Learning to minister
Deacon Pierce said he learned some important lessons while ministering in Faribault and at St. Bernard in St. Paul, including patience and reaching out to people in different ways.
“In order to effectively minister to people [one must] really know where they’re coming from and reach out to them in a way that really impacts them,” he said. “For me, I tend to minister to people in ways that I would like to be ministered to, but that’s not necessarily effective. So I’ve worked on that.”
In one of his homilies at St. Bernard, Deacon Pierce spoke at Saturday Mass about Moses and the burning bush, and he compared it to the Eucharist. But, he said, the congregation didn’t seem engaged.
After Mass, the pastor, Father Mike Anderson, asked Deacon Pierce what he thinks of when he has a divine experience. The pastor then suggested the experience of walking into the Cathedral for the first time.
Deacon Pierce altered his homily to talk about that excitement, and the parishioners were much more engaged, he said.
“It worked out after my pastor suggested something they could grasp,” he said. “He’s been very helpful. I wish I could always have him there.”
As a Spanish speaker, Deacon Pierce especially enjoyed his experience with Hispanic ministry in Faribault. He hopes to continue that ministry in the future, he said.
Among his many gifts to the priesthood, Pierce said he believes he is sensitive because of different family experiences in his past.
Also, as a newer Catholic, Pierce said he will bring enthusiasm in teaching the faith.
“Becoming Catholic, I learned a lot in that stage,” he said. “I like explaining the faith, describing why we believe something.”
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Printed with permission from The Catholic Spirit, newspaper for the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.