SS. Peter and Paul Parish in Doylestown and St. Anne Parish in Rittman welcomed a familiar face as their new pastor.
Father Peter Morris, who has served as administrator of both parishes since November 2021, was installed as pastor by Bishop Edward Malesic during a Mass on Mother’s Day – May 14 – in SS. Peter and Paul Church. Members of both parishes were invited to attend the liturgy and subsequent reception in the gym at SS. Peter and Paul School. Father Morris replaced the late Father Robert Stein, who died on Aug. 3, 2021 after serving as pastor for 14 years.
SS. Peter and Paul, established in 1827, is the oldest continuously operating parish in the Diocese of Cleveland. About 800 families are parishioners.
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As his custom, Bishop Malesic asked the new pastor to preach at his installation Mass. “I need to hear someone else preach and besides, I like to know what I’m giving you (in a pastor),” he quipped.
Father Morris’ homily focused on sanctification and how easy it can be to overuse the word and its intention. Christ didn’t allow anything to be set aside from God the Father, he said. For example, if football is important to someone, they could “sanctify” the game and wouldn’t want to be bothered during it.
“But if you’re not careful, you can give too much ‘sanctity’ to that thing and it can fall into the trap of serving ourselves,” Father Morris, explaining that we can become preoccupied with certain things and lose our focus. One example is a person who wonders who needs to pray when they have so many other pressing things to do. They might justify the situation by saying, “Others can pray. I have to work,” he said.
“Sanctify Christ as Lord in your heart. When the apostles would go to a town, Jesus didn’t tell them, ‘Good job.’ There was always more to do. We need to set God apart from all things. God desires to work through and around you,” he said.
Prior to Mass, Father Morris signed the paperwork making his appointment official. He also took an oath affirming he would follow the teachings of the Church and directives from the bishop. During Mass, he led the congregation in a profession of faith and the bishop introduced him as the parishes’ new pastor, which drew applause. “I guess you’re OK with him,” the bishop quipped.
He told the congregation the Church is in the business of saving souls and a good pastor does that, as well as lead people to Christ. As pastor, Father Morris is in a more stable position to lead the parishes, he said.
While some things like a balanced budget are important, “leading people to God is the most important thing. A good pastor sees God in his people. He sees Jesus in the confused, bitter, angry people and he leads them to him. People complain a lot,” the bishop said. “But what are we thankful for? It should be a lot.”
He said a good pastor also must be a shepherd, but he is not the savior. “And neither is your bishop. That’s Jesus’ role. Prayer opens our hearts to God’s will, and then we must do his will.”
The bishop thanked Father Morris for hearing God’s call and saying “yes” to his vocation as a priest. “Please continue to pray for him and to support him. He’s pastor of two parishes and it’s not an easy job. Take ownership of your parishes to help your pastor succeed. Make people feel welcome. Our churches must be places of welcome,” he said. “”Make your parishes treasures where you worship, proclaim and serve. That’s what parishes do. And remember – our goal is not to stay here forever. We want permanency. We want to be with God in heaven.”
“Our good news must be shared. Listen and be courageous. Jesus wants us all to catch souls for him,” the bishop added.
Bishop Malesic also pointed out parishioner Cameron Ferrell, a student at Saint Mary Seminary who is discerning the priesthood and was one of the servers at Mass. “Pray for him and for more vocations,” he said. “We need them.”
The bishop offered a special blessing for mothers at the end of Mass. He also spent time posing for photos and chatting with parishioners afterwards.