The Rev. Joe Dailey | http://www.ctredeemer.org/contact-fr-joe-dailey/

It's been more than three decades since the Rev. Joe Dailey was first appointed pastor of Christ the Redeemer Catholic Church in Lake Orion, but now he believes the time has come to step aside.

The Rev. Dailey was only the Church's third pastor, but the one who served for the longest amount of time, the church bulletin reported. Ahead of his 31st anniversary at the parish, he celebrated his retirement.

Together, the Rev. Dailey and the Christ the Redeemer parish community started praying for a new pastor during the winter. After several months of quarantine and not being able to come together to celebrate Mass in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19, he announced his retirement.

"I have had a taste of what it will be like not seeing the community on a regular basis, while at the same time, you have been getting used to not seeing me," he wrote in the parish bulletin.

"We need a new energy to bring us back home and help us discover together what church will be like in this post-pandemic era. Many things will be different as we navigate this new experience," he told the parish through the bulletin.

He believes the Rev. Bill Promesso will be able to do just that.

In his time at Christ the Redeemer, the Rev. Dailey married 330 couples, baptized 2,050 babies, and celebrated 2,195 First Communions. Two decades ago, he painted the ceiling in the Eucharistic Chapel. He also organized and performed on 30 Passion Dramas as well as named all the rooms at the Church. 

"Our lives have been changed because of our time together," he said in the bulletin, "and while it is time for me to step aside, nothing of what we have shared together goes with me. The gift of our shared experience will continue to bless us in the future."