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Message From Our Pastor
“Come to me, all you who labour and are burdened and I will give you rest.” These words of Jesus found in today’s gospel (July 6) are very fitting as we embrace this new reality of clustering our parishes. Many people from our community have laboured and have been burdened with the implementation of this new clustered reality. I am extremely grateful to them for their hard work, dedication and prayerful perseverance. Change is always difficult and this weekend we are embracing many changes indeed. We have said our sad farewells to Father Joe Nevett and Father Francis Thekkumkattil, C.S.T. I am certainly grateful to them for their help in making this a smooth transition. We have a new bulletin cover with new Mass times and yes, a new pastor - yours truly. I have been overwhelmed by the warm welcome I have received these past months as I prepared for my re-entry into this wonderful community of faith. It is hard to believe that just a few years ago I was ordained a deacon at St. Agnes Church. Who would have thought that five years later I would serve as pastor to both St. Agnes and Blessed Sacrament Parishes? The winds of change are blowing! I will reside at the Blessed Sacrament Rectory with Father Frank Leslie. This seems to make the most sense given the fact that Father Frank is already there in residence. I will locate my office at the St. Agnes Church site. There will be a great deal of adjusting and readjusting I am sure as we try new and innovative ways to serve our people well. In his inaugural homily, on April 24, 2005, Pope Benedict XVI said: “Only when we meet the living God in Christ do we know what life is…. There is nothing more beautiful than to be surprised by the Gospel, by the encounter with Christ. There is nothing more beautiful than to know him and to speak to others of our friendship with him.”
Doesn’t that summarize our vocation and ministry as sisters and brothers in the body of Christ, together as community? At this time in this cluster we are called to develop our friendship with Jesus and to speak of that friendship with conviction and joy to others. In the Cursillo movement we have a saying: “Make a friend, be a friend and bring a friend to Christ.” Invite a friend to join you at one of our weekend Masses. I thank you in advance for your support and prayers during this time of holy fluctuation. I humbly ask you to pray for me and our dedicated staff as we make this transition in faith and love.
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