Greetings in Christ, all!
I want to give you an update on something and I’ll need to lead into it.
So, as most of you know, I am hearing impaired. I have really good, cutting-edge hearing aids and it helps a lot. I do okay between those and looking at people’s mouths when they talk. At the same time, I recognize that my hearing is going to get worse. Profound hearing impairment is a part of my family history and mine gets worse every year. I love hearing confessions and I think it’s one of the most important things I can do as a priest.
Lately, it’s becoming more and more difficult for me. On Saturdays in particular, Fr. Le and I will be in the confessional for hours and I walk out with a headache from straining to hear. When I do children’s confessions, I generally can’t hear most of it.
Knowing my plight, one of our parishioners put in a hearing assist system for me to try. On your side of the confessional is a wired connection to my side. If I am struggling to hear or understand someone, I can put headphones on and then I can hear. This is a closed, wired system that is 100% secure on my side of the confessional. I am going to try it out and see if it works and if it does, I will then check with Church Law and see if it’s something I can keep using.
If this makes you even moderately uncomfortable, I need you to let the parish office know. I do not want anyone to avoid confession because of me as that would break my heart.
For the next couple of weeks, I will let people who come into the confessional know if I am going to turn the system on and ask if it makes them uncomfortable. It is my sincerest hope that if I ask you and you are even a little uncomfortable, please just say, “No thank you.” It will not offend me at all, I want to serve you well.
I do often pray that I get to retain sufficient hearing ability to continue in public ministry for at least 10 more years. Please join me in that prayer, unless I drive you nuts…haha.
Okay, so that’s it for today. We have a lot of wonderful things happening at the parish, but I lack the time to type up all of them…maybe next week!
Jesus bless you all. I just love being your priest.
Fjk