AUGUST 16, 2020

My dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
 
With the Lord, there are always surprises and gifts. I can say my appointment here was a complete surprise that I am still accepting as reality. However, as my spiritual director reminded me, my last assignment at St. Elizabeth in Paincourtville and St. Jules in Belle Rose was a gift. I know this assignment will be a gift as well. This has been part of my prayer these past two weeks. I look forward to seeing how this gift will unfold as we begin this new journey together.
 
For those of you who might not remember me, I was assigned as a summer seminarian to Immaculate Conception in 2012. I  had just finished 1^st  Theology at Notre Dame Seminary and my third year of priestly formation. I still remember the day when I received an email from Fr. Frank Uter welcoming me to Denham Springs. It was a wonderful summer which truly affirmed that this was the vocation the Lord was calling me towards. It is hard to believe eight years later that I am now the pastor here. Therefore, I see this as part of the gift that I am already familiar with the campus, most of the staff, and some of the layout of the area. However, I know there is so much more to discover and learn!
 
Another gift in my life is my family and my background. I am the son of Rick and Pat Graham who have been married for 41 years. I am the oldest of three kids. I have a younger sister, Danielle, who is married and has three girls, and a younger brother, Ryan, who currently lives in Texas. Baton Rouge is my home;  I attended St. Jude Church and School as well as Catholic High School. After graduating from Catholic High in 1999, I attended LSU where I graduated in 2004 with a degree in Chemical Engineering. Jacobs Engineering hired me that fall to work as a Process Engineer where I stayed until I discerned my call and entered the seminary in August 2009. I was ordained a deacon on June 14, 2014 and served as an intern at Our Lady of Mercy in Baton Rouge. Then, on May 30, 2015, Bishop Muench ordained me a priest at St. Joseph Cathedral. My first assignment was at Christ the King Parish and Student Center on the campus of LSU from July 2015 to June 2016. For the last four years, I have been at St. Elizabeth in Paincourtville and St. Jules in Belle Rose where I served as administrator for two years and then pastor for two years.
 
On a personal note, I really enjoy the outdoors as some might have seen on my social media accounts. This was definitely influenced by my time in the Boy Scouts where I earned Eagle Scout. When the weather is cool, I enjoy sitting around a fire. I am also a tech geek so I like working on computers, trying new programs, solving tech issues, and whatever I can get my hands on. I am also an introvert and tend to be on the more quiet side until I get to know people.
 
I think this is a good start as an introduction;  you will learn more about me as we begin this new journey together. Please pray for me as I transition into this assignment. Pray as well for Fr. Tomi Thomas I.M.S, who is replacing me at my previous assignment, and for the staff and parishioners at St. Elizabeth and St. Jules.  The past few weeks have been emotional and tough but grace-filled.
 
Through the Alliance of the Two Hearts,

Fr. Matthew J. Graham 

July 14, 2023

Christ's peace to all of you!

It is a joy and a privilege to join the family of believers here at Immaculate Conception and the Mission of the Sacred Heart as a spiritual father and to assist Father Matthew in providing for the spiritual needs of this parish. I look forward to getting to know as many of you as time and energy will allow, so to facilitate that, here is a little to know about me.

I was born in Baton Rouge and grew up in Gonzales, Louisiana. My father, Richard, taught in the public school system for many years as a music teacher and band director before retiring. My mother, Mary, is a pianist and piano teacher. So, as you can imagine, the house I grew up in was a musical one! I have three sisters, all of whom live in the Baton Rouge area, and 12 nieces and nephews (number 13 on the way!) My "home parish" growing up was St. Theresa of Avila; however, both of my parents being church musicians, I spend significant time at St. Gabriel Catholic Church and at St. John the Evangelist, where in high school I was a member of the choir at the 9:30 Mass.

I attended East Ascension for high school, where my main extracurricular was, shockingly, marching and concert band. I went on to LSU for college, where my love for math, science, and learning, in general, led me to major in Civil Engineering (yes, another engineer-priest...). While at LSU, through God's provident working, I became involved at the Catholic Student Center on campus, Christ the King, first in attending Bible studies, then leading them, then just being around for whatever was going on and helping wherever needed. I had first heard a faint glimmer of the call to the priesthood in high school, which I spent several years running away from. Through my involvement at Christ the King, and the many vital and lifegiving relationships that formed there, Our Lord was able, slowly, to break down the walls I had put up to keep Him out and show me in no uncertain terms that a deeper relationship with Him, trusting in His plan, was the surest way to the peace and happiness that I was longing for.

As I was preparing to graduate from LSU, I answered His call to enter the seminary and begin formally discerning the diocesan priesthood. My time in seminary was one of deep blessing and transformation, and I am overjoyed to have the opportunity to share the message of reconciliation and salvation that Our Lord has sent me to proclaim. But I am also a man, beset by my weaknesses and shortcomings, and so I ask for your prayers as I come to your parish, that I may always be found a faithful steward of the ministry which God, in love for His people, has entrusted to me. May He from whom and for whom all things are bless each of you today and always.

In Christ,
Father Joseph