Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
As you heard last weekend at Mass, Bishop Vann has appointed Fr. Mike Rizzo as the administrator of our parish, effective July 1st. Fr. Rizzo currently is serving at Corpus Christi Church as administrator pro-tem. As recently as a week and a half ago, I spoke with parishioners from there who told me how happy they are with Fr. Mike’s ministry as he has brought a lot of life to that community and that he is an excellent preacher.
Fr. Mike is a late vocation, having served as a corporate attorney and been in senior leadership for US Bank and other companies. He was married and his son presently lives with his wife in San Clemente. Before his wife’s death, he was discerning a call to the permanent diaconate, but after her death, he felt called to the priesthood and was ordained in 2020.
Fr. Mike’s first assignment was at my home parish, and I consistently heard good things about him. When my mom was sick, he would regularly go visit her to hear her confession and she spoke about how kind and empathetic he was to her. When I would visit my mom, I would frequently stop by the church to pray and would regularly see Fr. Mike out on the playground with the school kids. Between his administrative skills as well as his priestly zeal, I think he will be an excellent addition to our parish. Fr. Mike will be spending these months caring for the people of Corpus Christi and I will continue to be with you until July. Please keep Fr. Mike in your prayers during this time of transition.
In Christ,
Bishop Tim Freyer
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