Follow St. Paul's example, Dominican missionary urges

IC photo by Marie Mischel

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Father Jan Bednarz, pastor of Saint Martin de Porres Catholic Church, presents a statue of the parish's patron saint to Father Dominic Briese in appreciation for his mission.

TAYLORSVILLE - As parts of the body of Christ, each of us is called to be wholly involved in the faith community by praying and caring for each other, said Dominican Fr. Dominic Briese during his mission March 29-31 at Saint Martin de Porres Catholic Church.

"When all the members of the body are engaged in this ministry of love called St. Martin de Porres, the community is one basic unit," Fr. Briese said. Life is exhausting, he added, "and if there's a place where people can find a little bit of relief, a little bit of warmth, a little bit love, it should be right in this parish."

But like St. Paul before his conversion, many in the Church and society try to exclude others from belonging, he added. "Often we make it very difficult for other people to feel a part of the community."

However, after his encounter with the risen Christ on the road to Damascas, St. Paul went on to build up the body of Christ on earth and eventually was put to death because of his faith.

Unlike St. Paul, Christians in the United States today don't face death because of their beliefs, but "we as a Church are still going through a persecution, except that persecution is not so much from the outside, it's from the inside," Fr. Briese said. Gossip, the desire to have things their own way, the need to be entertained and the lack of involvement all undermine the Church, he said.

"We are called to evangelize. We are called to pray. We are called to reach out to support one another. We do not have time to have arguments with one another. We do not have time or the energy to have these divisions within our communities," he said. "What we do have time for right now is to go out and share the Good News. A lot people need to hear the Good News."

By using our talents for the good of the community, "you're going to become the most happy people on the face of the earth, because there's nothing like giving your entire being in something that is bigger than your own self," he said. "Sin is collapsing in on yourself."

A cradle Catholic, Fr. Briese served in the U.S. Air Force and attended the University of Utah before heeding the call to the priesthood. He now is an itinerant preacher with the Western Dominican Province, based in California.

During his mission, Fr. Briese spoke not only about how we can witness the gospel in the community but also that we can put our trust in God, and we all are called to a mission, said Father Jan Bednarz, pastor of Saint Martin de Porres Parish, adding that he felt the mission was very successful. Fr. Briese celebrated Mass twice a day, "and in the morning we have an average of 50 people," and in the evening about 150 people each night, and some of them were from outside the parish, Fr. Bednarz said. Also, parishioners told him it was nice to see people leave the confessional with a smile, while others said "Father Briese speaks in a simple way to bring people to understanding."

"Father Briese is an excellent speaker," agreed Julie Kump, who teaches CCD and is a Eucharistic minister at St. Martin de Porres. "He knows how to get the crowd involved. He's a very deep talker, but very easy to follow." He motivated her to look at how to deepen her faith life, she added. "I want to be that better Catholic. I want to go and learn more about my own faith."