FROM THE PASTOR: June 19-20, 2021

  This weekend is Father’s Day weekend & so I certainly want to take the opportunity to wish all of our fathers, grandfathers, & father figures a Happy & Blessed Father’s Day. We pray too, for all those fathers who have gone to their eternal reward, all those fathers who have lost children, & all those who long to be fathers but can’t.

  As we celebrate our fathers, I also wanted to provide you with an update on how my father is doing. As many of you know, my dad has been struggling & battling with cancer since July of 2019, just before I was installed as Pastor. So many have been praying for him & my family & he & I are greatly appreciative of all those prayers. There have been ups & downs along the journey & for a time it seemed that the tumors were shrinking.

  Just about a week ago, though my dad called me to let me know that the latest scans have not shown as good of news &, after consulting with the doctors, he has stopped his chemo treatments. Obviously there is no way to predict exactly what will happen, but the doctors have told him that it is a matter of months, likely 2-6 months. He & I both broke up on the phone when he called to tell me the news & said to me, “John, I need you to come over so that we can talk about my Funeral.” I knew that that conversation would happen eventually, but I don’t think that I was quite ready for it to happen just yet.

  Please, please continue to pray for my dad. He has taught me so much & has been a great role model for me throughout my life. Over the course of the next few months, I am hoping & planning to spend as much time with him as possible. I have a personal vacation planned for late July/early August, but I likely will also be taking some time during the normal weeks to go & be with him. Right now he is doing ok & not in any pain, but I don’t want to wait until the end is near to take the time to be with him. I will still be present at both parishes & plan on keeping as regular a schedule as possible, but there may be days or times where I take a day, or an afternoon, or an evening off to be with him. I will keep you updated as time goes on & let you know how he is doing. For now, please pray for him, for me, & for peace & comfort, especially for my dad & my mom.