Dear Fellow St. Edward's parishioners:

A month has now passed since my arrival. I can confidently say that I know where most of the light switches are --- this is the number one task I ask new employees to accomplish during their first year on the job --- and I am slowly learning names and routines. Here is the final installment of the "Who is Fr. Brian?" introduction ---

My personal interests/hobbies include:
1) Avid sports enthusiast, especially Twins baseball and Vikings football --- my family have been Vikings' season tickets holders since their first year of existence; thus, you may see me dashing out of church on home game days. I have been known to walk right out of church with my vestments on, jump into my car, and head down to the dome.
2) Past marathon runner (1995, 1996, 1998, and 2010), now a jogger.
3) Avid Bridge player --- I think I teach better than I play.
4) Scuba diving enthusiast --- my favorite pastime when I head down to Mexico on my annual February vacation.
5) Dog lover, especially Golden Retrievers --- my most recent pet "Brandy" died this past   December. I am pondering a new member to the family this spring.
6) I have strong ties to my family. I am blessed to have three brothers who live in Minnesota. My older sister lives in New York. My younger sister lives in Washington. Our family gathers every summer for our annual Fourth of July week vacation in the Brainerd area. Also, some of my family members join me in Mexico each year; plus, I often will include a visit to one of my sisters' homes during my annual fall retreat.
7) Lover of home-cooked meals --- yes, I am always open to do a home blessing accompanied by a meal. I am not a fussy eater.

Thank you again for the warm welcome you have given me. Please be patient with me as I continue to ask "Why?" and "Why not?" There is indeed much for me to learn here at St. Edwards Church. Together we will continue to build the kingdom.

Winter blessings,                    Fr. Brian

Dear Fellow St. Edward's parishioners:

Time continues to fly by as I settle into the role of shepherding this community. Yes, it will take time for me to get a handle on everyone's names, and of course, on how we "do church" here at St. Edward’s. Patience, patience, patience is the key.

Here are some more tidbits about myself (as continued from the 1/15 bulletin)
2)  1963 to 1973 I attended St. Margaret Mary Grade School in Golden Valley; thus, I have always been a strong supporter of our Catholic schools.
3)  1973 to 1977 I attended The Blake Schools in Hopkins.
4)  1977 to 1981 I attended St. John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota. I majored in the Natural Sciences, and I minored in Theology. I left college torn between pursuing medical school or the seminary. These years included work as: a) a nursing assistant at both an Emergency Department and a Surgery Department of two local hospitals; b) a student teacher at a Catholic grade school; c) a legislative intern at the State Capitol; and, d) a retreat worker at the St. Paul Catholic Youth Center.
5)  1981 I attended the Jagiellonian University in Cracow, Poland. My studies focused on the Polish language, history and culture. I even took a Spanish class taught in Polish. This was a good opportunity to discern my future calling to the priesthood.
6)  1982 to 1983 I entered the St. Paul Seminary. I took some basic Philosophy and Theology classes I was lacking from my college years. I chose to step away from the program when I determined the need for more time to discern my vocation.
7)  1983 I entered Officer's Training School at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. My work as the student chaplain led me to realize that I felt called to be a priest and not a pilot; thus, I chose to leave the Air Force.
8)  1984 to 1989 I returned to the St. Paul Seminary, completed my Master of Divinity degree, and was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of St. Paul in Minneapolis in May of 1989. During this time my teaching parish was Assumption Church in Richfield. I also spent summers as a volunteer with the Oblates of Mary Immaculate in the inner city of Washington DC, a social worker at Covenant House in New York City, a hospital chaplain at North Memorial Hospital in Robbinsdale, and a volunteer with the Glenmary Missionaries in the Appalachian Mountains.
9)   1989 to 1992 I served as an associate pastor at the Cathedral of St. Paul.
10) 1992 to 1993 I served as an associate pastor at St. Patrick's in Edina.
11) 1993 to 1995 I served as an associate pastor at St. Raphael's in Crystal.
12) 1995 to 1996 I served as a co-pastor with Bishop Paul Dudley at St. Dominic's in Northfield.
13) 1997 to 2008 I served as the pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul in Loretto.
14) 2008 to 2011 I served as the pastor of Most Holy Trinity in St. Louis Park.
15) 2012 to ? I hope to serve the good people of St. Edwards.

Whew! Enough details! Over the coming months and years I'll be sharing many stories from my journey. Always feel welcome to ask any questions.

