A New Adventure

Dear Holy Trinity Parishioners,

It is with great joy and excitement that I come to Holy Trinity! I have heard from Fr. Dave, Dcn. Brett and the staff about how kind and welcoming you are as a parish. You already have a wonderful reputation in the Archdiocese. With such a reputation, I feel honored and blessed to be coming to you as your new pastor. Fr. Dave is a saintly man and we have known each other since the later part of the 1980’s when he was first ordained and was serving in Eugene and I was a new college student at OSU. After I was ordained, I followed him at St. Anthony in Forest Grove in 2002. Parishioners there kept calling me “Fr. Dave.” Some would catch themselves and apologize. On my part, I simply saw this as an incredible compliment. Hey! If I can serve you with something akin to the passion of Fr. Dave, then I must be doing something right. I look up to Fr. Dave and will be reaching out to him for guidance, as I learn how to be the shepherd that God wants me to be for Holy Trinity.

Please forgive me for any mess ups, mistakes in speech, or the deer-in-the-headlights look that will be on my face for many months. This is certainly the largest parish I have been affiliated with as a priest. In addition, I am used to being at parishes that begin with “St.” so I will most certainly goof up our parish name in the first several months. Heck! Maybe even longer. In fact, I might even goof it up and say, “Holy Family,” as I used to go to Holy Family for spiritual direction for years. In some of my emails to Fr. Dave, I have mistyped the church name as “Homy Trinity” and had to correct it! Hah! Maybe that is what is meant to be, eh? Speaking of misspelling, in my coming bulletin letters, there are bound to be some doozies. Auto-spell has done me wrong before, and if I write or say something weird, let me know. Let’s talk. Let’s get clarity. I trust we will be merciful and patient with each other! Feel free to even laugh at me or with me. Life is short, and laughter is wonderful medicine to keep things in perspective, right? And beware! I like “Dad” jokes if that helps you get a sense of my humor.

A few other personal things about me: I am the ninth of nine children. I spent my childhood in Medford and teen years in Tualatin and Tigard. After graduating from college, I taught at Central Catholic (teaching Math, Computer Science, and Religion) and then Tigard High School (Math). I am a self-professed geek. I don’t even mind being called a nerd. I have many hobbies including kayaking and astrophotography. I am fascinated by gadgets and, as an extrovert, love to be around people. I listen to Christian music and have days where I just need to hear some 80’s tunes like that from Toto and such. I enjoy camping. You might even see me heading out with my little trailer just for a couple day R&R on occasions. I have had three dogs during my priestly ministry, and as things get settled may very likely begin the search for a new four-legged friend to assist me in ministry. You can visit my website, frbill.org at your leisure and have a presence on social media. A recent joy in my life was when I celebrated my 22nd anniversary of priestly ordination last Friday, July 1st.

I love Jesus! I praise the Trinity and thank God for all he’s done for me. Indeed, my life as a priest is my way of giving back to God for all that he has done for me. He wooed me, put a passion in my heart, and set me on a great adventure. I am spoiled by his love and grace. I look forward to meeting you and learning the gifts present here at Holy Trinity. I hope I can lead you closer to Christ and learn from you at the same time. I am sinner who also needs to be forgiven, so well-ordered love served with an outpouring of mercy is my thing. I ask for your patience as the learning curve, I expect, will take some time. I am humbled that Fr. Dave would invite and recommend me to come to Holy Trinity. Let’s see what God got in store! If its from God, it’s gunna be great!

Blessings,

Fr. William “Bill” Holtzinger

Being Reassigned

Dear Parishioners,

It’s with sadness that I report I will be leaving at the end of June and have been reassigned to a new parish. But, have no worries. St. Anne and her missions have been listed as “open” for a new pastor. This means that the Archbishop with counsel from the Clergy Personnel Board have been working to discern who will be succeeding me. That priest has yet to be chosen, but I trust that the Holy Spirit has got this, and despite our mutual sadness of this change, I encourage you all to entrust your hearts and thoughts in the same Holy Spirit. God is not anxious like we are. He’s got a plan that we often know nothing about. So, let us let go of our fears, and simply trust.

