Saturday, August 1, 2020, I was startled awake by a phone call at 6:00 AM. The hospital in Marinette was looking for a priest for an emergency situation. I was still technically pastor in Oconto for two more days and the pastor in Marinette was out of town. I rolled out of bed and began to dress.

The previous week had been a whirlwind of packing and preparing to move to my new assignment. Most of my stuff was packed up in a large trailer or in my own car. Friends were coming at 8 AM to drive up with me to my new place and help me unpack. Fortunately, I had saved out one clerical shirt just in case. But it was nowhere to be found. As it turned out, one of my helpful packing volunteers thought it was hanging out because it was dirty; she had taken it home to wash it for me. The next best thing was my T-shirt that said, "JESUS is my anchor of Hope."

I pulled into the hospital parking lot towing a motorcycle trailer and hauling a kayak on top of my car. I had loaded everything the night before and it was easier to bring it with me than to unload things. The hospital required me to gown up, which conveniently hid my makeshift clerics. I offered the comfort of the sacraments and prayer, then told the family that the new pastor would be available to cover the funeral.

It was my final sacrifice, a final call above and beyond my own plans, in a ten-year assignment that had been full of such sacrifices. I drove back to Oconto to meet my moving crew, and to start a new life in a new town. I didn't know what would await me. I only knew that the sacrifice of starting over would one day bear fruit. Here is what I wrote in the parish bulletin this weekend to mark the 4th anniversary of my new assignment.

Dear Parish Family,

Thank you for being my “church family” these past four years. I don’t just say that to put a warm and fuzzy label on the otherwise cold and impersonal reality of modern parish life.  Y’all really do feel like “the wife and kids.” I mean that in the best possible way :-). I feel accepted as part of the Antigo community. I am grateful for the ways that you let me know you care for me and you appreciate both what I do and who I am. I look forward to my continued ministry with you and for you. 

I really struggled at first. I don’t think I settled in until Fr. George arrived. Covid didn’t help, nor did the swirling rumors and controversy that was buzzing in the background. Things feel a lot quieter and more peaceful now. It helps that I completely stopped reading unsigned letters. I’m sure the shredder appreciates your anonymous eloquence. I’ve grown a lot emotionally and spiritually in my time here. I feel most proud when I see my “kids” all playing nicely together, working together to pull off an awesome parish picnic or a parish saint’s feast day Mass and lunch. Visitors to our parishes comment on the warm welcome, the generous hospitality, and the obvious pride people have in their parishes. I love to see volunteers who put their hearts into a ministry, turning it into a way to love God and love their fellow parishioners. I’m especially proud when I see a dedicated volunteer training a new person in the ministry.

I struggle the most with all the 20, 30, 40, even 50-somethings who no longer go to church. Many of them had great experiences of faith and fond memories from growing up at our parishes and schools. There is just less and less time for God in their lifestyle choices. I can sympathize with their frustrated parents, siblings, and grandparents. Keep praying for the “fallen-aways” in your life and trust in God’s loving plan. I used to get really frustrated when I thought of all the Catholics who were not really being Catholic, and all the ways the world chooses to ignore or attack Christian values. I have a different perspective now.

As I walk with Jesus daily, my life becomes more rooted in who I am as a beloved child of God and Mary and a brother with fellow Christians, both the dead (saints) and the living (you). It really never grows old! The truths of our faith make more and more sense to me. I want the whole world to experience the peace, freedom, and joy we have in Him. But I also realize that it is pointless to try and talk people into thinking, acting, dressing or eating differently than the secular-pagan culture; I can only inspire them. My own life of saying “Yes” to Jesus, and being OK with different lifestyle choices as a consequence of that yes, is the only true witness I have. I am grateful to all of you who are a daily inspiration to me. I hope that I, too, can inspire and encourage you to live the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Your brother in Christ,
Fr. Joel Sember

(above: the people who helped me move, left to right Mike, John, Lori, yours truly, Bill, Sue, Tom)