A holy priest is a savior and another Christ, taking the Master’s place on earth, representing Him, clothed with His authority, acting in His name, adorned with His qualifications, exercising His judgement on earth in the tribunal of penance. He is consecrated to exercise the highest functions Christ ever performed on earth, to continue the work of salvation. In imitation of His Redeemer he gives himself, mind, heart, affections, strength, time, all for God. He is ever ready to sacrifice his very blood and even life itself to procure the salvation of souls, particularly those of his own flock. (St. John Eudes)

July 14, 2019– Today, as the people of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel celebrate their patronal feast day, this beautiful parish is on my mind. Therefore, it seems appropriate for me to choose one of the fearless leaders of this very large parish community to honor today!

Associate Pastor, Fr. Alejandro Paternoster, recently celebrated his 25th Ordination Anniversary. A beautiful “YES” like this one is a selfless gift and I, for one, am quite grateful! His commission to serve has been a blessing to the lives of those around him. It was St. Ambrose who said about the priesthood, “He made them the vicars of His love.” I also happen to think a holy priest is just an absolute miracle of grace from the Lord, a gift to us all. Fr. Paternoster is such a man.

He’s a good-natured, humorous and positive man with a genuine smile. He’s also a compassionate, cooperative and character filled-human being. His work with the large Hispanic apostolate at OLMC is daunting work which he does beautifully. He’s a genuine friend of Jesus who makes Christ present to all of us in the sacraments and by the joyful way he lives his life. In the Thieme family, we appreciate his accessible homilies and enjoy the fact that almost always he will open with a laugh. We are big fans of smiling.

Thank you, Fr. Paternoster for your spiritual leadership, and for the encouraging way you guide, support, mentor and teach us all. You are a special priest, and we are so grateful for you! We are praying that your life is filled with joyfulness, happiness and health! Happy 25th Anniversary!

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Pray for Us!