This year marks the 10th anniversary of my Pastorate at St. Therese Chinatown, Chicago.
Doubtlessly, these years are the most fruitful of my whole life. I consider them the “harvest time” of my life, which is rich of so many different experiences.

I usually introduce myself to people as: “Fr. Michael, the happy Pastor of Chinatown”. “Happy” not because the situation at St. Therese is perfect, or Parishioners are very dedicated, or the collections abundant. No! I consider myself “happy“ because I feel there is a spring inside myself, welling up gently, overflowing and reaching out to people. It amazes me since it is not of my doing.

Most probably is the wisdom that comes with the passing of time and the Holy Spirit at work in me, reaching out to those around me.

Looking back at my past life as a priest, a lectures and as a missionary for 12 years in Africa and 10 year lecturing in the Major Seminaries of Gbarga (Liberia) and Parma (Italy), I feel overwhelmed by gratitude, stupor and gratitude.

There is and invisible “golden thread“ uniting the different events of my life. Like in a Rosary, some excruciating sufferings and wounds of the past, are now shining brightly, as the big beads marking the decades. Everything is providence, everything is Grace, and everything has been directed and planned for my greater happiness. It can not be doubted.

I think I have received the best education possible, in Italy, England, Germany and Israel by the Xaverians and the Jesuits.

I was taught and I learned that Missionaries have to be knowledgeable not to run the risk of smuggling their ignorance as “Faith” to be accepted blindly. I was taught that faith begins where reason ends.

Africa taught me that to” have a brain” is good, but in life there are other things equally important: music, dance, rhythm, color, smell, touch, friendship, wasting time together just doing nothing…

Asia teaches me that everything is a state of the mind: love, hate, joy are all a state of the mind. Whoever can control the mind has the remote control of happiness.

My life circle is now complete: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your mind, with all your strength, and with all your heart” It is so!
Asia with its beauty and rich culture intrigues me and challenges me at the same time, keeping me alive, preventing me to bend over myself and my little ego, with its fears and desires, and spurring me on.

The sufferings of the past are a precious school. It would have been different should I have suffered less. The future is equally joyful and my hope is based on the Lord’s mercy which was made visible in past events of my life. This is why I like to be called “Father” and why I consider myself “The happy pastor of Chinatown”.

During this time of “Thanksgiving”, I would like to invite all of you to this “Treasure hunt”, to discover God’s work in your life, to write your “personal Gospel” to be added to the existing ones. The could be entitled: “The Gospel of  NN” where NN stands for your name. Like our Blessed Mother Mary, first, and then St. Therese, later, we have to learn to discover God’s goodness to us. Our joy is directly proportioned to the awareness we have of having been loved first!

Fr. Michael