Meet Fr. Bob!

Dear brothers and sisters of St. John’s:

Fr. Bob Horihan, Rector of the Co-Cathedral

As I write these words, one week remains before I formally enter into my new ministry as rector of the Co-Cathedral. Also, and aptly enough, I happen to be writing these words from my abode-to-be! I am in the midst of the second of two “orientation” visits, so to speak, acclimating myself to the setting and getting the proverbial lay of the land. While I was already looking forward to coming to St. John’s, these two opportunities to familiarize myself more with the parish have definitely elevated that sense of excitement and eager anticipation.

As many of you already may know, I am not entirely a stranger to Rochester. Back when I had considerably less gray hair and just one year of priestly experience under my belt, I began a two-year stint in which I served as parochial vicar at the Church of the Resurrection and chaplain/instructor at Lourdes High School. The Lourdes connection in particular gave me the welcome opportunity to get to know St. John’s a bit. Arguably most obviously, I had students in the classroom who belonged to the parish. In addition, given the location of Lourdes at the time, all-school Masses would involve a mini-pilgrimage to the church building. Those celebrations provided me with a chance to get to know the worship space and gain an initial familiarity with the environment in which I will be spending a great deal of time in the very near future. At the time, of course, I never imagined I would be returning—this time as rector—after two decades, but providence may well have been preparing me.

After my two years at Resurrection and Lourdes, I spent time as a pastor in the western portion of the diocese, serving the three communities of St. Gabriel in Fulda, Immaculate Heart of Mary in Currie, and St. Anthony in Westbrook. (If you do not know where those places might be, fret not—neither did I when Bishop Harrington called back in 2005 to send me to them!) Post Fulda/Currie/Westbrook, I was invited to pursue graduate studies, and post graduate studies, I landed at a place which had already served as home for four years and would be home again for another ten: Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary (IHMS) in Winona. I had been there as a student from 1994-1998, and in 2015 I began my ten-year tenure as a formator. It was in 2016 that I took up the mantle of rector at IHMS, and now it the time has come to move from one rectorship to another.

As I look forward (and not just ahead, mind you!) to the next chapter of my own journey, I am filled with gratitude that I will be spending it with all of you. On occasion, I have had the chance to provide weekend coverage at the Co-Cathedral, and it has always been a delight to be here, even on a temporary basis. As I prepare to “settle in,” it is with joyful anticipation of the blessings that God has in store for all of us as we come to know more deeply the riches of Christ and his love for us. I ask for your prayers, and I assure you of my own.


Onward to the new adventure!

Fr. Bob Horihan

Rector

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