July 16, 2025

By Father William Muench
NCC columnist

I believe I was called by God to be ordained a Catholic priest. After eight years of seminary preparation, I considered myself ready to fulfill the responsibilities of the Catholic priesthood. However, I quickly discovered that I needed more. That further formation I received from people, the parishioners of the parishes where I was assigned.

I also believe that God called me to be a pastor of a Catholic parish. Again, I discovered that I needed further formation. Again, the perfect ones that could show me what I needed to become a good pastor were the people, the parishioners of the parishes I was asked to serve.

In each parish, there were so many people, so many families that showed me the way. These parishioners pointed out the opportunities that would make me a good pastor. They helped me discover what was important to be done for their parish. There were many – young and old – who helped me realize what they expected of me.

When a person becomes part of a parish, they come searching for their way to God. They trust the parish to show them the way to personal holiness. They want to be directed on the way to becoming a saint. I believe they come hoping that this parish experience will support them as they search to know God and follow his will.

I believe that a person joins a parish because they are looking for a family, a new family, a family with whom they can worship God and live a good Christian life. They hope this group of parishioners with their pastor have figured out how to be a successful community. They seek such a family that will unite them to God. A parish family must learn to pray together with their pastor – praying for their needs, praying for each other as one family. In this way the parish becomes a powerful force ready to change their part of the world to become better than ever before by living a good life with the help of God. As a parish family, they are united in prayer, they live and work together, always supporting each other.

I believe these parishioners want to find good parish activities; they want good opportunities for parish worship that will guide and lead each one of them to live well in the image of the Lord Jesus – loving and supporting each other, helping those in need. So, this parish family must find the way to work together to make the message of Jesus come alive for themselves and all others who come to know them. Their goal is always holiness; the goal is always becoming a saint. This parish family must become profoundly alive, united in love with the God who loves them first.

So, these parishioners learn to be united and finding their holiness by worshiping their God together, working together to make their lives better, opening themselves to guidance and the help of God, so that they can truly be disciples of the Lord. As a pastor, I was constantly impressed by the faith, the prayerfulness of the people of each parish. They challenged me to work with them to learn how to lead them to bring peace and happiness to the parish family as their pastor. I found myself becoming a good pastor because I was supported by the wonderful people of my parish. Those parishioners helped me to realize what they needed. They looked to me to work with them to develop the path to becoming holier and always ready to realize what the Lord Jesus expected of us. I have been pastor of several terrific parishes because I became part of families dedicated in love to a loving God. They helped me find the way.