Induction of Rev. Mgr. Denis E. Carlin as Parish Priest of St. Peter’s, Paisley

26^th Sunday in Ordinary Time: 1^st October 2006

1.      Today I am here among you to present Monsignor Denis Carlin to you as your new parish priest, to initiate his ministry among you, and to invite you to recognize him as your pastor in Christ. ForiIn the name of Christ, he will call you to holiness. He will do that through preaching the Word of God and through the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist. He will call you to prayer. He will invite you to deepen your faith. He will call you to conversion of heart and to the forgiveness of sins.  He will urge you to grow in love and in a spirit of service. In the name of Christ, he will invite you to be workers in the vineyard of the Lord. In the name of Christ, he will ask you to put your time and gifts at the service of the parish and of the Church so that the mission of Christ can be advanced.

2.      The Catholic Church appreciates its priests. Over the centuries, she has developed a way of talking about her priests, which shows that they are essential to the life of the Church. She recognizes that the ministerial priesthood is different from the priesthood of the baptized, not just in grade but in essence. There are many services that make up the life of a parish, but the priest is not just one among many. By virtue of the Sacrament of Orders, the priest is among you as Christ the Head and Shepherd of his people. He is there at the service of the baptismal priesthood of all of you. He is there so that you can make an offering of your life to God. He is there so that you can be the Christian, the follower of Christ, you are supposed to be.  He is there so that all your gifts and energies and services can be united and brought together to further the one mission of the Church.

3.      I have known Father Denis since we were both in seminary, the best part of 40 years, and I know that you will find him a prayerful, thoughtful and serious parish priest. He is a person who has the gift of seeing the best in others. He is a person who will rejoice in the gifts of his parishioners, as Moses did when the elders of the people were inspired to prophesy. He is a person who will appreciate goodness wherever it comes from, as Jesus asks us to do in today’s Gospel.  In that same generous spirit, he is a person who will appreciate the good work that has been done here in the past and will gratefully build on that. You will find that he has had an unusual breadth of experience in his priestly service and you will surely benefit from that. You will find that he is a multi-talented person, and his God-given gifts and personal accomplishments will enrich your parish life.  Above all, he will be a Christ-centered, dedicated parish priest who will give his life for you, and that is above all what a parish needs.

4.      I ask God’s blessing on him now as I declare him to be your Parish Priest and Pastor, and invite you to accept him.