“I am sending him back to you… I wanted to keep him with me, so that he might be of service to me…
But I am sending him back to you… If you consider me your partner, welcome him as you would welcome me.” Ph
Dear parishioners,
These are the words of Paul to Philemon in today’s second reading, but they could just as well be the words of the parish of St. Mary’s, Vancouver, to the convent of St. John the Baptist in Ottawa. There is no easy way of announcing this, so I might as well go straight to the point. I was recently elected prior of our Dominican community in Ottawa. And so I must leave you fairly soon. I will be away for the next two Sundays to be installed as prior and to “get the ball rolling. I will be back at St. Mary’s for at least the last Sunday of September, and depending on the beginning date for the mandate of the next pastor, perhaps one or two more.
The appointment of a new pastor will be announced by the Archdiocese in the very near future.
So we still have two Sundays at least to say good-bye and God bless. I just wanted to give you this time to say good-bye. I will save my parting words for my last Sunday at St. Mary’s.
Please say a little prayer for me, as I will for you as we enter into the fall season this weekend.
God bless, Fr. Guy
