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Photo of Fr. Dave Mercer

Dave Mercer

Fr. Dave Mercer is a retired priest of the Diocese of San Jose, California, and formerly served at St. Joseph Apache Mission in Mescalero, New Mexico.

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Franciscan Fr. Paul Lostritto marks a cross on the forehead of a homeless man on Ash Wednesday Feb. 14, 2018, at St. Francis Breadline in New York City. (CNS/Octavio Duran)

Why I remain a Catholic priest, despite the devastation of scandals

While scandals can shake us, the vast majority of our priests and parishioners strive to live the compassion of Jesus, writes Fr. Dave Mercer. Though this rarely makes the news, it is a more full picture of who and what the Catholic Church is.

Fr. Dave Mercer, then-pastor of St. Joseph Apache Mission in Mescalero, New Mexico, stands at the altar during a first Communion Mass. Franciscan Br. Robert Lentz's icon "Apache Christ" adorns the wall behind Mercer. (Courtesy of Dave Mercer)

The 'Apache Christ' is more than art

The message of the "Apache Christ" is that our Lord Jesus had been with them all along and that he is one of them as he is one with the people of every land, writes former St. Joseph Apache Mission pastor Fr. Dave Mercer.

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