Farewell to a Gift of a Priest!

Parting words from Fr. Michael Clark!

Passing on the Baton

This Friday, January 31st, my service to the Guild of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, comes to an end. It is quite a poignant moment for me, because I have been involved in the development of the Guild since the Bishop asked me to work with him and Deacon Patrick Toole in establishing the ‘Center for Catholic Culture’ back in the Fall of 2021. We have come such a long way since then, but it is now time for me to take my leave of you, and to go on to another part of the vineyard where the Lord has work for me to do.

The Guild’s foundational pillars, of Art, Architecture, Music, and Literature were agreed upon in the earliest days, as ways to organize encounters with Christ through the transcendental of Beauty. The Bishop’s vision was for artists and their supporters to collaborate not just through lectures and talks, but also in practical projects to showcase the transformative power of Catholic Culture to a world so desperate to receive it.

Human beings are designed by God to respond to Beauty, because we are made for Him. It is, in fact, more important than our DNA, but it is harder to pin down because it pertains to the Spirit, not the Body. Art is where Beauty is incarnate - where the invisible God is rendered visible, just as He was in the Manger of Bethlehem, in order to draw us to Himself. When we see something beautiful, we respond to it - we recognize that it is also True, and this stimulates us to be Good in response to the Beauty of God. Beauty, you see, is the low point in the wall, and can pierce even the most stubborn of hearts.

 Beauty also makes us vulnerable, however. It reminds us of our smallness, but also in creating something out of nothing, we put ourselves on the line whenever we take on an artistic endeavor. For this reason, the pursuit of Beauty is often messy, because it involves sensitive people making themselves vulnerable to others. You cannot run a guild focusing on the Arts like an Insurance Company, putting a product to market. You have to allow experiences to unfold - but you also have to listen to direction, and to follow the lead of the Bishop, and those he appoints to light the path.

 I have no doubt the Luigi is the man of hour to shepherd the Guild in this new phase and help discern who will be the next Priest Moderator. I have come to know him to be a kind, generous, and hard-working family man, who is passionate about the mission of the Church, and who knows how it works from the inside out. I wish you all every blessing as the mission of the Guild expands across the diocese in ways that are still yet to be revealed. Please pray for me, as I do for you.

In Christ,

Fr. Michael J. V. Clark

Founding Moderator of the Guild of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus