Priest Reassignments

Dear Parishioners,

Last week, the official priest assignments around the Archdiocese’s were made public. I will be moving to Holy Trinity in Beaverton while Fr. Stephen will be moving to St. Mary’s in Eugene which will now pick up St. Catherine of Sienna. Fr. Ron Nelson is the pastor at St. Mary’s and many of you may remember him when he was our Parochial Vicar some fourteen years ago. I will be working alongside Fr. Steve Geer who will be coming as a “priest in residence.” Please pray for us during the coming weeks, and I know you will. We are so blest and spoiled by your love and support! I will be actually leaving on June 28 in the early morning. I don’t know Fr. Stephen’s schedule as of this writing since the news is still so fresh. Nonetheless, I am sure he will communicate that information when he knows.

Fr. Robert Wolf will be coming to us as our new pastor. He will be moving here on June 30th and will take up residence at the parish house where Fr. Stephen currently resides. Fr. Joseph Mujaeropiro, AJ (Apostles of Jesus) has been assigned as our new Parochial Vicar. I have yet to hear from him, as of this writing, but rest assured, he will be present by the first weekend of July. I heard through the grapevine that he is well liked by adult parishioners and children alike in his current parish of St. Joseph in Salem where is serves as a Parochial Vicar.

Fr. Wolf was born in 1979 in Salem. He eventually graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy in 2005 followed by a Masters of Divinity, both from Mount Angel Seminary. He  was ordained in 2010 and was sent as a Parochial Vicar to Our Lady of the Lake parish in Lake Oswego. Following that assignment, he was sent to St. Monica parish in Coos Bay where he has been since 2012. I have known Fr. Wolf since he was a seminarian, as he spent a summer with me at St. Anthony in Forest Grove. I found him to be kind, soft spoken, has a good sense of humor and a gentle warm laugh to match, and has many hobbies from camping to comic books. He will be helping offer the Latin Mass in Sacred Heart in rotation with Fr. Brent Crowe from Our Lady of the Mountain in Ashland and Fr. Theo Lange, the coming pastor of Shepherd of the Valley.

Fr. Joseph Mujaeropiro was born in 1968 in South Sudan and attended school in South Sudan and Kenya. He was ordained for the Apostles of Jesus Aug. 23, 2003 in a Ugandan refugee camp, where his mother was living. That basic information alone should peak our interest for the stories and experiences he has to share. He studied Arabic and Islamic studies in Egypt and Rome before attending the Angelicum in Rome, 2013-15. He served as a parochial vicar and then pastor of Holy Family-Blessed Sacrament and St. John Vianney Parish in the Bronx, New York, for several years before going to Rome to work on his doctoral dissertation on ecumenism and interreligious dialogue. He returned to New York early due to the coronavirus, served at St. Angela Merici Church in the Bronx, and was most recently assigned to St. Joseph in Salem. He will be residing in the parish house I currently live in. Along with Fr. Joseph being sent to our Vicariate, one of his brothers in the community of the Apostles of Jesus, Fr. Silverino Kwebuza will be stationed locally at Shepherd of the Valley.

In my communication with the community last week before some of the Masses, I shared erroneously that Sacred Heart parish would be saying good by to Fr. Moises Kumulmac. As it turns out, he will be staying another year! They will continue with a staff of three priests. All these arrangements/reassignments will give our Vicariate some breathing room, so-to-speak, for attaining substitute help when needed.

With this information in our time of change, please pray also for all forty-four priests who will be either reassigned, receive new responsibilities, or will be on leaves of absence. Change is hard. Saying “goodbye” needs to be imbued with our faith and hope if it is to retain its meaning and keep our souls open to the Holy Spirit. Please know of my prayers for you as you grieve and wait with expectation for the new chapter in the life of our parish and missions.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

Dear Parishioners,

I want to thank you for your kindness and warm welcome given to Fr. Dominic. His first full week has come and gone. He has been exposed to many of the things that go on here, and is a lot! As you have seen, he is a very kind and gentle man whose love for the Lord is infectious. We are grateful to have him in our midst. Thank you also for all your assistance in the various ways you have helped him adjust to our community and culture. Please keep him in your prayers.

There is much for him to assimilate. Thank you to all who have helped him with transportation. He is currently preparing to get his driver’s permit and license. Soon, we hope, he will have a car with which he will be able to get himself to the various Churches, homes, etc. as part of his duties. Again, thank you all for your warm welcome. He has been deeply moved. Soon, expect him to offer some reflections here in the bulletin about his life, his time in ministry, and his experiences here.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger

Pastor