An Introduction from Father Ryan Riley

Greetings, St. Martha Parishioners! 

I am so excited to serve as your next pastor!  

Before I say anything about that, however, let me first acknowledge my dear friend, Fr. Mike Murray.  What an extraordinary priest he is!  He came into your lives and the life of St. Martha Parish and School under very trying and difficult circumstances with one agenda item – to love you.  Yes, there was a lot going on, and he did so many extraordinary things pastorally, administratively, and spiritually but the one thing he wanted to impress upon you was the Lord’s love for you.  I think, from what I can tell, he has done a remarkable job.  I want to commend him for his hard work and perseverance through difficulty, his leadership, his prayerfulness and dedication to his vocation, and to his devotedness and attention to the people and students of the parish and school.  Well done, good and faithful servant!  I hope that he will not say goodbye because you will be seeing him…    

I realize that I have big shoes to fill, and so I ask that you pray for me as we enter this next chapter of St. Martha.  I recently visited the school and someone asked me what my vision was for the parish.  My response was, “Well, I don’t know right now.”  That is an honest answer.  I don’t know right now.  Jesus does, however.  As we enter into this next chapter of St. Martha, I think it best to do so prayerfully.  Our prayer should lead us into action.  Our prayer should guide our decision making.  Our prayer should guide our agendas, vision, and efforts.  So, I ask you all to pray.  I am sure that you already are and so I ask you to pray all the more intentionally that the Holy Spirit makes clear His vision for St. Martha Parish and School.  I am confident that He will!  

A little about me for those of you who do not know me (which is most).  I grew up in Owosso, but our family moved to Portland, Michigan shortly after sixth grade.  My father purchased a golf course on Morrison Lake.  My father and brother are both golf professionals.  Correction, my father was a golf professional.  He passed away shortly after this past Christmas.  I graduated from St. Patrick High School in Portland and then from Alma College with a degree in accounting.  I worked for six years as a Senior Auditor with the State of Michigan, Office of the Auditor General.  I loved my time there and still have many dear friends from the OAG.  I entered seminary in 2010 and, after formation and graduation from Sacred Heart Major Seminary, was ordained by Bishop Boyea in 2016.  Since then, I have served at St. Thomas Aquinas and St. John Student Center in East Lansing, St. John the Evangelist in Fenton, St. Mary Magdalen in Brighton for a brief period as temporary administrator just to help get them through a period of hardship and turmoil, and am now wrapping my time as Chaplain at Father Gabriel Richard High School in Ann Arbor.  Go Green!  When I am not in the office, you will find me on the golf course during the summer.  It’s best that we not talk about winter…  Bring on the sun!

One of the joys of being a priest, at least for me, are Catholic schools!  I have a passion for Catholic schools.  Our youth have the right to know Jesus Christ, and we have the duty to make Jesus Christ known.  Catholic schools are first and foremost places of encountering Jesus Christ while at the same time places to prepare our future doctors, lawyers, nurses, teachers, scientists, police officers, firefighters, etc. as they will go out into the world to make Christ known by helping bring about the Kingdom here on earth.  I am excited to see what the Holy Spirit has in store for St. Martha School!  I am also very appreciative of Andrea Patton and the faculty and staff.  I have heard nothing but great things about everyone!  

This is already a longer introduction than I had anticipated, so I will stop here and say, once again, how excited I am to be your next pastor.  Please pray for me and know that I have been praying and will continue to pray for all of you!  Come, Holy Spirit! 

Fr. Ryan