ZZ_A Letter From Our New Pastor, Father Jim Goerner
Dear Parishioners and Friends of OLPH Parish,
My name is Fr. Jim Goerner and Archbishop Perez has given me the awesome privilege and responsibility to be the next pastor of YOUR parish. I know that I can never take the place of Msgr. Savinski with his many years of wisdom and knowledge. And I know that I can never take the place of Fr. Smith, a priest 25 years my junior. But what I can do is be the best me possible. And what we can do together is build on the foundation these two great priests have put into place here at OLPH.
I can’t be Msgr. Savinski or Fr. Smith. Like it or not we all have different and unique characteristics, mannerisms and styles. On the day of ordination we are blessed with many gifts. Unfortunately bi-location is not one of them. Please be patient with me as I learn the lay of the land both figuratively and literally. It’s natural for all of us to make comparisons to what we’ve come to know. But it’s important for all of us to work together, learning from our past successes and occasional failures, to build a strong, bright and vibrant future for YOUR parish.
I look forward to meeting all of you in the next days and weeks. I look forward to the day when we can finally take off our masks and I can see all your smiling faces once again filling the pews of your beautiful chapel and church. I look forward to celebrating the joyous moments with you in your lives and to be there to comfort and console and weep with you in the difficult moments as well. With the grace of God and the intercession of Our Lady of Perpetual Help all things are possible.
Now for what you really want to know:
- DOB – 2/13/1957, West Reading
- Parents – JoAnn & Ed- both deceased. Siblings - none
- Grade school – Sacred Heart, West Reading (IHM trained)
- High school – Holy Name (now Berks Catholic) Reading. Class of ‘75
- Work – John Wanamaker in Reading for 10 years
- Seminary – Entered St Charles in September 1985 (yes, Msgr. Savinski was one of my teachers)
- Ordained – May 15, 1993
- Assignments:
- St. Catherine of Siena, Horsham – assistant
- St. Matthew, Philadelphia – assistant
- St. Bartholomew, Philadelphia – pastor
- St. Laurence, Upper Darby – pastor
- St. Francis of Assisi, Norristown – pastor
- Favorite food – chocolate anything
- Favorite pro teams – Eagles, Phillies, Flyers, Sixers
- Favorite college teams – Nova, Notre Dame, PSU, St. Joes
- Day off - Wednesday’s
- On my day off / free time – Jersey Shore, quality time with friends and family
- Guilty pleasure – watching HGTV
- Favorite holiday – Christmas
That’s about as interesting as my life gets. I have no vacation home, I’m not an international traveler. I’m content with some quiet “at home” time on my day off. And my home is now here at 2130 Franklin Avenue, and I couldn’t be happier about that!
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Jim Goerner
Pastor