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Father Robert Jager, his wife and two children arrived in the United States from Kosice, Slovakia, this fall to help meet the urgent priest shortage in the Eparchy of Parma.
“We, as a family, prayed over it for more than a year, and the result is our presence here, among you,” he said.
Father Jager recalled how the Byzantine Catholic Church in North America spoke out on behalf of the persecuted Byzantine Catholic Church in Europe under communism. “So when bishop Milan returned to Europe asking for priests because of the shortage of priests I felt this was the time to pay back,” he said.
The Biblical scholar and former secretary of the bishop of Kosice was assigned to serve as the associate pastor at two parishes in Ohio — St. Stephen Parish in Euclid and Holy Transfiguration Parish in Mentor-on-the-Lake.
“We experienced a very warm welcome here in the United States and found many kind people willing to help us in this period of transition, especially for our children, who have to adopt to new contexts, schools and adjust to the new life, leaving behind friends, peers and the whole family,” he said.
First of all, to share our own experience of faith, our experience of God´s presence in the everyday life…to be a witness of the resurrection of Jesus that is shown, revealed, to us in his mercy,” he said.
Father Jager is one of two new priests to arrive from Slovakia since the spring. Giving to this year’s Stewardship Appeal will ensure that the eparchy can sponsor another priest from Europe in 2019 to serve the needs of our church.
Donate to the stewardship appeal here.
As published in Horizons, Oct. 21, 2018.
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