Each seventh- and eighth-grade student at St. Patrick School in Carleton wrote about a special priest in his or her life, and the principal, Ruth Meiring, sent seven of them to The Michigan Catholic. Most wrote about Fr. John Dumas, administrator of Divine Grace Parish, but a few other priests shared in the students’ love. Here are their letters:
Fr. John Dumas is a great priest. He has great homilies, he teaches us about Guardian Angels, and he encourages us to be reverent.
Fr. John is a great priest because he cares not only for the church, but the school too. He also is very involved. He is involved in both the church and the school. Fr. John is very respectful. When you answer questions in Church, he has his eyes on you to show he’s listening.
Fr. John has great homilies. He is very descriptive and explains things very well. He never has his back to Jesus while he is telling his homilies, but when he does his Guardian Angel is there with him saying a prayer to Jesus. He taught us that our Guardian Angel is always with us no matter where we are. Fr. John also taught us the “Angel of God” prayer to say to our Guardian Angels.
Fr. John is very reverent, and he teaches us to be reverent as well. Fr. John teaches us the right way to receive the Eucharist. He teaches us how to pray hard and how to participate in Mass. He also teaches us to always be respectful in Mass and in everyday life.
Overall, he is a great priest who has great homilies. He teaches us about Guardian Angels, and encourages us to be reverent. Divine Grace Church is proud to have such a great priest!
Mya Martin
I like Fr. John Dumas because he taught me how to be an altar server. Before I was an altar server, I really wanted to be one, but wasn’t sure how to be one. When I first became an altar server, I was very confused on what to do, but Fr. John went through everything with me. On my first time serving, Fr. John could tell I was very nervous, so he calmed me down and I am very thankful for that.
I respect Fr. John because he respects me and others. Whenever someone talks, he gives eye contact and listens. If you have a question, he listens and responds.
Fr. John is very involved. He comes to our Halloween Carnivals. He comes to our concerts. He comes to our fundraisers. He comes to all our big events.
Fr. John has very amazing homilies. Some of his homilies are funny. One of his homilies was about troublemakers. One of his homilies was about how teachers are like leaders. I love his homilies.
Fr. John is a very great priest, and I hope he will be our priest for a very long time. I am very grateful for such a great priest.
Katlyn Langschied
Fr. John Dumas is a great and holy priest. He is friendly, helpful, and extremely religious. I wouldn’t trade my priest for the world.
Fr. John is very friendly. He always says “Hi,” to me when I see him. When I’m an altar server every Sunday and sometimes during the week, he always thanks me when I’m done. Once I got a little lightheaded and just didn’t feel very good, and he offered me a water bottle if it ever happened again.
Fr. John is also a very helpful priest, both physical and spiritual. He is extremely helpful through his homilies. He also helps out at the school a lot. Once I had a problem and so I went to talk to him. He not only solved my problem, but helped me feel more confident for the future.
Fr. John is religious. He is always reminding you of your guardian angel. His homilies are serious and spiritual. He performs a lot of nice prayer services. He is extremely religious.
Fr. John is a great and holy priest. I wouldn’t trade my priest for the world.
Andrew Fogle
Dear Fr. John Dumas: You’re an amazing priest. Thank you for being patient with the parish of Divine Grace. Thank you for the small renovations to the school. Many admire the things you do. Your homilies inspire me.
You’re an amazing person. You’re very nice and kind. You’re always in a good mood. You’re very helpful, too. When I don’t know what to do, you tell me just before Mass. Sometimes, you have signaled to me to tell me when to come up. You are a great help.
Thanks for helping the school. You go to some of our programs to help and participate. You help clean up the school. You train the new altar servers. You always make sure we are organized before going to the back of the church. You are a very devoted, caring person.
You’re amazing at your job. Your homilies inspire me to be a better Christian, like you. You are very reverent and respectful. You are an amazing listener. You always listen to my stories. You are a very good role model.
Thanks so much for explaining the readings in church. You break it down until we can understand. You hand out the Eucharist yourself. Thanks for serving the parish for two years. You’re the best Christian I have known. Thanks for everything. May God bless you.
Makenna Wickenheiser
I appreciate my priest, Fr. John Dumas, who has been at Divine Grace for two years. He is an awesome priest.
Fr. John is nice because he asks for suggestions from the parishioners. When he first arrived, Fr. John asked for suggestions about what we could improve around the church. Also at Mass one weekend, he asked for us to suggest names for the new parish because we were combining parishes with another parish. Fr. John has been very kind to let us suggest things.
Father is also very close to God and Mary, closer than the average priest. He demonstrates this to us through Mass. He tells the parishioners long informational homilies. He also genuflects respectfully. He led us in our rosary walk, and he celebrates adoration with the monstrance blessed by Pope John Paul the Great. Fr. John puts effort into being respectful.
Fr. John is caring and considerate. Father came into our school and told us about what he previously did in life. He also gave us a questionnaire sheet about himself. That was fun! Fr. John is very caring because he came into our school and made the questionnaire sheet.
Fr. John is a wonderful person. My church is very lucky to have him as a priest! May God bless him.
Emily Kopmanis
Fr. Rick Hartmann is the priest at St. Roch Parish in Flat Rock. He is adored by many people at the parish. He helps me understand the word of God. He is a very great priest and teacher.
When I walk in the door, he greets me. He knows almost every name in the parish. He will welcome anyone in the church; like he always says, “There are no strangers in the house of God.” He is so nice to everyone in the church and outside of church. He takes his vocation very seriously.
During his homilies, he goes in depth with his description. He makes a lot of funny jokes in the homilies. He is a very funny guy. He teaches me so much. He is very smart; I wish I was like him.
When Mass is almost over, he asks people if it is their birthday or anniversary. They will stand up and the crowd will acknowledge them. He has a great blessing after Mass. When people walk out the door, he gives them a handshake.
He has qualities that make him a great priest. He helps a lot of people understand God and his words. I hope he doesn’t leave the church for a while.
Andrew Koziol
Fr. Bob Mossett, OSFS, is a very involved, dedicated, and a great overall priest who serves Mass at St. Anne Parish, Monroe. Fr. Bob Mossett is the most committed priest I have ever met because he has had quite a few health problems in the last few years. The problem he has had the most trouble with is breathing. He is on oxygen, but that doesn’t stop him from serving Mass.
Fr. Bob is very involved because he baptized both my brother and I. He celebrated with us at my brother’s First Communion dinner. He goes to all the fundraisers at St. Anne Parish.
Fr. Bob has great homilies that have a lot of meaning, that aren’t too long, and sometimes he makes them a little funny. He also used to greet us after Mass. However, now he is too weak to stand by the end of Mass. He is still always very welcoming and at the end of Mass asks if there are any visitors and he makes positive comments about the visitor’s parish. He is also very understanding of parents with active children and still welcomes them with open arms.
Fr. Bob is a great priest. There’s only one problem: unfortunately, he’s retiring. The part I’ll miss about him most is problem him being there because he’s someone you could count on and talk to. I will also miss his sermons; I always got a lot out of them.
Garrick Beste-Walz
Students weigh in
