Not Yet

As was announced at Masses last weekend, I have requested to be given a new assignment come July. Where I will be going and who will be the new pastor will be assigned in the coming months provided there is adequate interest and availability for the position. The same applies to Fr. Aaron and his position in our Family of Parishes. Because when a vicar reaches three years of priesthood, he is asked to take a new assignment in order to get a series of varied experiences before becoming a pastor. However, we have substantial time before these developments come to fruition. So, know that we are both still fully invested and will be so until we hand the reigns to others.

Whether you are sad or relieved that I am leaving, I want you all to know that I want to see you all in heaven. Whether we agree or not, I still see each of you as a brother or sister in the Lord and we are co-heirs to eternal life. May we all seek to do His will before all else.

In this line, I want to encourage you all to build up your priests. They receive a lot of criticism and often the worst is assumed of them. A word of encouragement and authentic affirmation mean a lot to priests. Such care and concern will help your next pastor to gain confidence and strengthen him to lead where the Lord desires for St. Joseph, Pillar of Families to go.

One thing I want to do in my final months is to simplify the responsibilities and duties of the staff and priests alike. There is a lot going on in our Family of Parishes and this makes it difficult to slow down and take stock of what the next step is. So, bringing some simplification to the table will help to make the next pastor’s job more manageable and enable him to better lead.

That said, Fr. Aaron and I will be present and minister for a while yet. Thus, now is not the time for goodbyes and we still have a ways to journey before our paths part. “It is good that we are here!” (Matthew 17:4) So please know that we are still here to serve you.

A reminder to keep going this Lent, you may have “fallen off the wagon” of your original commitments, but you can always get back up and keep trying. Failure is just an opportunity to learn and keep moving forward. The Lord always forgives if we ask and will set us on our feet to try again.

Thank you to so many wonderful parishioners of St. Joseph, Pillar of Families. I have seen such a hunger for Jesus Christ and the truth of the Catholic Church in so many of you along with your support, for which I am deeply grateful. I thank my vicars and staff. They have worked tirelessly to make St. Joseph, Pillar of Families a reality. I thank the archbishop for his care and concern. His spiritual fatherhood fills me with hope for the Church in the 19 counties of our archdiocese. The Holy Spirit is truly working in our midst.

Peace in Christ,
Fr. Jarred Kohn