St. Luke’s words echo my belief of what my ministry in the priesthood of Jesus Christ is all about. For the past forty-six years, eight at St. John the Evangelist,I have sharedin the lives of the family of God. Sharing the joyful and happy moments in life; and those that bring with them sadness and sorrow. United together with Jesus Christ, we can deal with the challenges that life brings to us without being overwhelmed by them.
Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is the foundation of our church family and our lives. Through our Baptism into Jesus Christ, we have become children of God; brothers and sisters of the Lord and one another. Our dignity, value, and worth comes from Almighty God. A spiritual family relies on the love, mercy, healing, peace, and forgiveness of the Lord, Jesus Christ, to give witness to our faith by our love and good works that are guided and enlightened by the Holy Spirit.
During the past eight years I have had the privilege to be a member of this parish family of God. I have been inspired by the love, devotion, generosity, and good works of our brothers and sisters. I am very grateful to my brother priest, Father Patrick J. McCarthy. He is a very kind, gentle, spiritual man and witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Deacon John Scarfi is an example of dedication, service, and love of our faith and this parish family. I cannot say enough about the parish staff. They are very devoted and loyal to the parish. All of the church organizations and the different ministries and the volunteers have shown a great love for the Lord, Jesus Christ, their Catholic faith, and the parish of St. John the Evangelist. Thank you all for all that you do, and God bless you and your loved ones. St. Paul said,The Body of Christ is made up of many parts, “As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, areone body, so also Christ.” —St.Paul,1 Corinthians 13:12
Thank you all for your love, your support, and your dedication to the family of St. John the Evangelist.
God bless and watch over all of you and your loved ones.