Stepping Up to the Call
As Catholics, we are called to serve. Our vocations lead us to any variety of important roles in the community – from teachers to doctors, armed service members to the clergy. Often times, the call may come in increments. As St. John Baptist de La Salle, the founder of the Christian Brothers, wrote, “God, who guides all things with wisdom and serenity, whose way is not to force the inclinations of persons, […] [does] this in an imperceptible way and over a long period of time so that one commitment led to another in a way that [you] did not see before.” Today, we focus on a diocesan priest who continues to accept the calls of his vocation.
Fr. Sean DiMaria is the pastor of five parishes in WNY: Immaculate Conception in Wellsville, Blessed Sacrament in Andover, SS. Brendan & Jude in Alfred, Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph in Belmont, and St. Mary in Bolivar – he was assigned to the latter two in September. In addition to accepting a bounty of ministerial responsibilities, having five parishes also means that Fr. Sean oversees multiple Upon This Rock campaigns. He is excited to report that his fourth campaign at SS. Brendan & Jude is currently wrapping up, as the parish passed its goal this week.
Fr. Sean, alongside his parochial vicar Fr. Dan Serbicki, has been working diligently on the campaign at the parish. Twenty five families have made gifts to SS. Brendan & Jude so far, surpassing goal by $40,870 – that’s 118% overall! The hard work continues, though, since there are many more families that are still deciding on their gift. With their returning 35%, he plans to invest in a long-term savings account and to take care of on-going maintenance.
This is not the first time that Fr. Sean has made a splash during Upon This Rock. Back in March, Blessed Sacrament, Andover marked the fastest parish campaign to reach goal by bringing in 91% of goal in only one week. Blessed Sacrament went on to collect 291% of goal during Block 1 – the largest percent of goal in the campaign that has been achieved, to date. Additionally, St. Mary, Bolivar continues to stand as the Block 2 leader since it reached its goal in June of this year.
When we spoke with Fr. Sean in March, he credited all of the success he has seen to the dedication of his parishioners. “Everyone at the parish is enthused about Upon This Rock,” he said, “and looking forward to seeing what will happen in the near future.” If history is any indication, there is much to anticipate as Fr. Sean soon gets started on his fifth and final campaign at Immaculate Conception Parish in Wellsville. Congratulations to Fr. Sean and to his partner priests, Ambassadors, volunteers, and parishioners on your continued successes!
Read below for even more good news from the Upon This Rock initiative!
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