Greetings in Christ, Holy Family!
I want to start off by thanking you all for your well wishes for dad and me. The Good News Cruise went exceptionally well. A lot of married couples testified that they grew in their covenant relationship and had a joyful time. Dad and I both are happy we went and already signed up for me to serve on the next one as well. If you are interested in going, a lot of couples from our parish were there and I think they’ll tell you they had a great time. You can check out the information for the next cruise at www.goodnewscruise.com.
You may remember that I shared with you a couple challenges we have experienced in January in regard to the number of funerals we have. This continues to be a great challenge for us as we are booking multiple funerals a day on some days and both Fr. Le and I are trying to serve those funerals as best we can. Together with the parish staff we desire to serve our families in their grief and we are sorry if we cannot accommodate every request. I have to tell you, I’ve been a priest 23 years and I’ve never seen so many funerals come in. Please, pray for the many people in our parish family who are mourning, pray that Fr. Le and I are able to serve our parish well.
In addition to funerals, I know it’s hard sometimes that Fr. Le and I can’t do everything needed, but I assure you that we are doing our absolute best. It is literally true that every day I thank God for your kind acceptance of our limitations as humans…it is a rare gift that you give. I do want to offer for some a bit of a challenge: when Fr. Le and/or I am unable to do something that you would like done, I’m asking you not to take any frustration out on the volunteers or the employees at the parish. Please be kind to them; they are often the bearer of bad news, but rarely the makers of it. You can be sure that we think of things like calling other priests to fill the gaps, but the truth is we are literally running out of priests. This is our reality now. Jesus can and will meet us here in the clergy shortage, but we have to be patient and accept the limitations that come with that reality. I know it’s tough and Fr. Le and I struggle mightily with it as well.
Fr. Le left for a break the day I got back. Before he left I was able to check and make sure his family is okay in Fiji after the flooding and other issues caused by the massive volcano. Of course, he stayed in touch with his family and let me know that all is well. They live on high ground and were not endangered by the waters: praise the Lord!
Okay…that’s what I’ve got this week. I am so grateful to Jesus to be back with my parishes…I missed you all very much. Thank you for the honor and joy of letting me serve you.
Fjk