Father Alfonso Gamez
‘Doing God’s will’
Father Alfonso Gamez, the new pastor at St. Francis of Assisi Parish, gives a best man speech at a friend’s recent wedding.
Nov. 3: Father Gamez becomes pastor at St. Francis of Assisi
LENOIR — Father Alfonso Gamez stepped into his new role as pastor at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in July and says he’s already learning new ways to relate to people and rely on God to expand his ministry.
Ordained in 2019, Father Gamez was celebrating the fifth anniversary of his priesthood when he learned he’d soon become a pastor. His formal installation Mass will be held at 10 a.m. on Nov. 3.
His first assignment as a priest for the Diocese of Charlotte was serving as parochial vicar at St. Mark Parish in Huntersville in 2019 – an experience he values for having given him the chance both to serve a large parish and to learn how to adapt to a crisis: COVID-19. He then worked as parochial vicar at Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Winston-Salem and St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte.
Father GamezFather Gamez talked about his experience as a new pastor recently, in reflections here:
CNH: What does it mean to you to become a pastor?
Father Gamez: My life as a pastor began on July 9, and this is something that I really wanted. I gained a lot of experience from my previous assignments and had become used to the basics of the priesthood, and I had a deeper desire to have a little more creativity in decision-making and working with parishioners. This is just a next step in my growth as a priest.
CNH: How have your first few weeks as a pastor been going?
Father Gamez: There have been challenges because shortly after I became pastor, in the same week I got the flu, and then a big tree in front of the rectory got struck by lightning and had to be cut down. I was telling a friend that I could feel the experience of growth because I was having so many experiences not familiar to me in terms of administration and decision-making. I feel God is allowing me to grow through the work I’ve been doing. Also, the parishioners here are great – super hospitable and super kind. I was assigned here in the summer of 2015 while I was a seminarian, so I knew some of the parishioners here already. That has made the transition a smoother landing.
I also am grateful I got to talk to Bishop Martin about my new role. I talked to him personally about the challenges I face, and there is a great peace that I received with him telling me to move forward with things. I feel like I’m doing God’s will with his encouragement. I feel so much peace, because I know that this is not my work – it’s all for the glory of God.
CNH: What have you learned so far?
Father Gamez: I’ve learned to listen and be honest and tell people all the things I don’t know and depend on their experience to help me learn. There’s a huge dynamic of trust-building in the beginning, where they need to grow their trust in me, and I grow to trust them. And I’m seeing that trust evolving. Also I’m learning that people in the parish want direction to see where the parish is going, where we should be putting our energy and time to be good stewards of the gifts God has given us. I’m really excited to get people involved in many things – building up youth ministry, building up the family. I’m being asked for my vision on guiding the flock and that is definitely a new experience because when I was a parochial vicar, I would depend on the guidance of my pastor – and now people are looking to me for that guidance.
CNH: What skills did you gain in your earlier assignments that help you as a pastor?
Father Gamez: Being visible. As a parochial vicar, I was visible in a lot of places where the pastor couldn’t be and I know people appreciated that, and I saw the fruits of that visibility. I want to incorporate that into my work as pastor and be present for people who need me.
CNH: What are you looking forward to as you grow into your role as pastor?
Father Gamez: I want to be able to live out Catholic culture together here as a parish through festivals, celebrations and all the things that make the seasons so vibrant and a lot more meaningful. I’m looking forward to celebrating Christmas and Lent and all the beautiful seasons with my parishioners.
CNH: Is there a certain part of your ministry as priest or pastor that is special to you?
Father Gamez: Giving the sacraments to the people, seeing the beginning stages of people’s journey with Christ and accompanying them to a new role of growth in the Lord. As a pastor, I will have a little more stability, because as a vicar I was transferred every few years. Now, as a pastor, I’m looking forward to seeing people through their lives with Christ – experiences like celebrating a wedding for someone I also knew when they were being confirmed.
CNH: Do you have a devotion to a particular saint that helps you with your ministry?
Father Gamez: My two saintly friends are St. John Paul II and St. Teresa of Calcutta, also known as Mother Teresa. As a millennial, I grew up under the papacy of John Paul II, and his love of the Eucharist, missionary spirit and love for working with young people made me fall in love with the Church. I hope to be as zealous and inspiring as he was. I also love St. Teresa’s tenderness and ability to see Christ in people. She was able to feed the spiritual poverty in other people’s lives, and that really resonated with me. That’s something I hope to do as a pastor.
— Christina Lee Knauss
Bishop Michael Martin will formally install these first-time pastors during special Masses in the coming weeks. Meet the others.