Winter blessings, Fr. Brian

Dear Fellow St. Edward's Parishioners:

Amazingly this is my third weekend here at our parish. Last weekend I came to realize that many of you did not hear the reflection I gave on my first weekend; therefore, here it is for your enjoyment ---

I stand before you feeling blessed to be able to say that I am your new pastor. I am honored to follow in the footsteps of your previous shepherds --- Bishop Paul Dudley, Fr. Martin Shallbetter, Fr. Mike Tegeder and others --- yes, I do have some big shoes to fill!

I stand before you feeling excited; and yet, I must admit to being a tad tired. Not only has the past weekend been filled with a whirlwind of activity as I moved into my office and met the staff and parish leaders; but in addition, I have to tell you that I have just come from "closing" my previous parish. Yes, on January 1st, 2012, Most Holy Trinity Church in St. Louis Park ended its 68+ years of independent existence by merging with Our Lady of Grace Church in Edina. Since the announcement of the merger in October 2010, a journey that was both wonderful and yet draining took place as MHT prepared for the coming merger and celebrated their parish. In the coming days you may notice the green wristband that I will wear for a few more weeks or months. It proudly proclaims: "Celebrate Most Holy Trinity." Yes, I will hold the good people of MHT in my heart for some time to come.

And so I come to you a little tired, and yet overflowing with anticipation and wonder as to how we, the good people of St. Edward’s, will continue the work of this parish. I realize that you also have been through a tough previous year. The departure of a beloved pastor and the subsequent re-structuring of the parish staff and ministries are difficult events to endure. In addition, I know that you are wondering who I am and how I will shepherd this community. Yes, this has been and will be a challenging time of transition for St. Edward's Church.

I hope and pray that you will continue to remain committed to "building the kingdom" here at St. Edward’s. I ask that you will be patient with me, as I will strive to be patient with you. We have to get to know one another, our strengths as well as our growth areas. The goal is to keep the best interests of St. Edward’s and Jesus Christ at the heart of all we do. Together we can and will do the Lord's work.

Know that I believe in collaborative ministry. Realize this means that not only must I strive to come to know and respect and work with you; but also, you must strive to do the same with me. At this moment I acknowledge that I have much to learn about our community. I hope you will be patient with me as I grow in my understanding of our parish. Here are some ways we can help one another ---

First, it will take time for me to learn your names and how things are done here at St. Edward’s; therefore, I ask that you make the effort to repeatedly introduce yourselves and explain our routines/customs. My rule of thumb is --- it takes 11 different times and 11 different ways before someone truly understands what you are saying/doing; therefore, please make the concerted effort to help me learn all there is to know about  St. Edward’s.

Second, collaboration means to me that we both have work to do. You will have many opportunities to learn about me and my background, how will I learn about you? To assist in this effort, I have developed "20 Question" for you to reflect on and answer and share with me before I meet with you. (These will be available at the parish office and in the chapel foyer.) Yes, this means that I hope to meet with each and every one of you. Since we have some 2100 families in the parish, this may take a few months or years; and yet, know that I am a patient man --- plus, this tells you that I plan to be here for the next 12 years, much like your two most recent pastors.

All staff and all chairs of the various parish committees and commissions are asked to arrange an individual meeting with me in the coming months. Just be sure to do your homework and send me your answers to my 20 questions before you schedule your meeting.

Finally, I ask that you refer to me as "Father Brian." The title "Father" is a long-standing tradition in our Roman Catholic Church; thus, I ask that you respect this tradition. May God bless us all as we strive to build the kingdom here at St. Edward's Church.

Winter Blessings, Fr. Brian

Dear Fellow St. Edward’s parishioners:

Amazingly I have already arrived at my second weekend here at St. Edwards Church. Thank you for the warm welcome you gave me last weekend. It was great to meet so many of you; and remember, you can assist me in my task of learning about St. Edwards by introducing yourself  “11 different times and 11different ways” ---:)--- also be sure to finish your “20 Questions” homework and return your reflections to me before you set up your personal interview. I would really like to get to know everyone; and yes, if it takes the next twelve years to schedule all these interviews, then I will be happy to do so ---:)--- the question is, will you take the time and effort? I hope so!

A few more tidbits about myself ---

1) I grew up about 15 miles away in Golden Valley. In fact, my mother has lived in the same neighborhood for over 50 years. My parents, Rose and Floyd, were married for some 55 years before my Dad passed away 5 years ago. I am the middle of six children --- can anyone tell me how this can be ---:)--- I have an older sister and an older brother, plus a younger sister and two younger brothers. My three brothers live in Minnesota; whereas, my sisters live in New York and Washington respectively. We have always been a close family --- a real blessing!

2) St. Margaret Mary’s in Golden Valley has always been my home parish.

(more personal sharings next week---:)

One final request --- I do not accept anonymous communications. Please give me the proper respect by identifying yourself in all emails, letters, phone calls, etc. Thank you!

New Year’s Blessings, Fr. Brian

Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem!
 Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you.

Dear St. Edward’s Community,

These words from the Prophet Isaiah greet us on this Feast of the Epiphany. They are appropriate as we bring our Christmas season to a close this weekend (technically we do so with Monday’s Feast of the Baptism of the Lord). While we continue to celebrate and honor the good work done here at St. Edwards down through the decades, we also recognize that this is a time of new beginnings for our parish. Yes, a new shepherd, namely me ---:)--- has arrived. I pray that you “rise up” and rejoice over this good news. Just as the people in Jesus’ time wondered what the arrival of this new leader would mean, I am sure many of you wonder the same about me.

When Archbishop Nienstedt asked me to become the next pastor of St. Edwards, I must admit that I was initially filled with some doubts. Following a very popular and talented leader is never an easy task. However, after serving in seven parishes which includes shepherding three as pastor, I took a deep breath, said a prayer to Jesus and our Blessed Mother Mary, and responded with the confident statement  “yes, Archbishop I am open to this assignment.” I then made two requests.

First, I asked the Archbishop to allow me to finish my assignment as the pastor of Most Holy Trinity Church in St. Louis Park. Recall that in October of 2010 the Archdiocese announced the merger of MHT with Our Lady of Grace Church in Edina. The official merger date was set for January 1, 2012; thus, I desired to walk with the people of MHT as they celebrated the final year of their 68+ year history. I must admit that the MHT staff and parish leaders did a wonderful job of “celebrating MHT” these past months. It was a very draining, yet rewarding journey. MHT is now part of the OLG community.

Of course, this decision meant that St. Edwards would have to wait six months for my arrival. While this was a hardship on our community, I do believe that there were many blessings received. Fr. Dan Griffith came as the temporary pastor and did a wonderful job in helping this parish begin the transition from Fr. Mike Tegeder to a new pastor. I understand that some changes had to be made (e.g., the restructuring of the staff); and yet, I hope everyone supported Fr. Dan and the parish leaders in these difficult decisions. I do want to thank our community for the opportunity to walk with the people of MHT until the very end of their independent existence. I know it was a hardship on St. Edwards; and yet, it was a very worthwhile sacrifice. Thank you!

Second, I asked the Archbishop to consider giving us some additional clergy help. In my mind I wondered how one priest could handle a parish of 2200 families --- for example, a neighboring pastor stated recently that he needs three priests and two deacons to handle a parish of 2700 families. In my subsequent meetings with St. Edward’s leaders, I did learn of our wonderful tradition of involving the laity in the leadership roles of our various sacramental and pastoral ministries.  While I do expect that we will continue this tradition, I also believe that our parish can benefit from some additional assistance. If I am expected to handle the sacramental duties reserved to a priest, plus be a good administrator --- you will find that my style is to be actively involved in the administration of our various programs --- then some clergy help is needed.

After many months of consideration, the Archbishop has recently decided that our parish will receive a new deacon. Starting this month Deacon James DeShane will begin his service on our parish staff. I hope you will join me in welcoming Deacon Jim and his family to our community. I will leave it up to Deacon Jim to introduce himself in subsequent weeks; and yet, I can state that I wholeheartedly recommend him to you as a talented and faith-filled servant of the Church. I know you will be impressed by and appreciative of his ministry. Also, I will expect our parish leadership to begin to work on how we will include our new deacon into the mix of our various sacramental and pastoral ministries. Deacon Jim and I look forward to working with our many parish leaders.

In conclusion, I thank the Church of St. Edwards and Archbishop Nienstedt for the opportunity to serve as your next pastor. I look forward to building upon the good work of my predecessors. I hope you will welcome the “three wise people from the (north) east” that have come to join St. Edwards ---:)--- talk to me if you can’t figure out who these “hopefully” wise people are --- I know you will come to enjoy and appreciate all three of us ---:)--- let us rejoice and be glad!

Your new pastor, Fr. Brian

P.S. Know that I ask that you refer to me as “Fr. Brian” --- thanks!