As I reflect on forty years of ordained priesthood, I am overwhelmed by the number of people whose lives I have had the honor of touching and how many of those good people have enriched my life in return. I am humbled and, at this particular time, overwhelmed by the generosity of love, care and concern that has been returned to me by so many over four decades in service to God and the church. Jesus states in the gospel today that by giving up some things in life and following Him we will receive, “a hundred times more now in this present age” and indeed this has been my experience.

I have had the honor of being a high school instructor for ten years, a hospital chaplain for thirteen years and your pastor for seventeen years. Each one of those ministries has fulfilled the words of Christ in today’s Gospel by virtue of the thousands of people who have shared their life and love with me in ways large and small. I am particularly grateful that I will hopefully serve the remainder of my years as Pastor of your parish. If those remaining years are anything like the forty years that have passed, I look forward to them with great joy and anticipation.

I thank all of you for your faith and trust in my being your Pastor and I only hope that I can continue to build our parish and serve its future.

Thank you and God bless….