by Fr. Thomas Brouillette
Vicar General, Catholic Diocese of Lincoln
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Courage and Hope.
I was asked to share some thoughts with you by way of introduction. Bishop James Conley asked me to take the role of vicar general in our diocese, and that he had prayed a lot about it and my name kept coming to mind. I was wondering if he hadn’t confused me with many of our other priests in our diocese that share the name ‘Tom.’ A few different ways, I suggested others are more than qualified for the position and could take the job. As you can see, I didn’t prevail.
The gospel that weekend was from St. Matthew, 14:22-33 about Jesus walking toward the disciples on the sea. They were caught in the storm and couldn’t move forward. They were terrified because they thought they were seeing a ghost, but Jesus at once speaks to them, and speaks to us: “Take courage, it is I. Do not be afraid.”
Peter spoke up and said, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” Jesus said, “Come.” And Peter was doing pretty well until he took his eyes off of Jesus, and began noticing the wind and the waves. He was anxious, afraid he would drown. It was then he started to sink. He was smart to call out to the Lord, whom he trusted: “Lord, save me!”
I think Jesus is doing for each of us today what he did for St. Peter: “He immediately stretched out his hand and caught Peter.” I asked the people at the Mass to “place the winds and the waves of your lives at the altar, and visualize Jesus taking you by the hand.” That’s what Jesus is doing now, despite the fears we may have and the doubts from within, giving us the courage to overcome our fears.
The assignment of vicar general is one that provides administrative support to our bishop, our priests, and in doing so, to our people in our diocese. Presently I serve as the school administrator of Hastings Catholic Schools, so there will be a gradual transition into the role of vicar general, as there is so much happening right now in Hastings, with a building project that needs to be completed, along with the day-to-day work of the pre-k-12 system.
I grew up in Hastings, and it’s a blessing to be this close to my mom and dad, family and friends. This is the start of my 14th year at our school and I have learned so much about being a better son, brother, a priest-father and administrator here and in previous assignments at Sacred Heart in Roseland and Assumption, St. John Nepomucene in Weston and St. Vitus in Touhy, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in North Platte, and as an assistant in Lincoln. I will spend about 20% of my time in Lincoln this semester, and more so next semester, anticipating a move to Lincoln next summer.
I close with a word of hope. The theological virtue of hope received at baptism is not some kind of mindless optimism. Hope has to be based in reality. God the Father has great confidence in our human situation. The reason he has great confidence is because of Jesus, who gave his life as a ransom for the many. Because of Jesus, and what he has done for you and for me, we have reason to have hope.
As we travel on to the Abiding City, may our courage and our reason to have hope grow. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the bishop and the Church in southern Nebraska. I ask the Lord, and I ask you, to help me be a blessing in this assignment. Mary, under the title of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, is the Patroness of the diocese. Please consider praying a Hail Mary or other prayer to Our Lady for our diocese. Thank you for your prayer and support.
Father Brouillette
