We might not often think of how it must feel for a priest to leave his parish after years of service to its members. After all, the friends they'll have made, the joys and sufferings they'll have witnessed, and the spiritual support they'll have lent to parishioners must be immeasurable.
So when it was time for the much-loved Fr. David Michael Moses to leave his parish of St. Faustina, he created a goodbye video that's enough to make you grab a Kleenex.
In a series of photos, Fr. David Michael gives us a little insight into his first ever posting as a parochial vicar. As he explains, the day before he became a priest he discovered he'd be going to the parish that boasts 5,000 families. Incredibly, half of these members were under 20. So the fun-loving priest managed to fit right in.
The two-minute video is a bit of an eye-opener. It's incredible to think what our parish priests experience in their time with their parishioners. And the range of emotions Fr. David Michael must be feeling as he says goodbye to his first parishioners must be rather intense.
When he simply says: "Thanks for loving me, and thanks for letting me love you," we're reminded of all the room for love in this vocation, and in the Catholic faith itself.
So just take a few minutes to witness the joy of being a parish priest, and we pray that Fr. David Michael's new parish will be as rich and rewarding as St. Faustina's.
