Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

There are three important things to say when it is time to say good-bye. Thank you. I’m sorry. I love you. With these simple phrases and all contained within them, taking leave of someone can be done well, can truly be said to be good.

Thank you. From my first day at St. Pius X as a seminarian in July 2006, you have welcomed me and made Fairfield a home. Thank you. When I became a priest in 2008, you helped me get started. The first time I administered the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick was in our church. The first funeral Mass I ever celebrated was here. The first couple I ever helped to prepare for marriage was here. You gave me my foundational experiences as a priest. Thank you. My first transfer as a priest came in 2011. Though I was away from Fairfield, you kept in contact, reminding me that absence does not mean forgotten. And when I returned as pastor in 2015, you helped me learn what it means to lead a parish. You were patient with me as I learned the ropes, gentle with me when I tried and failed, and cooperative when you weren’t sure what I wanted. Your trust and your faith have meant the world to me. Thank you. In eleven years as pastor, you have allowed me to be part of your family, to be with you in moments sacred and mundane. You have helped me feel that I belong in the community, and that my presence is valued. Thank you. For twenty years of my life, you have made Fairfield feel like home, and St. Pius X Parish feel like family. There is no greater gift you could give me, no greater privilege I could be extended, and no greater title I could ever hope to own. To be your priest has been my joy. Thank you.

I’m sorry. Without taking anything away from the list of things for which I am grateful, it is important to acknowledge that in any family and indeed, in any relationship, there are moments of strain, tension, and even rupture. I am an imperfect man and an imperfect priest, and I know that in these years that we have been together, I have failed you in many ways. And while apologies are always best when they are specific, perhaps you can mercifully allow me to be more general. I am sorry for anything and everything that by my words or actions has caused you hurt. The sign of peace we offer each other at Mass is a gesture of reconciliation and fellowship. Please consider this my sign of peace, and an expression of my desire to part ways with nothing held against one another. I’m sorry.

I love you. In the Gospel today, Jesus tells us that if we give only a cold cup of water to someone because they are a disciple, we will be rewarded. You have given me so much more than a cup of water. You have given me so much more than I can ever ask or repay. Love calls forth love in response. And in my years as pastor, you have loved me. I hope you know that I have received it, felt it, and known it. I hope you have received the same in return from me. God’s love is manifested to us in the love we have for one another, Scripture says, and this parish community has been for me a source of the love that only God can give. I love you.

Now with those essentials said, allow me a brief word about the future. I hope and pray that St. Pius X continues to grow and thrive as the wonderful community and family that it is. Please pray for Fr. Brendan as he takes on the great task of leading this parish and extend to him the same support and love you have given me these many years. And as I begin my new role as Episcopal Vicar for Young Adult Ministries, please pray for me. For me, this new assignment is uncharted territory, and though excited to take on this challenge, I am very aware of the time it will take to feel my feet under me again. Please pray that I would be docile to the movement of the Holy Spirit, effective in the ministry entrusted to me, and that I become a holy priest.

Thank you. I’m sorry. I love you.

Peace,

Fr. Sam