BY KATHI STEARNS

Father Joseph G. Aquino, MS, views his work as a priest as like that of an itinerant gardener. Planting seeds of faith in various communities, he has moved on to new fields before learning if any seeds had taken root, let alone flourished.

But this May 22, after 25 years of service as a LaSalette priest, he was finally able to catch a glimpse of the fruits of his labor as 400 people filled St. Francis of Assisi Church in Cartersville for a Mass celebrating his silver jubilee.

His brothers, Gerry and Nino, along with his godmother, Ann Sablone, came from Florida while his sister Carmella Papavasiliou and brother Tony arrived from Boston with numerous nieces and nephews.

“I started out by telling them that I was honored they were present. It was a very humbling experience…and at the same it was a moment of great affirmation for me as people said ‘Thank you for what you have done for us and thank you for your priesthood.’ I wish I had known that before,” Father Aquino said.

Father Bob Susann, MS, pastor of St. Ann’s Marietta, addressed the congregation during the anniversary celebration. Father Susann, who was a seminarian when Father Aquino was the director of scholastics for the Missionaries of Our Lady of LaSalette, ribbed Father Aquino about the photographs in the lobby that pictured him with hair. He also related amusing stories about Father Aquino’s dislike for dogs and instructed the congregation in the method of locating a perfect pastor through a chain letter if Father Aquino should ever not measure up.

After the laughter subsided Father Susann told a serious story about a traveler who wandered in a desolate land. As the traveler walked he observed an old man who used his walking stick to make holes in the ground, carefully planting an acorn in each. The old man told the traveler he had lost his wife and daughter in a fire. The man felt that someone needed to care for the barren land, and he decided that he wanted to take this mission upon himself. Twenty-five years later the traveler returned to the same place only to find a beautiful forest filled with trees and birds. The once barren area had flourished because of one man’s commitment to it.

Father Susann told Father Aquino, “You have planted lots and lots of acorns. Many of them have taken root. You have done a good job. You have been blessed with a beautiful gift of priesthood for which we are all thankful.”

Past and current parishioners of Father Aquino echoed the words of Father Susann.

“When my husband’s parents died, the first call we made was to Father Joe. When we needed his spiritual direction he was there for us,” Elizabeth Harper, a parishioner of Most Blessed Sacrament, Atlanta, said. “When my daughter Patrice was married, she wanted Father Aquino to celebrate the Mass. He is a part of our family in good times and bad.”

Despite the fact that Father Aquino has moved frequently, he tries to establish a bond for life with numerous parishioners. “Even though I’ve only been at some parishes for three years, I continue my sacramental relationship with them. Through the sacraments I am with them their entire lives,” Father Aquino said.

“If you need him to be a friend, he is your friend; if you need him to be your priest, he is your priest; and when you need him to be your pastor, he is your pastor,” Mrs. Harper said.

Parishioners at St. Francis have also embraced Father Aquino as a member of their family. “Sometimes he may just drop in for lunch or dinner. It is wonderful that he feels so comfortable and at ease with all of us,” Dorothy Bert said of her pastor. “Even people of other faiths have come to Mass because he makes them feel welcome.”

One of the more exciting tasks for Father Aquino has been the planning and construction of a new parish center to meet the needs of the growing Catholic population of Cartersville and Bartow County. The parish has grown from 90 families in 1984 to 230 families today.

Father Aquino credits his parishioners with the building of the parish center which was blessed by Archbishop John F. Donoghue January 30.

“The building has been a total involvement of the gifts and talents of the community. We have tried to involve as many parishioners as we could so each could give something of himself,” Father Aquino said.

As Father Aquino looks back on his 25 years of priesthood he recalls what he has learned from his many and varied assignments. He speaks of his happiness about his exposure to the African-American culture at Most Blessed Sacrament where he was pastor from 1986 to 1990, and to the Hispanic community at Immaculate Conception in Hartford, Conn., where he was associate pastor from 1978 to 1979.

“Sometimes one sells himself short. The tragedy is you don’t think you are as effective as you should be, but in the end one learns that people just want you to be yourself,” he said.

Father Aquino also served as associate pastor at St. Thomas the Apostle in Smyrna from 1976 to 1978, and in LaSalette work in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Florida and North Carolina. Director of scholastics for the Missionaries of Our Lady of LaSalette from 1970 to 1973, he worked in the order’s preaching apostolate from 1973 to 1976. Father Aquino was ordained May 24, 1969, by then Auxiliary Bishop Daniel Cronin at the Shrine of Our Lady of LaSalette in Ipswich, Mass.

Reflecting upon his calling to the priesthood Father Aquino remembers the day his sister described a visit to the National Shrine of Our Lady of LaSalette. His mother expressed her desire to travel to the Shrine and asked her son to take her. Two months later he informed his parents that he wanted to become a priest. He entered the LaSalette Minor Seminary three months later at the age of 16. “Everything happened so quickly,” he said.

Father Aquino describes the discernment process for continuing his study as a “unique experience.”

“After every school year was complete, I would say to myself in June ‘I’m not going back.’” Every September he found himself back at the seminary. “There was something drawing me back; there was a strong attraction there to keep me coming back in response to God’s invitation.”

He remembers his ordination day as the culmination of his response to God’s call. “I thought I was in control of everything. I had prepared for the event for so long I felt I should go through the event without any second thoughts.” Yet before he processed down the aisle he remembers a friend asking, “Are you sure you want to go through with this?”

Father Aquino responded, “I guess I do.”

“As prepared as I thought I was, it wasn’t until I began to walk down the aisle that I realized something wonderful was happening. There was an overpowering sense of joy as I realized the uniqueness of the lifelong commitment I was about to make after the years of preparation,” Father Aquino said.

Father Aquino never realized that he would be a shepherd in so many pastures but after 25 years of priesthood knows that his flock responds to him with gratitude and love.