Sundays with Massie

The oil and gas industry has been a boom to the Louisiana economy ever since oil was first produced from a well in Jennings in 1901. Since then landmen have been diligently leasing property all over South Louisiana for other oil wells.
One landman in particular, Charles William Massie, has left behind his job of exploring for oil and gas as he has explored a calling to the priesthood. He now serves as pastor of St. Ann in Mamou and its Holy Spirit Chapel in Vidrine.
“I was in oil and gas for 15 years before I started in the seminary in 2009,” Fr. Massie said. “I felt something stirring inside of me that was leading me to the priesthood, so I wanted to explore it.”
Fr. Massie, the Abbeville native and 1984 graduate of Vermilion Catholic, explored his calling to the priesthood and went to the seminary in Wisconsin for six years. He said, “I attended a school called Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology in a little town called Hales Corners which is on the outskirts of Milwaukee.”
He described his short time as a priest to be humbling. “In general, I would say the speed at which people invite me into their innermost portions of their lives is a humbling experience,” Fr. Massie said. “I know it has nothing to do with me and everything to do with the office of priesthood, but it’s still a humbling experience to be invited so quickly into a person’s personal life.”
After being ordained a priest for the Diocese of Lafayette in 2015, Fr. Massie was first assigned as an associate pastor at St. Michael’s in Crowley for a year before being reassigned as associate pastor St. Genevieve in Lafayette. A year after getting to St. Genevieve, he was assigned by Bishop Douglas Deshotel to be pastor in Mamou this year.
“As an associate, I was sort of learning how things work until I got a good idea and experience of saying Mass, for instance, pastoral assignments and being with people in different circumstances of their lives such as baptizing their children, marrying their children, and burying their dead,” he said. “All of those things sort of build upon themselves as we gain experience in what we’re doing. I started as a priest when I was 48, so there’s a little bit of life experiences behind that too.”
Fr. Massie came to Mamou on July 3 and said it was not his first time to the area as he had “passed through town a few times” while working in oil and gas. He said, “The church is bigger than I thought it was going to be, and it’s a bigger parish than I thought it was going to be. I’m happy to be here in Mamou.”
He shared his ideas of making the parish better by using money from the Centennial Campaign that marks the 100th Anniversary of the Diocese of Lafayette next year. “It’s a five year collection time, and we’re hoping that over time we get a little of that money returned to us,” Fr. Massie said. “There’s always something going on here. A big complex like this needs a lot of maintenance, so there’s always a little something that comes up.”
Fr. Massie then explained the importance of a devotion to the person of St. Ann. “I have a devotion to our Blessed Mother, but I love her momma too,” he said. “I think a devotion to St. Ann speaks well of our grandparents and reminds us how important grandparents are in our lives. St. Ann is an integral part of anything having to do with our Lord or His Mother.”
As the liturgical year comes to an end, also important for Fr. Massie is a proper celebration of Advent which marks the four weeks leading up to Christmas. “A new liturgical season helps us to focus a little bit differently on what we’re doing,” he said. “Advent prepares us for the Christmas celebration. I hope to be able to help the parishioners here to be able to slow down a little bit to sort of hit the pause button and to reflect upon their lives. Then they can enter into the season with a well-formed mind so they’re not glossing over the season of Advent.”
“I find the farming communities like this have a better sense of the change of seasons from planting season to harvest season,” he continued. “Advent is a season as well, and I want to try to get the parishioners into the spirit of the season by doing the good work of Advent before Christmas gets here.”
Aside from getting people of St. Ann prepared for Advent, Fr. Massie wants to get more people involved in the church. “We have a lot of dedicated volunteers that do the work here, but I’d like to have more volunteers and to involve more of the community into what’s going on here at St. Ann’s.”
“Sometimes it ends up that just a few people are the ones doing most of the work, and I’d like to get some of the younger families involved, he continued.”
Fr. Massie also gave advice for any parishioners of St. Anne who are considering a call to religious life. “Share what you’re feeling with your parents and your friends, and of course my door is always open if anybody wants to discuss that with me as well,” he concluded.