Our little project here has spurred many of our viewers to ask us to take pictures for other events. Tonight was one of those nights; the St. Lawrence community celebrated Msgr. Vince Krische's retirement, and we were asked to be the "official" photographer for the event. The St. Lawrence Center as we know it today was built through the vision of Fr. Vince. For the past 5 years or so, he's been a pastor at a church in Overland Park. But now that he has reached retirement age, he has chosen to come back to St. Lawrence and be an associate pastor here.
Although I never got the opportunity to meet him prior to this evening, the love for this man of God is clear in every person who is lucky enough to have crossed paths with him. He is the priest that baptized and gave Pete his first communion, and will hopefully celebrate our marriage with us; he has inspired countless others to live lives of virtue for God. If you want something tangible, just try and count the number of people who showed up to his retirement celebration mass and party this evening.
In all this excitement, however, it is clear that the work of the Lord caused each and every smile, bit of laughter, and tear of joy. It is in the sharing blood and body of our Lord and remembering the sacrifice that He made for each one of us that is the driving force for our lives, and Fr. Vince's work at the center. I know that he will be able to communicate the love of the Lord to hundreds of thousands of people to come.
This hope is clearly reflected in the faces of the children that attended the party tonight. Maybe my photographic "calling" is in child portraiture....what do you think? (Click on any of the pictures to see them larger.)
