There’s a New York Mets cap in Rev. John McLaughlin’s office at St. Mary’s Catholic Church. There’s also a Notre Dame cap.

Both are naturals for a priest, whose parents were Irish immigrants to Brooklyn. Rev. McLoughlin is the new priest for the St. Mary’s parish. His installation is at 4 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 20. Bishop Daniel Thomas, will preside.

“I’m excited to be here,” he said in a chat last week with the Icon. Rev. McLaughlin, a Redemptorist, was in Ephrata, Penn., for the past 11 years, before coming to Bluffton and Lima. He served the mission field in Dominica, West Indies, for 12 years. Prior to that he served a parish in Baltimore.

Serving the St. Mary’s parish, where he is here five days a week, he is also assistant pastor at St. Gerard, Lima.

His first mass at St. Mary’s was the weekend of Aug. 10-11.

When asked how he was chosen to the Bluffton parish, Rev. McLaughlin laughed, saying, “You mean, how did they send a little old Irish guy here?”

“This (St. Mary’s) is an excellent parish with great lay leadership,” he said, added, “God has called me here. I felt it the moment I arrived. This is home.”

Bluffton’s new priest says he wants to become involved in the larger community. For example, in a previous position he was chaplain with first responders.

Looking beyond the church, he said that we are all children of God and that human nature goes beyond all religions.

Rev. McLoughlin steps into a parish previously served by Sister Carol Inkrott, senior pastoral leader, for the past 17 years.