It’s been 13 years of joy filled and dynamic ministry here. You have all touched me helped me grow into the person I am today. I hope that I have done similar for you. Knowing that the Archbishop has been looking at moving me since late last year, I have been engaged in my own extended Lenten observances. But for many of you, this is possibly unexpected news. Saying goodbye is hard, but it is also a statement of faith, expressing that God be with you and that we have confidence that we will will see each other again.

In the meantime, I remain active as always and I continue my duties as normal. As time gets closer to the end of June, however, my availability for meetings will become more difficult. So let’s make these next three months even more dynamic in faith, hope, and love!

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

Countdown

Dear Parishioners,

Let the countdown begin! Next weekend will be the last time we will celebrate any Masses, services, or any of the Sacraments in our current church as we move to the Hall and prepare for the next step towards our new church. Here’s what’s coming in the near future. 

June 13-16th - The organ will be dismantled, transported, and reassembled in St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church in Portland. 

June 18 - After the 11 AM Mass, we will solemnize the departure of our church by stripping the altar, removing the Blessed Sacrament as well as the Holy Oils and processing through the church and to the Parish Center Sky Room where we will have a short time of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

June 19 - Our first Mass in the Sky Room will take place. We will continue to use the Sky Room until the day we dedicate our new church in the later part of 2018. We are planning for Christmas and Easter Masses to take place in the gym of the Lincoln Elementary School across the street just so we can handle the increase in attendence during those times.

June 20 - All are invited to help in the removal of all the other items of the church to be either stored, thrown away, or given to other entities. The pews will need to be unbolted from the pews and placed outside. This activity will be lead by Kirk Chapman, Stephen Voehl, and Alan Crews.  If anyone has any questions, they are the ones with whom to inquire.

June 21 - If the church is not yet emptied of items that are scheduled to be removed, etc., this will be when the last items should be completely taken out.

After all the needed items have been removed from the church, a company will come to the church to begin asbestos abatement which will take two weeks to complete. The church will be completely off limits during this important step, indeed expect to see workers dressed in special garb and face masks as well other special wrapping around the church as the professionals determine are needed.

After asbestos abatement, heavy equipment will be brought in and demolition of the church will commence. This is expected to take only three days. We will make sure to advertise this date when it is known. It will be quite the event to witness.

So, there’s our short-term timeline of events.  There may be some unforeseen changes, but we do not expect them at this point.  As always, please keep this process in your prayers.  Please pray for the safety of all who are doing this work.  And ultimately, let us always keep our hearts, minds, and vision on the goal which is a new church for the greater glory of God.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

Moving & Working Together

Dear Parishioners,

As we have shared previously, our last weekend in the church is June 17-18.  At the end of the 11 AM Mass on June 18th, we will formally strip the altar, remove the Blessed Sacrament and Holy Oils, and process in solemnity and joy from the church to the Parish Center for a short time of adoration and prayer.  In the days that follow that weekend, we need to begin to prepare the church for asbestos abatement and later demolition. This is where we, as church, can help out. We will have to unbolt the pews, removed the sound system and statues, and many other things.  A “honey-do” list will be created as well as dates as best as we can for these and other activities.  We will advertise these things when we know them more definitively.

Please keep this whole process in your prayers. We are now getting to the phase where things are not just being done in committees, but happening in front of our very eyes. We, ourselves, will need to move and get used to a new “field-church” situation in the Parish Center. We have only three more weekends left in our current building!

May charity and joy reign in our hearts. May we continually lean on the Lord for guidance and strength. And as it is written in Ephesians 1:17 from today’s Mass, “May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give [us] a Spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of him.”  For the greater glory of God and the increase of the Faith are why we do what we do. May he bless our hands and hearts in the weeks and months ahead.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor