Dear Friends in Christ,
In the gospel this weekend, Jesus says to us: “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever
loses his life for my sake will find it” (Mt 10:39).
In this brief statement, we find a complete summary of Jesus’ mission and of the logic of the entire
gospel. Jesus comes to us for this one reason: to lose his life for us. He lives this in obedience to the Father’s will and out of love for us who suffer the effects of sin in so many ways. Losing his life on the Cross, Jesus finds it again through the love of the Father in the Resurrection. This new life is what he shares with us in the Church and in the
Sacraments – especially the Eucharist.
I feel very blessed to begin my new ministry as your Pastor on the weekend this gospel is read. I have always understood my priestly vocation as an opportunity to share in the life and
ministry of Jesus. For me, this means that I have the gift of giving my life to God and to all of you, that together we might know the victory of Jesus in our lives.
I grew up in the southwest suburb of Tinley Park before going to college at the University of Illinois in Champaign, where I studied economics and philosophy. It was while I was a
college student that it became clear to me that God was calling me to the priesthood. After graduation, then, I entered
Mundelein Seminary and was ordained a priest for the
Archdiocese of Chicago on May 18, 2013. My first assignment was to St. Michael Parish in Orland Park (2013-2016). There, I had the joy of working with the Hispanic Catholic community in the southwest suburbs. Then, I returned to Mundelein
Seminary on the faculty and began working in the education and formation of our future priests for the Archdiocese, which now brings me to you. The promotion of priestly vocations has been a real passion for me, so I am glad that our parish will have seminarians regularly assisting us as part of their
formation.
Finally, I just want to say a word of thanks to Fr. Tito, who did so much over these past months to help me prepare for this new ministry as Pastor. I am really looking forward to working with Fr. Pedro, the staff, and all of you to do the work that the Lord has for us.
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Thomas Byrne