God bless You and
Thank You, Father!

Was it just on July 1st, 2005, Father Raaser became pastor of the Churches of Immaculate Conception and Assumption?

Has it really been ten years that Fr. Raaser has ministered among us: baptizing our children, witnessing our marriages, anointing our sick, burying our dead, celebrating God's forgiveness of our sins and celebrating the Eucharist? It is ten years! Ten years of selfgiving love.

We can ask: What is a priest? He is a man who receives the Sacrament of Holy Orders, who is ordained and therefore, acts in the person of Christ.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church says:
"By the ordained minister, it is Christ himself who is present to his Church as Head of his Body, Shepherd of his flock, high priest of the redemptive sacrifice, Teacher of Truth."

Fr. Raaser has most certainly made Jesus Christ present among us!

The Catechism continues: "It is the same priest, Christ Jesus, whose sacred person his minister truly represents."

To be in Father's presence is to experience the presence of Jesus.

The Catechism continues: "Now the minister, by reason of the sacerdotal consecration which he has received, is truly made like to the high priest and possesses the authority to act in the power and place of the person of Christ himself. Christ is the source of all priesthood: the priest of the old law was a figure of Christ, and the priest of the new law acts in the person of Christ.

We thank God for Fr. Raaser's presence among us and the gift of his priesthood. May God bless him!

You are a priest forever in the line of Melchiezedek.