To the Parishioners of OLPH

My dear brothers and sisters,

           

As you already know Bishop Sullivan has asked me to be pastor at Holy Family Church in Sewell, NJ effective February 1^st.  Since I was asked some two weeks ago and have announced to you I have had many emotions running through my heart.  I have had feelings of happiness and excitement, but I have also had feelings of sadness and even the butterflies, if you will, on leaving here and taking on the responsibility of being pastor.

           

I look forward to meeting the good people of Holy Family but at the same time it is with a heavy heart that I will say goodbye.  As I told you, “I love you and will miss greatly.”  I have come to know many of you very personally and I want to thank you for your friendships, support, prayers, and many kindnesses.   I came to you in a difficult moment of my life; my dad had just passed away a couple of months before my assignment began in February of 2012.  All of you were a great support to me with your encouragement and generosity.  I will never forget your kindness.

            

As priests we are asked to do much, but nothing harder than saying goodbye.  I did not know what this really felt like until I had to do it once before when I said goodbye to the good people of the Catholic Community of the Holy Spirit in Woodstown, Elmer, and Mullica Hill and now to say it again to the good people of Our Lady of Perpetual Help is very difficult.  However, the Lord provides for us all.  Though we part ways we do not part in our friendships or in our mutual affection, praise, and worship of our Lord Jesus Christ.

           

I also want to thank Fr. Nick our pastor who has been a great brother priest to me.  He placed great trust in me in sharing with me some of the responsibilities our parish and I thank him very much for that as I know it has prepared me well for my new assignment.  Most of all I thank Fr. Nick for his friendship.  I think it is rare when you have two priests in the same parish who get along very well on so many levels, it was a blessing indeed.  I will miss watching Notre Dame Football with Fr. Nick.  You know him as reserved, calm, and collected, however when Notre Dame Football is on Fr. Nick lets a little bit of that Italian in him come out, and it was fun to watch the games with him.  I will continue to pray for him daily and I hold Fr. Nick in the highest regards, God bless you my brother.

            

I will continue to pray for you all, I ask that you do the same for me as I move into a new journey in my life.  I ask that you pray that I will be a good priest to the people of Holy Family and will continue to always put the People of God first and minister to them as our Lord did.  My brothers and sisters, I pray that God bless each and every one of you, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. 

In Christ Jesus,

Father John