Greetings in Christ!
I’m typing this up on February 12th and, as of typing this, I’m definitely doing better. This virus really knocked me down like nothing I’ve had before. I’m still weak and my doctor expects that I will be for a couple weeks. A lot of you asked about my Dad and I am very touched by that. As soon as I was diagnosed, they put him on medication and he has so far been just fine, thank God. Your prayers and kindness over this last couple weeks have been amazing and I am grateful.
The cruise went well. It was a lot of work, but a complete joy. I’ve been getting a good amount of messages from people on the cruise that this changed their lives and helped their marriages and I am so grateful to God to have been a part of that.
I have some important news for our Parish Family. A lot of you know our Business Manager, Brian Kita. Brian came here part-time at the request of now Bishop Jerry Vincke and moved to full-time right before I got here. He has served our parish with great fidelity and love. For the last year and a half, I have been blessed by his wisdom and counted on his counsel. To put it bluntly, he is the one who put our budget back on track and frankly, took some real hits doing it. I’m so grateful to him.
Brian took this job as a favor and, now that he has righted the ship, he has felt the call to move on to another job that will help him take care of his family. I’m obviously very sad for myself, but happy for him. He will remain a member of our Parish Family and has offered to help in our transition, but he will not be serving as Business Manager anymore. When you see him, I invite you to thank him for the beautiful and selfless way that he served our parish.
So, what will we do for Business Manager? God was, as usual, many steps ahead of us. Right about the time that Brian was offered his new job, I received a call from Kevin Neugent, a businessman from East Lansing. I’ve known Kevin for years. He has served on almost every Catholic School committee in Lansing, as well as in numerous other capacities as a volunteer. His skills are unbelievable. He called me because he decided to retire from the secular world and was offering to come work here until his wife retires. I can’t tell you how big of a deal that is and I am so grateful to God that this worked out. He will begin on March 7th.
I will have a bio of his so you can check him out, but in the meantime, I just can’t wait for you all to meet him. He is an absolute joy. I’m very, very happy to be home. I missed my Parish Families while I was gone and I am very excited to pray Mass with you all again: I don’t like not praying Mass with you. Thank you for letting me be your priest. I can’t believe how blessed I am to serve you all.
Fjk
