Dear Parishioners -
Thank you, Corinne DeLucaney!
Two weeks ago, we honored all those high schoolers who graduated this year and gave them a crucifix as a gift from our parish family. I also mentioned at Mass that it was Corinne DeLucaney’s last Mass with us. For the past five years, Corinne has served our parish as Youth Minister. Corinne has decided to move back home closer to family to northeastern Indiana to take a job as the campus minister for Marian High School. We certainly wish her the best!
Corinne has done so much for St. Malachy youth programming including starting a junior high youth group and implementing the current Confirmation catechesis program. Other things Corinne has done for our parish are the organization of our high schoolers’ trips to the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC) and an inaugural trip to the Steubenville Youth Conference at Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio. I am very thankful to God for all that He did through Corinne in the lives of so many youth here at St. Malachy Parish. Thank you, Corinne!
Priest Convocation
This past week, I have been down at St. Meinrad with the priests of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis for our annual Priest Convocation. It is a time of prayer, fraternity, and workshops. We honor those celebrating ten and twenty-five year anniversaries of priestly ordination, and we honor those retiring from active ministry. When there are priestly ordinations for the Archdiocese, we also welcome those newest members to our presbyterate. Unfortunately, this year there were no ordinations to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.
This is a good reminder that we must all keep praying for an increase in vocations to the priesthood for our Archdiocese. We must pray for and encourage young men to consider this “calling” from God! They need the grace from our prayers and encouragement by our words. I would not be a priest today if someone from this parish didn’t ask me if I ever considered God was calling me to be a priest (even though I had thought about it prior). Your words mean so much to those young people.
Next year, our Archdiocese will have two ordained priests: Deacon Michael Clawson and Deacon Matthew Perronie – son of St. Malachy Parish. Deacon Matthew Perronie will be the second priest to be ordained from St. Malachy Parish in over one hundred and fifty years (I was the first ordained from our parish). I hope we can have a huge celebration here at our parish next year when he is ordained on June 4, 2022. Mark your calendars now!
Ordination Anniversary
And, finally, this is my twelfth anniversary to the priesthood. I was ordained a priest on June 27, 2009, by Archbishop Daniel Buechlein at SS Peter & Paul Cathedral in Indianapolis. I feel so blessed that God called me to be a priest and invited me back to St. Malachy to serve as pastor. That doesn’t happen very often – a son of the parish returning as pastor. So, I feel very fortunate to be close to my parents and serve where I grew up.
Have a blessed weekend! Thank you for all your prayers and support for everything we do here at St. Malachy Parish! In all things, we are trying to do the Lord’s work making disciples for Him and proclaiming His Word.
In Jesus, through Mary and St. Joseph,
Father Danda
