Bishop Caggiano has appointed Father Flavian the administrator of another parish in our diocese, effective January 1, 2027. How blessed are the parishioners who will welcome such a holy, hard-working, and joyful priest to lead them! Because this will not be announced at the other parish until Saturday afternoon, I am withholding the name of the parish until this weekend when I will announce it at the Masses.
While I am very sad to think about Father Flavian leaving Saint Aloysius, I must remember that the life of a diocesan priest is framed by obedience to our bishop and the bishop’s responsibility to care for the needs of his entire diocesan family.
In his three years here at Saint Aloysius, Father Flavian brought to ministry the many gifts that God has given him. Whether it was his joyful spirit, his ability to make connections with our teens and young adults, his proficiency in Spanish (and his new competency in Italian), his consistent “yes” to doing what needed to be done in caring for God’s people, or his unique talent as an accordionist-par-excellence, Father Flavian poured himself into all aspects of this larger-than-life parish family. I am truly inspired by him because he gave himself freely and completely to our family of faith while he was so far away from his own family in Romania. He and other priests who have joined us from afar are courageous and filled with trust in God who calls us to serve Him.
My brother priests will miss Father Flavian’s presence in our house and his sincere fraternal support. I am personally grateful for his generous spirit and his willingness to take on more after I was out of commission following my hip fracture and recovery. More than anything, I speak on behalf of our entire parish family when I say thank you for all that you have done to love us, Father Flavian; we will pray for you as you take on parish leadership, and we look forward to your visits with us in the future!
Next week I will announce the name of the priest that will come to serve the parish, and in the weeks to come I will let you know the date of the celebration where we will gather to wish Father Flavian all the best as he begins a new chapter in service to God’s people.
Yours in Christ,
