Blessed Sacrament Church at 305 E Street, South Charleston, WV 25303 US - Meet Father Finnell

My college years were at Holy Cross College in Worcester, MA, near the center of the state, about 100 miles from my hometown. During breaks I found jobs in an x-ray darkroom, a bank trust department, a men's clothing store and a classroom for under-privileged inner-city children.

After college, a strange (and providential) set of circumstances led me to a job as a lay pastoral associate, serving three parishes in Flint, Michigan along with a team of 3 priests and 2 nuns. After only 2 years there, I discerned in 1974 that God was calling me to priesthood back in the Diocese of Worcester, MA.

The Bishop of Worcester accepted me and sent me to Saint Mary's Seminary in Baltimore, MD for four years of study and preparation. He ordained me as a deacon 27 Dec 1977 and, after a year of diaconal service in St. Pius X Parish, Leicester, MA, he ordained me as a priest 11 Nov 1978 and assigned me to a parish about 20 miles south of Worcester, St. Peter in Northbridge. In 1981 I was transferred to a parish named Blessed Sacrament (!) back in the city of Worcester for three happy years.

I was not at all pleased in 1983 when the Holy Spirit stirred in me an almost obsessive preoccupation with ministering in West Virginia after I had met a nun who was then serving in Franklin, WV and who was visiting her relatives in Worcester. Finally, I decided it was safe to talk to my bishop about this experience because I was sure he'd get me off the hook by refusing to let me go to WV! To my surprise he readily agreed to loan me out and said 'John, who am I to argue with the Holy Spirit'?

After I had corresponded with Bishop Hodges and visited to see the state, he assigned me as pastor of Christ in the Hills Parish in Hamlin, Lincoln County, WV 15 Aug 1984. WHAT a culture shock! However, grace filled my spirit with a sense of being 'at home' from the moment I arrived. At the end of my 3 year 'on-loan' status I was quite sure I belonged here and was released by the Bishop of Worcester to be incardinated into the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston.

At that same time, in 1987, Bishop Schulte asked me to pastor two additional parishes in Boone County: St. Joseph the Worker in Whitesville and St. Mary Queen of Heaven in Danville, WV (now moved to Madison) where I resided while I served the three parishes for four more years.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome so depleted my energy during 1990-91 that I asked Bishop Schmitt to remove me from my pastoral responsibilities. I will be forever indebted to him for his kindness in assigning me to be 'in residence' at Paul VI Pastoral Center in Wheeling. There, he told me (while the diocese paid my salary) my only job description was 'John, just do whatever you feel you can do!'

Therefore, for 7 wonderful years I did some spiritual direction, helped on weekdays at the Cathedral parish in Wheeling and celebrated weekend Masses in parishes all over WV (including 3 months at Blessed Sacrament!) when their pastors were away.

During these years I came to know God, myself, the church and ministry in a whole new light.

In 1998 I felt ready to accept Bishop Schmitt's request that I pastor St. Boniface Church in Camden. Once again, God utilized that situation to nourish and challenge me in new and ever deeper ways that led me into a true love affair with that portion of God's people. For 7 wonderful years I was astonished at the marvelous ways God delivered people, wisdom, strength (and weakness when that suited God's purposes!), talents and resources that I needed at every step of the way.

All of these experiences have helped to clarify and deepen my conviction that God is Love who always gives us what he knows we need (and, of course, in his own good timing!) in order to carry out whatever is our part in his plan to lead all people into the full embrace of his love and glory. That conviction alone gave me the strength to tear myself away (with many tears!) from St Boniface and move to St. Matthew in Ravenswood in 2005. After three wonderful years there I am grieving once again as I come to Blessed Sacrament in South Charleston to discover the gifts God has in store for me here!