On the evening of June 23, the Vigil of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, the pews of Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church in Homewood were at capacity as the occupants awaited the beginning of a special Mass of Thanksgiving. Outside, over two dozen priests of the diocese and Cullman’s St. Bernard Abbey lined up two-by-two in front of Archbishop Joseph Marino, Bishop Steven Raica, Bishop Richard Spenser, Bishop Emeritus Robert Baker, and Benedictine Abbot Marcus Voss to process into the church to mark the 25th anniversary of Father Kevin Bazzel’s ordination to the priesthood. Father Bazzel, who currently serves not only as the pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows but also as the diocesan Moderator of the Curia and Vicar General, was ordained by Bishop David E. Foley at the Cathedral of St. Paul in 2001 alongside Father Bryan Lowe.

Following the Gospel reading, Father Bazzel began his homily by thanking the faithful, the religious, and the clergy, especially the archbishop, bishops, abbot, Father Lowe, Father Den Irwin, Father Rick Chenault, Msgr. Michael Sexton, and Msgr. Paul Rohling, for taking the time to celebrate the milestone anniversary with him. As he reflected on the Gospel, he noted that while St. John the Baptist “may be the hinge between the Old and New Testaments,” the saint “would not have existed if it had not been for his parents.” The insight led to some introspection.

“Tonight, as I give thanks to God for 25 years of priestly ministry,” he remarked, “I must first give thanks to God for my family.” For Father Bazzel, his family provided a firm foundation of faith and love. From his paternal grandfather’s selfless love for his wife as she suffered from Alzheimer’s, to his maternal grandmother’s faith and strength after the loss of three children, to his great-aunt’s 72 years of professed religious life, they all played a part in helping him realize his vocation to the priesthood. However, his yes to priestly ministry would not have been possible without his parents’ witness of faith. Succinctly, he stated, “I would not be here today.” 

Father Bazzel’s parents intentionally raised him and his brother in a “faithful Catholic household.” They not only sacrificed to provide Catholic education but also allowed the “practice of the Catholic faith” to form the “rhythm” of their home life. Almost moved to tears, Father Bazzel summed up his family’s support by sharing a special memory. “When I told my parents that I was going to apply to the seminary,” he remembered, “my dad, a convert to Catholicism, [said], ‘I don’t think there is a better thing you can do with your life.’”  

As he weaved in the Gospel reading, Father Bazzel explained how the fulfillment of God’s plan for our salvation began when the Archangel Gabriel came to Zechariah after he had been chosen “by lot” to enter the Temple and offer the sacrifice of incense. Being chosen “by lot,” he continued was not random; rather, it was providential. Father Bazzel then looked to his brother priests and said: “I must give thanks to God for the witness of my brother priests. These men are not here randomly, but providentially, because of the will of God. … I have been edified and sustained in so many ways by the priestly witness of my brothers, who tirelessly and devotedly have served the souls entrusted to them. So, tonight, I ask you to join me in thanking the priests here, and all the priests within the Diocese of Birmingham, for being Christ among us and for laying down their lives for us.”

Father Bazzel concluded his homily by thanking the many people his priesthood has brought into his life. “Without your faithfulness and zeal,” he emphasized, “our priesthood would be lifeless. Without your prayers for and with us, our priestly life would not be sustainable, and the work of God would not be accomplished. … May each of us, according to our calling, proclaim in word and deed the presence of the Lamb of God among us, and so turn the hearts of many to the Lord of God.”

Following Mass, well wishers waited patiently for their turn to congratulate Father Bazzel before making their way to the parish’s Family Life Center to enjoy the dinner reception. 

Although Father Lowe marked his shared ordination anniversary with Father Bazzel at Our Lady of Sorrows, his parish, St. John the Baptist in Madison, held a jubilee celebration June 28. Parishioners gathered in the parish hall following the 8:30 and 11:30 a.m. Masses to show their gratitude to their pastor. Father Lowe welcomed Father Joemon Koonan and Deacon Dan Laurita to the celebration to mark their 25th and 40th ordination anniversaries, respectively. 

As the diocese prepares to mark the feast of its co-patron St. John Vianney, the patron saint of parish priests, on Aug. 4 please consider praying the novena in thanksgiving not only for the many priests, like Fathers Bazzel and Lowe, who have answered the call to serve in the Lord’s vineyard but also for more men to hear and answer His call. The novena can be found at bhmdiocese.org/novena-to-st-john-vianney.