Priests and Their Ministry

By Msgr. Robert Aucoin
HERALD Columnist
(From the issue of 12/20/01)

Priests work hard. Now, don’t get me wrong. This is not an introduction for a pity party for priests. However, priests are very serious and dedicated to their ministry. As a matter of fact, very few people are able to share in their creativity because most ministry is directed to only the people in the priests’ parishes. The Web can help to expand, so to speak, the audience of a priest’s ministry. For example, many priests and Catholic organizations have posted weekly and even daily homilies on their Web sites. Some even offer to email these homilies to whoever wishes them. This week we will look at what one priest from the Diocese of Madison has done.

From his opening homepage and throughout all of the subpages, Father John G. Stillmank (http://stillmank.org) has been able to share both his own personal creativity and some of the best Catholic sites available on the Internet. His rather clever, but simple homepage shows his face in the screen of a laptop. By the way, he is a man after my own heart. He uses a Macintosh, and has built some very useful pages with this computer and the appropriate software. Some of the contents may have immediate interest only to people of his own diocese. However, readers should look at these items. It is always healthy and appropriate to see how other churches are living and expressing their faith.

The core of this series of pages is Father Stillmank’s homilies. In a word, they are wonderful. They are published in the Madison diocesan newspaper and are posted here. I have learned in writing these columns that it is difficult to write successfully in a few words. Since the homilies are written for a newspaper, they need to be brief and direct. They succeed on both counts. It is no wonder that the author’s homilies have been honored by the Catholic Press Association. Readers should consider preparing for Sunday liturgy by reading homilies or commentaries such as these. Such preparation would certainly predispose for a more fruitful celebration. Fortunately, all of the homilies are archived thus allowing preachers and readers even more access to these spiritual gems.

Then, there is the section entitled "The Catholic Church." When I first entered this section, I thought it was just another listing of links. Well, after being fascinated for about half an hour, I realized that I had become immersed in all kinds of Catholic facts, like being lost in the stacks of a library. I could have easily spent more time exploring, but had to get on with the rest of my life.

My eye caught the section on vocations. Every diocese in the country is concerned about encouraging men to respond to God’s invitation to priesthood. This section is filled with practical information about encouraging vocations as well as some official documents especially from the United States bishops.

The goodies don’t stop there. There were healthy resources for pro-life issues many of which I had not seen elsewhere, including items written by Father Stillmank. There are also some excellent suggestions for further reading. Throughout the various pages, there are exceptional links to other items prepared by Father Stillmank or offered at other Web sites. Finally, Father did post his dissertation for his degree in theology. I have to admit that I did not read it, but believe that it would be useful reading at some time in the future since it deals with human dignity and issues of environmental ethics.

We should be grateful that Father Stillmank has shared his years of research and work with all of us. He has done a great service for his own local church as well as for whoever spends time on his Web site.

Msgr. Aucoin is a priest of the Diocese of Ogdensburg, N.Y., and rector of Wadhams Hall Seminary-College in Ogdensburg.

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