My name is Father Doug Ebert. I am a newly ordained priest assigned to be your parochial vicar (assistant to the pastor), replacing Father Joppa as he be broadens his experience enroute to his own pastorate. I became friends with Fr. Joppa during our seminary years – he was a couple years ahead of me.  I know that I am following a good man into my first priestly role.   I first met Father Wilson in late summer 2004 when he was the vocation director for this Archdiocese; I doubt if either one of us ever imagined that my first assignment would have us together at the same parish!    I am excited about my first assignment here at All Saints. I look forward to learning ministerial skills under the tutelage of Fr. Wilson who has invited me to share a bit of my life’s story with you.   I was the youngest of four boys. Growing up, I always wanted a younger brother; considering that the priesthood is a brotherhood, I now have a boatload of them!   I was born at the leading edge of the “baby boom” in 1946 and grew up in St. Paul’s Midway district as a parishioner at St. Mark’s and attended their parochial school. At that time, St. Thomas Military Academy was only three blocks away, so, like my older brothers, I attended high school there. Upon graduation in 1964, I attended Regis College, a Jesuit institution in Denver, Colorado, where I graduated in 1968.   Shortly thereafter, in response to a draft notice, I joined the Air Force and became a pilot flying transport aircraft and served in Viet Nam. In 1973, I entered the reserves and was hired by American Airlines where I spent most of my career in Chicago, retiring as an international captain in 2003.   I have also been in the railroad passenger business as an operator of railroad passenger cars in charter service since 1970 and was employed as a dining car cook for the Great Northern Railway during my college years.   Music is one of my loves. I am a song writer, guitar player, and have professional experience as a musician.   Since my youth, I had passively resisted the call to the priesthood.  I decided in my late forties to accept any future early retirement opportunities so that I could pursue the call as a “second career.” In 2003, such an opportunity occurred; in 2004, after my first meeting with Fr. Wilson, I started my studies as a day student and officially entered the seminary in 2005. After five years of study and at 62 years of age, I was ordained a Catholic priest on May 30, 2009.    I look forward to getting to know all of you and assisting our pastor, Fr. Wilson. I am excited about this opportunity to say Mass, administer the sacraments, and to serve God’s people as I enter the most important transportation “business” – the journey of faith.   June 15, 2009