Father Tom Butler returns to parish
Liz Essley
Issue date: 4/9/09 Section: News
Father Tom Butler, after almost a year's absence from St. Anthony of Padua Church, returned last week to perform Palm Sunday Mass.
After 17 years as the priest of St. Anthony's, Butler left for his first sabbatical last September. The Catholic Church encourages priests to take sabbaticals every 10 years, he said.
He attended the Vatican II Institute at St. Patrick's Seminary in Menlo Park, Calif.
"It was really wonderful," he said. "It was like going to college without papers."
After returning to Hillsdale in December for Christmas, Butler underwent a follow-up surgery for a former health problem, then journeyed to Texas to recuperate and spend time with family.
Junior Karen Williams, co-president of Hillsdale's Catholic Society, said students are glad to have Butler back.
"He doesn't just care about whether you're going to church, but how your life is going," she said. "He's very supportive of everything we [the Catholic Society] do."
Butler says Mass on campus every Thursday at 11 a.m. He serves as the Catholic chaplain for campus and calls himself a supporter of the school.
Williams said Butler becomes eager to meet freshmen at the beginning of every school year.
"One of the reasons I was upset to go on sabbatical was that I wouldn't get to meet the freshmen," he said.
Father Ioane Sigarara, who has filled in for Butler over the past months, will stay in Hillsdale until this summer.
Butler said Sigarara did an excellent job.
"If I were less stable, I would worry it ran so well while I was gone," he said.
"I'm excited that I'm back," he added.
About 50 students participate in the Catholic Society, and more than 200 subscribe to the e-mail list, Williams said.
After 17 years as the priest of St. Anthony's, Butler left for his first sabbatical last September. The Catholic Church encourages priests to take sabbaticals every 10 years, he said.
He attended the Vatican II Institute at St. Patrick's Seminary in Menlo Park, Calif.
"It was really wonderful," he said. "It was like going to college without papers."
After returning to Hillsdale in December for Christmas, Butler underwent a follow-up surgery for a former health problem, then journeyed to Texas to recuperate and spend time with family.
Junior Karen Williams, co-president of Hillsdale's Catholic Society, said students are glad to have Butler back.
"He doesn't just care about whether you're going to church, but how your life is going," she said. "He's very supportive of everything we [the Catholic Society] do."
Butler says Mass on campus every Thursday at 11 a.m. He serves as the Catholic chaplain for campus and calls himself a supporter of the school.
Williams said Butler becomes eager to meet freshmen at the beginning of every school year.
"One of the reasons I was upset to go on sabbatical was that I wouldn't get to meet the freshmen," he said.
Father Ioane Sigarara, who has filled in for Butler over the past months, will stay in Hillsdale until this summer.
Butler said Sigarara did an excellent job.
"If I were less stable, I would worry it ran so well while I was gone," he said.
"I'm excited that I'm back," he added.
About 50 students participate in the Catholic Society, and more than 200 subscribe to the e-mail list, Williams said.
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