Pastor battling cancer tells faithful to fill churches

He is affectionately known as the “Catholic magnet” of the Irwin community because his messages truly stick with his parishioners. Each week he successfully draws thousands of the faithful closer to Christ.

That is why nearly 10,000 viewers tuned in to watch Father John A. Moineau’s YouTube video mid-July, recorded and posted to announce his diagnosis of  stage 4 pancreatic cancer.

“Your individual prayers and community prayers outside of Mass are awesome, but there is nothing that gives me more solace than to know that you are filling the churches and going to sacred Mass, especially when, during my treatments, I may not be able celebrate Mass,” he said.

Father Moineau, Pastor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, North Huntingdon, and Immaculate Conception Parish, Irwin, called on the faithful to be “Born Again — Catholic.”

“That means that we come to realize the source and summit of our worship, the Holy Eucharist, can be partnered and feed our other community prayers as well as our personal and public devotions, especially the devotion of the Divine Mercy,” Father Moineau said.
“All these things are so important to me.  If I can do anything through this journey, I hope it is to bring all of us together in prayer.”

His personal evangelization outreach is taking root as faithful across his community have begun to gather to pray the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy, many of them children.

“I think our children need to know that prayers are necessary. Sometimes I act like Superman. But sometimes Superman needs help. The kids need to know that their priest loves them, and he needs and desires their prayers.”

Father Moineau has been deeply affected by the life and spiritual vision of St. Faustina. As he deals with this part of his journey of a lifetime, he has asked all of us to walk beside him and support him along the way. Sickness is a journey that we ultimately must walk alone, but no one is ever alone if he or she understands that the presence of the Good Shepherd will follow them. 

Our prayers are directed to God for Father Moineau’s healing and health. As he has requested, let us ask the Lord to guide him, comfort him and draw people closer to God through his illness.