In the Valley of Dry Bones: A Letter from New Zealand
When I was training for priesthood and close to ordination, I spent some time in Napier with an older priest who was preparing to leave ministry as I was preparing to enter it. Tim Hannigan, one of the last Irish priests in NZ had become a firm friend and mentor to me. Well after he had departed this life, I remember returning to his grave for a chat – to ask him what was to become of me. I was struggling and I asked for his help, his prayers. I felt lost, I was depressed, racked with anxiety, I guessed I had probably misread my priestly calling – I didn’t realize it was so crushing. There I was in a cemetery; I was in Ezekiel’s valley of dry bones. At a loss for what could be done in a parish, I figured that life in a monastery might be my best option to run to.
Parish life was doing me in.
And then, one day, I heard a message that was to change my priestly ministry and give me hope.
Aufbruch in Darwin: Eine Geschichte aus Australien
Vor sechs Jahren ĂĽbernahm Pater Dave zum ersten Mal die Rolle des Gemeindepfarrers. Als Mitglied der Missionare der Liebe Gottes konzentrierte sich seine Berufung auf die Ausbildung von Novizen. Doch nun war er in Darwin, Australien, in der Holy Spirit Parish.
Ein paar örtliche Priester sagten ihm: „Erwarten Sie nicht, dass in Darwin etwas passiert.“
