Until We Meet Again

My dear friends,

            

The last three and a half years serving first at St. Anne’s in Elmer, St. Joseph’s in Woodstown, and then in the Catholic Community of the Holy Spirit has been wonderful, rewarding and very blessed.  To be able to minister to you in your darkest times as well as in your most joyous has been a precious gift from God.  I am humbled that the Lord would place me in the midst of such kind, welcoming, and admirable folks.

            

Saying goodbye is never easy.  The parish is my home and the parishioners are my family.  It is always difficult to go our separate ways when family members take leave of one another.  Shakespeare was right when he wrote, “Parting is such sweet sorrow.” 

It is sorrowful because leaving you is so difficult.  I remember when Fr. Ed left for his new assignment some two years ago or so and he was so upset and emotionally moved.  I wondered why he was so upset, we are priests; this is what we are supposed to do.  Little did I know that I would feel the same way.  God has a sense of humor, so as I stood there watching Fr. Ed thinking, “I will be stronger when I have to say goodbye,” it seems now that he held it together better than I.  God loves to humble us.

Leaving is also sweet in the sense that the Lord is giving me another opportunity to serve others, to go on a new journey which is always exciting, meeting new people, other Christians whom I hope to share many Gospel stories with and begin new fellowships. 

You can see how we live in the tension of this sweet-sorrow as priests.  I am sure the apostles felt it as well, moving from one place to another, but that is the essence of our vocation, “Go from town to town proclaiming the Good News.”

   

I will always keep you in my heart and prayers and know this is not goodbye, but just, “Until we meet again.”  I am proud to say that I am your brother and that you were my first parish, St. Joes and St. Anne’s, later becoming The Catholic Community of the Holy Spirit.  I ask that you pray for me to be a good priest always at the service of others.  My brothers and sisters, I love you and pray the Lord to bless you abundantly and always keep you in the palm of his hands.

I leave you with the words of Stonewall Jackson when he said goodbye to the 1^st Brigade, especially in how all of you, St. Anne’s, St. Joes, and Holy Name have carried yourselves throughout the very difficult transition into becoming a new community, you folks are too good and I am humbled to be in your presence.   I changed General Jackson’s words a little so they would work, God bless you.

            

“I shall look with anxiety to your future, and I trust that whenever I shall hear of the Catholic Community of the Holy Spirit, it will be of nobler deeds achieved and higher reputation won.  In our Universal Church you are the 1^st, in our Diocese you are the 1^st, in our deanery you are the 1^st, in the affections of your priest you are the 1^st, and I hope by your future deeds and bearing you will be handed down to posterity, and always remembered as the 1^st, because you will always be first to me…God speed!

Fr. John