My dear friends in Christ,
I continue to be thankful to God for my recovery and for how well I continue to progress, and grateful to all of you for your prayers and patience. I am so thrilled to begin my return to ministry! As eager as I am to jump right back in, I am mindful of the need to start slowly as I continue to build my strength and endurance. For now, I will be celebrating one weekday Mass and one or two weekend Masses each week.
I have also started the process of resuming my pastoral and administrative responsibilities – responsibilities that Fr. Hehir generously took on after my accident, in addition to his many other responsibilities within the Archdiocese. We have been truly blessed by his wisdom, guidance, and steady hand during these trying times, and I know that you join me in deep gratitude for Fr. Hehir’s extraordinary service to our Collaborative.
Our superb collaborative staff more than rose to the many challenges posed by my extended absence. Thanks to their resourcefulness and diligence, we have been able to maintain our new Mass schedule with very few interruptions, which as you can imagine has been no easy feat! We have been celebrating Masses and sacraments with wonderful guest priests and deacons, and one of the fruits of this time will be sustaining these relationships into the future.
Please know that you are always in my prayers, and I am so thankful to be in yours. I am so happy to be returning to my ministry and to you!
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Jim
