A Farewell Reflection From the Parish

 Here is a reflection on thankfulness for his that I wrote for Father Patrick's farewell gathering yesterday. It was the most well-attended such parish gathering I have ever been to, which I think goes to show how much Father Patrick is respected, appreciated, and loved. He has earned that adulation because he literally emptied himself for the sake of Holy Trinity Parish... I am given to understand that it was given to him on behalf of the parish yesterday.

We have to ask ourselves: how does one say "thank you," other than to say "we are thankful."

We are thankful to God for the time and the energy that you didn't have, but you gave for the good of the parish anyway.

We are thankful to the Lord for all the times we called on you to bring us comfort, to anoint us, to bring us the Eucharist, and you were there.

We are thankful to God for the time and effort you gave to ensure that the people of our parish have been taught the Catholic faith. Because you cared about our souls, we are a better people and a better Parish.

We are thankful to God for the parish missions which you brought to us. Because you wanted us to know our faith, you brought us some of the finest Catholic missioners to be found anywhere.

We are thankful to God for the Eucharistic devotion you have brought to our Parish. Greater devotion to the Eucharist makes us better followers of the Lord Jesus. You wanted us to be better followers of the Lord Jesus, and so you brought more of Jesus to us.

We are thankful to the Lord for your undimmed pro life witness. You gave witness every month to the reality that every life is precious, no matter how small, and your willingness to be present at Cherry Street every month showed that to the world. We are thankful you supported the pro-life efforts of Holy Trinity with such devotion.

We are thankful to God that you loved our Parish so much that you even gave to it. Our collection of blue Saint Michael hymnals came from you. We have a gift we will use for some years to come because you cared enough to give it.

We are thankful to God that you have insisted upon proper liturgy and right worship. Because of your zeal for the Lord's House, our priests and deacons will wear beautiful vestments for years to come. Because of this zeal, you reminded us of what worship due to the Most High God is supposed to look like. Because of your persistence, our liturgies look like Catholic worship, not a Sunday version of Woodstock. Most importantly, you reminded us that worship is about Jesus, not about us.

You have been with us for a short time, but you have left us something priceless in the time you have been here. You have left us a spiritual legacy, and for that we are thankful to God.