May 20, 2012

Dear Friends,

In the name of the entire parish community I want to say THANK YOU to Fr. Mike Keliher for fifteen years of dedicated service here at St. Thomas More. It would be hard to sum up all those years of ministry statistically: how many Masses? how many baptisms? how many confessions? how many weddings? how many funerals? how many counseling sessions? – and on and on. The numbers really don’t tell the story nor reveal the impact on people’s lives. It is not possible to measure that, nor to summarize it. Instead we look at words like “conscientious”, “thoughtful”, “faithful”, “insightful”, “intelligent”, “patient”, “humorous”, “practical”, “compassionate”, “generous” - words to describe both the man and the ministry. Fr. Mike’s love of Scripture and of liturgy was always evident in his homilies, in his presiding, and in his care for RCIA rituals and processes. Many times over the years people would say to me: “Fr. Mike’s homilies and his classes reminded me of a college professor” or “You can’t always hear Fr. Mike, but you can tell that he is a teacher”. Those who attended his Bible Study classes or his RCIA sessions can attest to the same.

Fr. Mike’s caring and careful guidance of the RCIA process has enabled great numbers of people to learn about Catholic teaching and tradition and to be formed into membership within the Catholic community. The RCIA team has flourished under his patient and focused leadership. They, and the parish staff, have relished his dry wit and his droll commentaries. The care and the support of parishioners has been a tremendous strength and benefit for him, and he has reciprocated that in many quiet and unobserved ways in the lives of others who have struggled. In the year 2005 we witnessed his unabashed pride and delight when the White Sox won the World Series – and all those other years he modeled for us the virtue of faithful long-suffering. The Women’s Guild depended on his famous cheesecakes to stoke their profits at bake sales - and they (and the pastor) relied on his quiet balance as their moderator over these many years. Fr. Mike investigated and brought to the parish the Returning Catholics ministry several years ago in response to his concern for evangelizing estranged Catholics and thoughtfully gathered a team to carry it on. This year’s session welcomed back over twenty people.

When the Viatorian community asked Fr. Mike to accept a new assignment to fill a need at St. Viator parish in Chicago, he responded generously. His Viatorian roots go back to his own childhood growing up in a Viatorian parish and his forty six years as a vowed Viatorian have imbued that spirit of service in him. The goal of the Viatorians is to be educators of faith by proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ and by raising up communities where faith is lived, deepened and celebrated. As the longest serving priest in the 25 year history of St. Thomas More, Fr. Mike has brought that mission to life here in his ministry and in his lived witness. It will bear fruit for years to come. On behalf of the parish staff and of the entire parish community, “thank you Fr. Mike”. May God lead you into the next vineyard - and may the Sox take another title while you are
working in Chicago!

Fr. Pat Render, csv