On Sunday, September 24, 2023, the Very Reverend James Ruhlin, Pastor of Saint Michaels in Hudson and of the West Central Deanery, Vicar Forane, and representative of Diocese of Saint Petersburg, Bishop Gregory Parkes installed the Congregation’s Vietnamese priest Dominic Long SSS as pastor of Saint Vincent de Paul Parish. The date was chosen because it was near the patronal feast day of Saint Vincent de Paul (September 27), the patron of the parish. The Very Reverend John Thomas Lane SSS, Provincial Superior for the Province of Saint Ann (USA) in the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament (SSS), presented Father Dominic to the bishop and Vicar Forane Ruhlin for pastor of the church of Saint Vincent de Paul. In his opening remarks, Father Lane thanked Father William Fickel SSS, for his ten years of faithful and amazing service to the parish. The parish gave a standing ovation for Father Bill’s loving, caring, and faithful service. Father Lane also mentioned that this was the second collaboration of the Province of Saint Ann with an international province, the Martyrs of Vietnam Province, and a momentous time in the history of the USA Province of Saint Ann as we serve a global Church very evident in the USA.
Photos: Clockwise from top: Vicar Forane Father Ruhlin installing Father Dominic Long as Pastor; Concelebrants at the Installation Mass with Father Dominic in the center; Vietnamese community and priests entertaining; Fathers Lito and Bill with Filipino Community
