Exiit qui seminat

I just wanted to give a general 'Thank you' for the prayers, love and generosity I received for my 50th Birthday. My mom has always stressed the importance of personal Thank You notes and I'll be working on getting them out very soon (I have a LOT of writing to do)! I need to acknowledge my awesome parish staff and our dedicated volunteers who helped put together my party last Sunday and special recognition to Dave Saglimbeni and his crew for the setup and all of the food (especially the delicious long hots)! Dave worked extremely hard all weekend cooking for the Oldies Dance and for my party. I hope he gets some well-deserved rest. The parish is blessed to have someone so dedicated and so hard working as Dave Saglimbeni. For some, hitting a milestone birthday like 50 can be the cause of an existential crisis, but I can't help but feel an overwhelming sense of graittude (and a bit of unworthiness for all of the attenton). I was truly overwhelmed by the amount of people who came out to celebrate with me and even those who apologized profusely for not being able to attend. I apologize if I wasn't able to stop by your table and personally say "Hi" and to thank you for your presence. As I have preached often, it is the longing of every human heart to know that we are loveable and that we are loved. Words cannot express the love and gratitude I feel for the unbelievable opportunity to be your pastor and priest. If we are open to God's will in our lives, the Lord will most certainly put us in the place that He needs us and, even more importantly, where we most need to be. I can honestly say that my almost 9 years here at St. Padre Pio (and the Diocesan Shrine of St. Pio of Pietrelcina) have been the most fruitful and formative years of my priesthood and it is all because of you! Please be assured of my prayers and continue to pray for me as well!