Dear Parishioners and Friends,
With Fr. Bill Beaudin’s imminent departure for the Golden State of California, we hope to bid a proper farewell. At our next Community Sunday on September 13th, we will toast Fr Bill and wish him well in his new assignment at San Damiano Retreat in Danville, CA. We’ve all come to know Bill as an excellent preacher and speaker who devotes hours to his homilies, retreat talks and adult faith formation classes. He is a true wordsmith who treats the English language as a treasure to be honed and polished. Bill and I have known each other for more than 50 years, but these past six have given us an opportunity to get to know each other even better – for better or worse! Bill has been a wonderful brother and friend, and on behalf of all of us, I wish him much happiness and contentment in his new home out West. (Missed the announcement? Read it here.)
Over the past several years we have also had to bid farewell to a number of parishioners who moved to other cities, some for retirement, others for new places of employment. It’s never easy to see our folks leave us, although I believe that they always remain part of us in spirit. That being said, I want to bid a heartfelt good-bye to Carlos and Martha Feged, who will soon move to Boston. They and their son Ignacio and daughter Sara have been mainstays in our parish. With their permission, I would like to share with you a portion of a message they sent to our parish staff.
“Over a decade ago, we had to go to Mass at the church we drive past every time we go to St. Patrick-St. Anthony. As we drove back home after a pretty dry service, Ignacio asked if we were sure that place was God’s house as well. We told him it was, and he said: ‘Well, St. Patrick-St. Anthony’s must be his summer house then; it’s so much nicer.’ Thank you for everything you’ve done to make our family faith journey feel like a summer holiday. You have opened our minds to see God in others and our hearts to live our faith fully. Your warmth, love and compassion have been a constant presence in the last 25+ years and a beautiful example of how to live our own lives. You have made every Sunday feel to us just as joyful, peaceful and calming as Eremo della Carceri in Assisi — St Francis must be so be proud of how you’ve made his mission a living one in Hartford.”
I have received other messages similar to this one, as parishioners have expressed their love and gratitude for what our parish has meant to them. It is always hard to say farewell, but we are all the better for having had them in our midst. Carlos, Martha, Ignacio, Sara, Fr. Bill, and everyone who has passed through our doors, may the Lord grant you Peace and Good!
Blessings on your week ahead!
Fr. Tim Shreenan, O.F.M.
Pastor
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