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Thirtieth Sunday of the Year
29 October 2006
Praised be Jesus Christ! Now and Forever!
Dear Friends in Christ,
- After three months with us as a pastoral intern, Richard Tomlinson will leave St. Mary’s this Monday to move on to the second part of his internship at St. Theresa’s Church, Summerville. While Richard’s time with us was brief, we are most grateful for the gifts of his scholarship and wisdom. Please remember Richard in your prayers as he continues to prepare for priestly ministry in the Diocese of Charleston.
- Several weeks ago I wrote to you about the ordination of married men who are former Anglican ministers under the Pastoral Provision established by Pope John Paul the Great, and I explained then that Dwight Longenecker, a parishioner of St. Mary’s and the lay chaplain at St. Joseph’s Catholic School, is a Pastoral Provision candidate for ordination in our diocese. I am delighted now to be able to announce the dates of his ordination. On Wednesday 29 November, Dwight will be ordained to the diaconate at our Cathedral Church in Charleston, and on the afternoon of Thursday 14 December, Father Longenecker will be ordained to the priesthood here at St. Mary’s. Bishop Baker will preside at the ordination Mass, and everyone in the St. Mary’s and St. Joseph’s communities is invited to attend. To make room for everyone, we will provide overflow seating in the gym with a large television showing every part of the sacred liturgy, and the gym congregation will receive Holy Communion from a special procession. It has been decades since St. Mary’s was the site of a priestly ordination, and I encourage everyone to join us on 14 December for this rare moment of grace.
- Finally, the beginning on my sabbatical has arrived, and I will leave for Washington, DC this Tuesday. During my absence, Father Smith will govern the parish as Administrator Pro Tempore, and I ask everyone to give him your full and generous cooperation. As I explained in my letter to the parish, I will be gone for seven months of personal renewal and advanced study, and I will return to my duties on 1 June 2007. During the sabbatical. I will remain the canonical pastor of St. Mary’s, but I do not anticipate returning to the parish during my time away. I will, however, continue to write many of the parish bulletin columns and occasional pastoral letters, and each Sunday I will offer the Mass Pro Populo (for the people of the parish) which every pastor is required to do. Please pray for me, as I will for you, and I will see you again in the Spring!
Father Newman