Thank YOU and Good Bye, St Thomas Aquinas

Attempting to avoid making a “mountain out of a molehill” amidst the pandemic, joblessness, illness, insecurity, overdue rents and payments, masks or no masks, etc.  I did not want to disappear during the pandemic before saying:  “THANK YOU!” To the people of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish for all the care, support, kindness, gifts…AND FOOD!?…that I have been the recipient of here in these last 9 years.  I am moving into “retirement” having been blessed as a parish priest to have served here at St. Thomas Aquinas!

From our Staff, our Pastoral Council, our individual and richly diverse communities, so many of YOU who have prayed regularly around our altar at our Masses & liturgical celebrations—your Faith, Perseverance, and good natured smiles have certainly made me proud to be associated with a tremendous gifted and diverse “parish” and “individuals”.  I leave St. Thomas Aquinas a better “man”, “priest”, “person” for having been among you these past years. THANK YOU!

For those that I have not been a good representative of Christ, please forgive me and pray for me.  I am sorry for those occasions. 

Please, continue to support Fr. Dominic, now as your new pastor.  And try to welcome our new priest, Fr. Wilmer, as soon as you are able.  My wish for both Fr. Dominic & Fr. Wilmer..and, of course, our Fr. Kurniawan, is that they be as happy and blessed to be with you at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish as I have been!

I carry all of you with me in my prayers and in my heart.  Please, remember me in your prayers.  YOU all will be gratefully lifted up in prayer by me.  “Retiring” does not mean stopping being a priest, so I’ll count on having the chance, occasionally, to pray with you at St. Thomas Aquinas.  In the meantime, may God reward you richly for ALL that you have given to me.  
Stay well and watch out for the Coronavirus. ?
Peace,

Fr. Shields