Dear Sisters and Brothers –
As many of you know, my father has been in and out of the hospital since his mild stroke on Holy Thursday. During his last stint at Good Samaritan in San Jose, I was in the room when one of the medical professionals asked him if he preferred to be called Joseph or Joe. I was shocked to learn – after knowing him for 65 years – that he prefers Joseph. What?! Who knew? My grandmother called him Joseph, and my mother calls him that when she wants his attention or he's in trouble. But other than that? Wow.
That has somehow led me in recent weeks to consider that my dad and Jesus’ foster dad share a name; I’d not really thought of that before. Now when I look at the statue of St. Joseph holding Jesus that my grandparents gave my brother for his First Communion, which now sits on my desk, I think of two sets of a father and son. I wish I had some deep theological or spiritual insight to offer here, but I don’t. I do count my blessings, however, that just as Jesus learned about the tender compassion of his Father in heaven from his foster father, my own father was one of the best metaphors of God’s love for me.
On this Father’s Day weekend, let us give thanks for our fathers, step-fathers, and foster fathers; for our godfathers and father figures. May God bless them in abundance, holding them in God’s own care as they once held and currently hold us.
On another note, beginning next week, the pews in the main two sections of the church will be re-refinished. They will come out five at a time and go back to Chico to be redone. As many of you noticed, there were issues with the quality of the new finish, due to a confluence of factors. This will take a number of months, but it will be done in a way that is only mildly disruptive to events and activities in the church. Once again, thank you for your patience.
Finally, I will be gone from next week until the end of July. After a few days with Mom and Dad, I will make my annual retreat, then head for a quiet two weeks in Novato with Jesuit friends, which will be followed by another quiet two weeks on the shore of Hayden Lake in Idaho, a retreat/vacation spot long owned by the Society. I am looking forward to that quiet time - and to returning to St. Ignatius with lots of energy and enthusiasm for the new year!
In the meantime,
oremus pro invicem.
Fr. Greg