
It is a blessing that people trust the priesthood
enough to be open about such things.

6.) Advice for young people considering a vocation
Listen to others and take their observations seriously.
It is true that we know things about ourselves
that others don’t know, but it is equally true
that others are able to offer a perspective about
things we don’t realize about ourselves. If others
keep telling you that you have a gift, that might be
the Lord challenging you to take that step and give
it a shot. There is no substitute for prayer and
time with the Eucharist in discerning the Lord’s
will.

7.) Something about you that few people would know:
My family nickname is Bam, from my sister Leila, named after Bamm Bamm from the Flintstones.

8.) Favorite temporal (nonchurchy) things:
I enjoy listening to pop music and oldies. Sometimes
the temporal lyrics strike me in a spiritual
way. Recently a parishioner told me, “I’ll never forget
the Christmas homily where you sang the
opening lines of ‘In the Flesh’ from Pink Floyd the
Wall”. And I thought, “why did I ever do a gimmick
like that?” But then she went on and talked about
how Pink built a wall around himself and was
closed off from the love and care of others. So I
guess God was able to reach someone and got the
point across. I also enjoy hiking and mountain
climbing, especially on the trails here in the
Adirondacks.

9.) Favorite food:
When I’m home with family and friends especially
my brother Rob, I like to go out for michigans
and poutine. It just gives you that local, Quebec
feeling.