Things are changing and growing in the Southern Missions

So there have been quite a few shifts going on here in the South over the course of the last few months.  Fr. Dick Myhalyk was recently named pastor of St. John the Baptist parish in Montgomery.

St. John the Baptist

He is now living with Fr. Paul McQuillen who is pastor of the City of St. Jude (Montgomery).  For those of you unfamiliar with City of St. Jude, it is a large complex consisting of a parish, hospital, senior housing, and high school.  When the marchers from Selma arrived at Montgomery in 1965, St. Jude's was the only place that 1) could fit all the marchers, and 2) was willing to let them camp on their property.  Fr. Paul is the president of the whole operation and has recently been selected as co-principal of the high school.

City of St. Jude parish

Fr. Stan has become the pastor of St. Joseph's parish in Tuskegee.  This is about two hours away from Selma and an hour away from Montgomery, making the latter a good meeting point for all of us here.  Fr. Stan will be overseeing the parish school as well.

St. Joseph's School

The Southern Missions also has some fascinating plans in the making.  Though nothing is finalized as of yet, the director is crafting some great works that will expand the Edmundite Center of Hope, particularly the Bosco Food Kitchen.  He is also working with the city to establish a way to reach out and help provide for high school students, in hopes of breaking some of the cycle of a place plagued by terrible education.

After Fr. Mike died, our superior general named Fr. Steve superior of the Southern House (Selma, Montgomery, Tuskegee, and Englewood, FL).  He is also now acting president of the Southern Missions, Inc.  This will mean quite a bit of increased responsibilities, but he is up for the task.

It is inspiring to me to see how, despite small numbers among us Edmundites, we work and associate with other people who really help to get things moving.  It also gives such witness that our men are so willing to pick up and adapt to new ministerial settings, and often particularly challenging ones.  The parishes Frs. Dick and Stan are now in charge of need some very serious work largely due to neglect from previous pastors and administrators.  But as Fr. Steve said, "The diocese knows that if anyone in the area can turn these places around, it's the Edmundites.  We have the connections and a long history of success here.  We've done it before, and with God's grace we'll do it again."  That is the kind of hope we need!

Speaking of Montgomery being a good central meeting point for us all, we are off to have an early dinner with the other fellows.