About 300 people gathered in the Eden Valley Event Center Friday evening, Sept. 25, to bid farewell to a much loved priest.
Fr. Jerome Naduvathaniyil was elected Prior of his home monastery in August, and he returns to India to serve that eight-year term.
They?Äôd planned on 250 attending, but thought it was more like 300 who came.
Everyone got a smile and a hug from Fr. Jerome.
And they got to hear from Fr. Jerome?Äôs guardian angel, Lena, as well, during a short program that night. She recounted his many accomplishments, and the times she was kept on her toes. She also introduced her back-up, Fr. Jerome?Äôs second guardian angel Lizzie.
Tammy Winter also read a poem she wrote, ?ÄúA Visit From St. Jerome,?Äù in the style of ?ÄúNight Before Christmas.?Äù
It was a fun, lovely time to celebrate Fr. Jerome?Äôs two and a half years here, and to give him our blessing as he moves on.
Sunday?Äôs mass, Sept. 27, was decidedly more somber. The laughter had faded, and the smiles more subdued.
During his final Mass at Assumption Church in Eden Valley, he shared that his first thought when hearing that he was elected Prior was about the darkness to which he would return. Monastic life calls for ?Äúno fun,?Äù as he put it. Fr. Jerome quickly realized, though, that some of God?Äôs best work is done in darkness: for instance, Christ?Äôs birth, death, and resurrection all happened in the darkness of the night or morning.
It is hard, if not impossible, to imagine Fr. Jerome in such a situation. He is normally ebullient, bubbling over with joy.
Life in the monastery will be fun-less, by our standards: all are vegetarian, teetotalling, can only be seen in monastic robes, and cannot smile.
?ÄúLena,?Äù Father Jerome?Äôs guardian angel, talked about her ?Äúhistory?Äù with him so far during the farewell party Friday evening in Eden Valley. Father Jerome has returned to his home monastery in India, having been elected Prior there for eight years. Staff photo by Jean Doran Matua.
As Prior, he is head of a large monastic community. He has already determined that next year he will send three priests from India to the Dioceses of St. Cloud and New Ulm. He couldn?Äôt help but smile when he announced this both Friday and Sunday, that he is leaving but he is sending three to take his place.
During his two and a half years at Assumption in Eden Valley, and about a year and a half at St. Anthony in Watkins, Fr. Jerome managed successfully to balance two parishes, and two Dioceses.
He painted and carpeted the sanctuary at Assumption. He led the plans for a community center at St. Anthony. (In fact, the final plans were just approved last week, and construction can now proceed.)
He brought the members of two congregations together. Most remarkably, perhaps, he revived youth ministry in the parishes. He is especially beloved by the youth of both congregations.
Fr. Jerome Naduvathaniyil prepares for his final Eucharist at Assumption Church. Just a few hours after this, Fr. Jerome was on a jet plane, on his way to his next assignment, in Bangalore, India. Staff photo by Jean Doran Matua.
At both the party Friday and the Mass Sunday, everyone stretched forward their hands to bless Fr. Jerome in his new work. He likewise blessed those he is leaving behind.
Fr. Jerome welcomes and invites all prayers for him, in this transition back to monastic life and also in his new position and ministry. He will be praying, as well, for all of us.
A new parish priest will be named in November. Meanwhile, interim priests will serve the two parishes.