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His description of the ideal priest:
"Someone who prays and knows how to teach others to do
that. Also, someone who is able to help people make the
connection between God's word and their life."
Greatest joy:
"It's a repeat experience. When somebody comes and is able
to express to me that my ministry has made a difference and
enabled them to connect with God."
Priestly stereotype that should be discarded:
"That the priest has a better or more direct connection
with God than lay people do."
Times he has failed as a priest:
"When I spoke too quickly, too harshly. Mostly cases of
putting my foot in my mouth. Depending on the circumstances, you
don't always get a second chance."
What the seminary did not prepare him for:
"The seminary gives you a foundation of theological
knowledge. But the priesthood is mostly on-the-job
training."
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"It's a repeat experience. When somebody comes and
is able to express to me that my ministry has made a
difference and enabled them to connect with God."
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Person, other than Christ, that he most admires:
"The late Msgr. Dominic Barry, my pastor as a kid at
Immaculate Conception Parish in Hialeah. He was the epitome of a
good pastor an excellent image of what a good shepherd should
be."
Thing he most fears:
"Nothing. We're in God's hands. God holds us and sustains
us. There's no place we can go outside of God's providence. So I
don't know that there's anything I fear."
What he does on his days off:
"I sleep late. I either go to the movies or watch videos. I
catch my breath."
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Hobbies:
Wrestling and rugby. He used to coach wrestling at Columbus High
School and play rugby on the weekends but he cannot do that
anymore. "It works on a teacher's schedule. It doesn't work
on a parish priest's."
Most watched movie:"A Few Good Men" - he used
it in his religion classes at Columbus.
Father Paul Edwards puts his feelings on his bumpersticker.
When he knew he wanted to be a priest:
"I've never consistently wanted to be anything else. Ever
since kindergarten, that's all I ever wanted to do and all I
ever wanted to be."
Who was most suprised by his vocation:
"Nobody."
Favorite priestly assignment:
Teaching at Columbus High School in Miami, which he did for five
years in the mid-1990's.
Greatest disappointment:
"When people get divorced. It's such an awful thing. It's
so hurtful to them and to their families. It breaks the
community of the church. It's almost never in their best
interests. It's the single most painful thing that happens on a
day to day basis."
Most difficult aspect of being a priest:
Finding time for a social life with lay people: "The time
that most people are available is when I'm not. Even family
celebrations such as Christmas or my mom's birthday inevitably
have to be tailored around my schedule."
What lay people teach him:
"Not to take myself too seriously."
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FATHER PAUL EDWARDS
Pastor, St. Katharine
Drexel Parish, Weston
Born in Illinois in 1954, he
grew up in Hialeah, entered
the seminary at 15 and was
ordained for the Archdiocese
of Miami in 1983. He is
founding pastor of two-year-
old St. Katharine Drexel
Parish in Weston, a growing
community of more than 600
families, about 60 percent
Hispanics from various
countries in South America.
Father Edwards learned to
speak Spanish by "hanging
out with the Cubans in
Hialeah." He also taught
himself Slavic during
summer visits to his
mother's family in Slovakia.
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Archdiocese of Miami
9401 Biscayne Boulevard
Miami, Florida 33138
305.762.1043 Fax 305.751.6227
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