A heart filled with gratitude
Carmen Malacari, center, celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving for 25 years of priestly ministry Oct. 13 at Holy Spirit Church where he has served as pastor since 2006. Retired Monsignor John McSweeney, right, concelebrated Mass. Father Malacari served as parochial vicar at St. Matthew Church in Charlotte during a portion of Monsignor McSweeney’s tenure there. (Photo provided by Holy Spirit Church)DENVER — “As I came down the ladder after having decorated the parish gym for my 25th anniversary of ordination to the priesthood, I looked around the gym and said, ‘Lord, I am not worthy of this celebration,’” recalls Father Carmen Malacari, pastor of Holy Spirit Church.
What got him through the Mass of Thanksgiving and the reception that followed was looking at the occasion as a celebration of the people and ministries at the Denver parish.
Father Malacari grew up in a Catholic family in Utica, N.Y., and attended Catholic schools through college.
“My dad is a very religious man,” Father Malacari says. “When he took me to school or the Boys Club of America, Dad would talk often about the possibility that I would become a priest one day. Being a typical kid, I would say that I didn’t know what I wanted to do.”
“In 1983 after several years at college and not sure what direction my life was going in, my religious teacher, Father Anthony LaFache, reached out to me and posed the question: Have you ever considered a vocation to the priesthood? I said, ‘Yes, my dad would often speak to me about considering the vocation, but I was so shy that I didn’t think I could stand up in front of folks to preach or lead a congregation in worship.’”
“However, God blessed me with the grace to preach and lead His people in worship.”
Father Malacari attended seminary at Wadhams Hall Seminary in Ogdensburg, N.Y., earning a bachelor’s degree in philosophy before moving on to Washington Theological Union in Silver Springs, Md., for a master’s degree in theology.
He was ordained to the priesthood on Oct. 3, 1993, at Our Lady of Angels Church in Albany, N.Y., by Bishop Howard Hubbard.
His first assignment after ordination was at St. John Neumann Church in Charlotte.
He has since served in three other parishes in the diocese: St. Patrick Cathedral and St. Matthew Church in Charlotte, and his current parish of Holy Spirit Church.
Father Malacari says he enjoys many aspects of his priestly ministry.
“I enjoy meeting new parishioners, helping them to feel welcome and get them involved in the life of our parish. I also enjoy celebrating the Liturgy of the Eucharist, celebrating the sacraments and journeying with parishioners from birth to death. I consider it a privilege and blessing to be a part of their lives.”
What are some of the most significant lessons he has learned over the past 25 years in ministry?
“The Church is very human – the importance of forgiveness from the heart, challenges, difficulties, ups and downs of ministering and dealing with parishioners has become the means of personal growth and insight,” he replies.
He has also learned the importance of building on what people are doing to change and transform themselves through the grace of God – “the fact that parents choose to have their children baptized, that desire (of couples) to have their marriage convalidated, who return to the sacraments in order to set a good example to their children in faith formation.”
He says he was blessed to be surrounded at his anniversary celebration by the people who were so instrumental in his faith journey.
“As I watched my dad being wheeled down the aisle along with my mom and younger sister Angela (at the 25th anniversary Mass), my dad did his best to hold in his hands the hosts that eventually would become the Body of Jesus Christ,” he recalls.
“My parents, the religious sisters, brothers and diocesan priests are the ones who first formed me in faith and love, as well as educated and nurtured that seed first planted in my heart by the Church and my parents.”
His advice to a man discerning a vocation to the priesthood?
“Be a person of prayer, embrace your humanity and don’t be afraid to show it. Love, know and be compassionate towards those you minister to. Remember you can’t please everyone, and you can’t be all things to all people – you will burn out,” he suggests.
“Remember that we learn from one another. We are called to teach, preach and sanctify the people of God, and we are called to learn from those we minister to and with.”
“In many instances there have been lessons learned which have enriched and shaped my ministry tremendously by the parishioners in ways that the seminary could not have prepared us,” he adds.
As he celebrates 25 years of service to the Lord and the Church this year, he says, “My heart is filled with gratitude and thanksgiving for the many people who have allowed me into their hearts through priestly ministry.
“I give thanks to the good Lord, for blessing me with my family as well as each and every one of you who have touched and enriched my priestly ministry over the past 25 years.”
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter
How good God is to give each of us the gift of a family! God mediates His love to us, and provides us with His special care and protection, through our family. It is one of the important ways that we come to understand that God is Love, through the love of our parents.
Faith in God begins in the family. There are so many good gifts we receive through our family: faith, love, care, protection. We should always be grateful to God for our family. And we should pray for our family: prayers of gratitude to God, prayers of intercession for each member of the family, and prayers asking God’s continued abundant blessings. We should never take such a good gift for granted.
During the Octave of Christmas, we always honor the Holy Family of Nazareth: Jesus, Mary and Joseph. We ask their blessing upon our families as we seek to serve God. St. Luke tells us that each year the Holy Family went up together to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover. That reminds us of the vocation of the family: to serve God and to serve each other. We can imagine how wonderfully that vocation of loving service must have been carried out in the day-to-day life of the Holy Family: serving God in heaven above; and serving each other with care and devotion, willing to sacrifice for the other.
During the Christmas season we sing: “Joy to the world, the Lord has come.” You also should sing a song of gratitude to God from your heart: “Joy to the world, the Lord has come to our family; the Lord has come to our home. Let earth receive her King, and let every heart prepare Him room.”
Thinking ahead to our Eucharistic Congress next September, we have chosen the theme: “Stay with us, Lord.” These are the words the two disciples spoke to Jesus on the road to Emmaus. There are many ways the risen Lord does remain with us – most especially in the Holy Eucharist, His Real Presence – but the risen Lord also remains with us in our families, especially as we enthrone Him at the center of our families and honor Him.
As you participate in Holy Mass and offer Jesus’ sacrifice, the gift of His life to the Father for our salvation, ask the Lord to bless your family with His presence, His love and His peace throughout 2019.
Bishop Peter Jugis delivered this homily on Dec. 30, the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte.