Key Areas of Responsibility 2019

Dear Friends,

On this weekend of the Feast of the Holy Family, I will be praying for each of your families, especially in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. May God grant you an abundance of graces for this coming year!

As a way of confiding to your prayers my priestly life and ministry, I thought it might be helpful to provide you with a list of the ten key areas of responsibility that I will need to work at throughout this coming year. Please pray that I might live these well, serving the Lord according to His desires and helping souls follow the path that leads to Heaven.

Below, I will try to say a few words about something in each area. Of course, important parts of the work are confidential so I will not list those nor anything that involves individuals. So the list below is not exhaustive but is simply meant to give you a little idea of the upcoming work in each area.

Lanherne Nuns: In the first place, caring for the Nuns spiritually through the Sacraments other liturgies, blessings, etc. Also, fostering their contemplative life by assisting in various practical ways so that they do not have to interact with the public as much and can be more dedicated to prayer, silence, and solitude.

Lanherne Congregation: Offering the Sacraments and sermons, Holy Hours, teaching catechism, the Twelve Steps to Holiness and Salvation, blessing sacramentals, homes, etc. 

Saint Edward’s Congregation: Offering the Sacraments and sermons, teaching the Twelve Steps to Holiness and Salvation, formation for altar boys, trying to assist young adults’ group, home blessings, etc. 

Village: trying to reach out to those in the village and surrounding areas. For example, I visited the village pre-school last week and the children will hopefully be coming to hear me read a story to them about Our Lord.

Visitors: various people stop by looking for information on Lanherne, or with prayer intentions, or looking for Confession, etc.

Priestly Retreats and other Assistance: Though not currently in great numbers, some priests come to Lanherne for their annual retreat. Also, availability for Confession or other fraternal priestly assistance, which takes place on a fairly regular basis.

Spiritual Direction: For years, I have had to turn down almost all requests for ongoing spiritual direction because there are so many (Not that I’m great at it. There just aren’t many priests available!). But for some discerning a priestly or religious vocation, or with a particularly demanding responsibility in the Church, etc. this is an ongoing work.

Lanherne Renovation Project: Working with the trustees, project manager, construction crew, etc. Upcoming (hopefully, at some point), phases that now need to be planned are the church, more work in the convent, grounds, roads, landscaping, hopefully, the hall and at some point guest quarters. Please pray for wisdom—and for funds!

Studies in Theology and Civil Law: Licentiate in Theology at L’Institut St. Thomas D’Aquinin France, then—God-willing—a doctorate (but with no residency requirement, so I can write from Lanherne!). Ongoing civil law studies.

Canonical Work for the Diocese: As a canon lawyer, assisting with necessary canonical work for the Bishop.

Beyond what is listed… there is of course daily priestly prayer—in which I should spend several hours daily, then various other things that don’t fit into any category. To take a few recent examples: driving lessons in view of passing the British Drivers’ test; dealing with a notice from the power company that power would be shut off for part of next week; calling someone whose spouse just died; assisting to a theologian-friend who needed someone to review an article before publication; advising a family in need; replying to letters, etc. 

I am so very blessed to be a priest and to have the privilege of serving here at Lanherne. Please pray that I might become a better priest—there is a lot of work needed in that area!—and above all that I might be faithful to God’s will in these different key areas of responsibility.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,

Fr. Pillari