Viatorians closed out their three-day assembly with an emotional blessing for their Provincial, Fr. Mick Egan, CSV, who on Sept. 1 will be commissioned as the new Superior General of the worldwide congregation of Viatorians.
Led by Fr. Dan Hall, CSV, Assistant Provincial, who will take over as acting Provincial, all of the associates, brothers and priests extended their hands in blessing as they prayed for their pastoral leader and the new challenges ahead.
“Empower him to be a prophetic voice,” they prayed, “as he prepares to lead us into the possibilities the future holds.”
Their prayers came after an emotional dinner the first night, when Fr. Thomas von Behren, CSV, a former provincial and Fr. Mark Francis, CSV, former Superior General, offered their reflections about Fr. Egan and the path that led him to be the new, pastoral leader of all Viatorians.
Even Fr. Arnold Perham, CSV, who celebrates 70 years of religious life this year, grabbed the microphone to reflect on the years he taught math to Fr. Egan, when he attended Saint Viator High School.
“He was a good student,” Fr. Perham quipped. “He could have been a mathematician.”