Photos and article by Mary Alice Murphy and thanks to photos by Dotty Pfeifer (as marked)
Welcome Back, Father Bartholomew, Thank You, Father Bernard
Welcome Back, Father Bartholomew, Thank You, Father Bernard
Father Bartholomew Ezenwelem, St. Francis Newman Center Parish pastor, in his U.S. Army Reserve uniform
Welcome Back, Father Bartholomew, Thank You, Father Bernard
Every chair is filled with members of St. Francis Newman Center Parish
Welcome Back, Father Bartholomew, Thank You, Father Bernard
Father Bernard Okafor, at left, who filled in for Father (Capt.) Bartholomew, at right, while he was in training as a U.S. Army Reserve Chaplain
Welcome Back, Father Bartholomew, Thank You, Father Bernard
Father Bernard signs his book, "Understanding the Catholic Faith," for a parishioner. Photo by Dotty Pfeifer
Welcome Back, Father Bartholomew, Thank You, Father Bernard
Father Bernard fills his plate, while Father Bartholomew in back, checks out the rest of the food. Photo by Dotty Pfeifer
Welcome Back, Father Bartholomew, Thank You, Father Bernard
Folks line up to fill their plates. Photo by Dotty Pfeifer
Welcome Back, Father Bartholomew, Thank You, Father Bernard
A group of parishioners traveled to South Carolina to surprise Father Bartholomew at his graduation and brought T-shirts. Photo by Dotty Pfeifer
Welcome Back, Father Bartholomew, Thank You, Father Bernard
The other side of the T-shirt
Welcome Back, Father Bartholomew, Thank You, Father Bernard
Father Bernard speaks to the parishioners and thanks them for welcoming him. Photo by Dotty Pfeifer
Welcome Back, Father Bartholomew, Thank You, Father Bernard
Father Bartholomew with Trudy Sandoval and her grandson, Jeremiah Medran-Delgado
Welcome Back, Father Bartholomew, Thank You, Father Bernard
The bright red T-shirt
Welcome Back, Father Bartholomew, Thank You, Father Bernard
The welcome back cake.
Welcome Back, Father Bartholomew, Thank You, Father Bernard
Father Bartholomew looks like he's ready to eat the cake.
On Sunday afternoon, April 23, 2023, at the Woman's Club, St. Francis Newman Center Parish welcomed back, with a potluck lunch, the pastor Father Bartholomew Ezenwelem, and thanked Father Bernard Okafor for serving in Father Bartholomew's absence while he was in U.S. Army Reserve Chaplain training in South Carolina. Father Bartholomew is now officially a captain in the U.S. Army Reserve.
The tables filled with the potluck items brought by parishioners, with the hot dogs and hamburgers provided by the hosts. Every seat was filled.
After Father Bartholomew blessed the crowd and the food, they lined up for the goodies. After lunch, a video was shown of Father's graduation. A group of parishioners surprised Father by traveling to the graduation and bringing T-shirts for Team Ezenwelem. Father noted that his last name was difficult for some at training, so they called him EZ.
Father Bernard had at Mass thanked the parishioners for welcoming him to Silver City and to St. Francis and for their hospitality to him, showing him around the area and even taking him to Santa Fe during his time in New Mexico.