Cape's last Vincentian departs

The Rev. Charlie Prost did not say goodbye to about 800 people gathered at a Vincentian Heritage Celebration on Sunday.

Instead, Prost assured the church community which he has served for the past five years that he will see them soon. "If I don't see you again here, I will see you in heaven," Prost said.

The St. Vincent de Paul Parish held the celebration at the Arena Building to bid farewell to Prost and honor the work of the Vincentian order.

More than 170 years of the Vincentians' presence in the local church is coming to an end as Prost prepares to leave for the Vincentian community in Perryville on Friday. Two new priests, the Revs. David Hulshof and Rahab Isidore from the Cape Girardeau/Springfield Diocese, will move into the parish this week.

Prost told parishioners during Sunday's Mass that it was God who has called him to Perryville to fill in as priest where needed.

"When God calls us, we must go. It would have been very easy to rationalize and make the decision to stay here, but a change awaits me," he said.

And it's a change that excites Prost. "We should not be afraid of change, for it's the Lord that is calling for the change," he told parishioners.

The Rev. Jim Swift, provincial of the Midwest Province, said the Vincentian tradition should not end in Cape Girardeau. "Just because the Vincentian priests and brothers are moving on, your Catholic faith will continue to serve," he said.

And St. Vincent de Paul Church doesn't plan to change much, said pastoral associate Florence Harold. It will simply have diocese priests instead of Vincentian priests, she said.

"Some were wondering if we would even keep the church name, and we will," Harold said.

Parishioners will also continue the Vincentian tradition of social outreach programs. "We will continue those programs that the Vincentians started, and we will continue to be very active in the community," Harold said.

Sunday's celebration was bittersweet for parishioner Karen Hagan. "It's sad that we're loosing Father Charlie. He's done such a wonderful job but the Lord has called for change," she said.

Harold said Sunday was not only a day to bid Prost farewell, but to reflect on the Vincentian history. A Vincentian community has been in Cape Girardeau since the parish was founded in 1836.

"It's a good time for us to come together and celebrate our heritage. Now it's time for us to carry on that tradition into the future," Harold said.

jfreeze@semissourian.com

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