Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Patrick,
This is the week we prepare our farewells to two men who have been with us since September. Max Giorgi joined us as our seminarian intern and Rob Blackburn experienced his pastoral formation as a candidate for the permanent diaconate. I am grateful to Max and Rob for sharing themselves with all of us and for the contributions they made throughout their respective experiences.
I am also grateful to Max’s Lay Formation Board, a group of parishioners from Saint Patrick and Saint Malachi. Their accompaniment, along with that of both our pastoral staffs, is essential as a man discerns his call to priesthood.
While Max has discerned to take a Leave of Absence for one year, his decision is a good one because he made it through a rich and deep life of prayer, personal pastoral experiences, and the accompaniment of several people. Whatever the Lord has in store for Max, we will be forever grateful for the gift he is to us and the gift he will continue to be to the life of the Church.
Although Rob’s formation path is different than that of a seminarian, the experience of parish life is essential for a deacon candidate to clearly discern his calling. I thank all of those individuals who have journeyed with Rob, as well.
Please keep both Max and Rob in your prayers. Like many of you, I too look forward to hearing from both of our brothers as their formation continues.
Let us continue to pray for all of our young people as they discern their individual call of service to the Gospel.
With Easter joy,
Fr. Gurnick