Nativity Catholic Church
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The Good and Gentle Shepherd I celebrated my 22nd anniversary as a priest a couple of weeks ago. My anniversary took place while I was vacationing in New England, so while I was grateful to God for the mission God has graciously bestowed upon me as a priest of the Lord Jesus, I was spending too much time basking in the beauty of Cape Ann to really pause and reflect upon that awesome event all those years ago. Since returning, I’ve taken the opportunity to page through the ritual for the Ordination of a Priest, and as I have been reading back through the words that were spoken by Bishop James Garland (at that time, he was Auxiliary Bishop of Cincinnati, Ohio) on June 22, 1985, in the Chapel of the Assumption at St. Charles Center, the place where our retired priests and brothers now live, I see in those simple but profound words, the truth of what priests are called to be for God and God’s holy people. Fr. Henry Frantz, C.Pp.S., our “Fr. Hank,” will soon be making his way to this very St. Charles Center to enjoy full retirement. St. Charles was once the major seminary of the Missionaries of the Most Precious Blood, and it is the place where Fr. Hank prepared for his ordination 53 years ago. While the rituals and texts for ordination have changed significantly between Fr. Hank’s ordination and mine, the spirit of what it means to serve the Lord as a priest has changed little over those years. As I think about who Fr. Hank is as a priest, and who he has been for us at the Church of the Nativity these past 13 years (the anniversary of Fr. Hank’s arrival coincides with his last Mass with us), I am particularly drawn to the words spoken by the Bishop as he presents the newly ordained priest with the bread on the paten and the wine in the chalice to be used for the celebration of Mass. The Bishop says:
Accept from the
holy people of God the gifts to be Fr. Hank has surely modeled his life after the Good and Gentle Shepherd, Jesus the Christ, who offered his total self upon the cross. One does not have to be in Fr. Hank’s presence for long to see clearly that he “knows what he is doing,” in serving the Lord with humility and grace. Fr. Hank’s gentle, quiet, prayerful and compassionate heart easily shines through in all his pastoral care. He has been particularly comforting to the sick, and he has made it a special part of his ministry to respond so generously when called out to serve those home-bound, in hospitals and nursing homes. The mystery of Christ’s life-giving suffering on the cross is evident in the priestly work of Fr. Hank. And as we know well, Fr. Hank has experienced his own struggles with health and illness over the past several years, but through it all, he has offered his own challenges to God, and he has been better able to identify with those who suffer their own illnesses. Jesus invited all those who heard his voice to “Come to me, the Good and Gentle Shepherd, for I am meek and humble of heart.” As Fr. Hank has so generously imitated the Lord in his life, many people, here at the Church of the Nativity, as well as all the many communities where Fr. Hank has served, have been able to approach him to receive of the priestly ministry God has granted him precisely because his “humble and meek heart” made it inviting to do so. The Catholic Church continues to be challenged with few priests, deacons, and religious brothers and sisters entering the ministry, thus putting pressure on the Church’s ability to serve the people of God, especially at the table of the Eucharist and with the sacraments. Because of priests like Fr. Hank (and Fr. Norbert), who continue to offer their ministry well into their retirement ages, when they could be enjoying the fruits of their labors, the Church has been able to serve people with wisdom and grace. Pray for more vocations to the priesthood; encourage vocations to the priesthood; and pray for a joyful retirement for those who have served above and beyond the call of their years. Let us thank the Lord in our prayers for the gracious ministry that Fr. Henry Frantz, C.Pp.S. has offered the parishioners of the Church of the Nativity, and wish him well as he enters a new phase of his priestly life. Fr. Hank, you truly have been the good and gentle shepherd to this flock!
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