Introducing St. Patrick's Associate Pastor--Fr. Paul Hoesing

Greetings from your alma mater! While I cannot claim to be a graduate of Saint Mary's, it brings me great joy: to send greetings in the name of your Catholic school. Since June of 2006, I have been working as the associate pastor of the parish and religion teacher in the school. The more I come to know of the people and the history o your school, the more evident is the hand of God in the work that has been done and will be done for the mission of the Church. A bit of personal history can help me illustrate this point.

When I became a priest of the Archdiocese of Omaha in June of 2002, I knew that God would be sending me on an adventure. After three years at Roncalli Catholic High School and Saint Bernard parish in north Omaha, the Archbishop gave me this assignment. I would soon discover how God has always been at work. My priestly ministry may have begun with ordination, but my experience of Catholic schools made me aware of the adventure. During my days at Hartington Cedar Catholic, we had four to five priests teaching all of the religion classes. Some of the teachers during my four years included: Fr. Frank Dvorak, Fr. Owen Korte, Fr. William Sanderson, Fr. Mike Malloy, and Fr. Gerald Leise. All of these priests were pastors in the Cedar county parishes, but each of them had one thing in common. They had all been assistants at Saint Patrick's and/or teachers at Saint Mary's. Each of them, in their own uniquely gifted way, expressed the vital and dynamic truths of the Catholic faith. The priests of your alma mater brought me into an appreciation of our Catholic faith that allowed me to seek God's will. Now I call them brother priests, and labor in the fields with them.

Divine providence, God's loving plan, is always unfolding in our lives. Returning to a rural setting, after college in Saint Paul MN, seminary in Rome, and my first assignment in Omaha, has allowed me to see the importance and blessing of Catholic education. A your fellow alum in catholic education, I know that the experience does not cost, it pays. The dividends of faith, family and Catholic livelihood that are sustained by Catholic schools remain priceless in our local communities and in our memories.

As you consider your blessings and raise your families in prayer, pray that the "Lord of the harvest will send laborers into the harvest.' May your own roots in Catholic education continue to bear fruit. Personally, I also ask your prayers, that I may serve well the people of O'Neill and the students of Saint Mary's in the time that I have been given. Thank you for your continued support of Saint Mary' schools.