Farewell Message
from Fr. George
Dear Friends, I am amazed at how time flies. Three years have passed since I first came to St. Bonaventure. This weekend of July 23 & 24 will be my last weekend here. Life is full of goodbyes. People move, switch jobs, end relationships, retire, & ultimately leave this world. There is this verse of scripture I loved so much. King Solomon made a profound statement in Ecclesiastics 3:1 that there’s a season & a time for every purpose under heaven. In verse 3, he goes on to say that there’s a time to be born & to depart. Still, “every departure is a new arrival & every arrival is a new departure”.
I was fortunate enough to be part of this great community. This community is blessed, & I have been blessed by being a part of it. I fell in love with the parish because of the dedicated & committed parishioners. I could see from the start that the people here are very friendly, loving, strong in their faith & in their desire to serve God & one another. As I reflect on these last three years during which I have served as your shepherd, my heart is overflowing with gratitude for the gift you have been to me in my priesthood & for your kindness. Your kind words of appreciation & encouragement helped me a lot to be faithful to my priestly ministry. I am so humbled when you used to say about my homilies & how they touched you in heart. Your love has sustained my faith & ministry. Your commitment to the Church keeps my hope alive.
I have so many wonderful memories here & I will ever be grateful for that. Thank you for your dedication, stewardship & faithfulness. You have been a true blessing to me & I encourage you to continue to open your hearts in love, persevere in prayer & let the peace & love of Christ dwell in your hearts. I encourage all to be open to God’s voice. Listen to Him in the Bible, the Mass, the prayers you say every day, the beautiful & challenging moments in your family. God is there for you, He is always present, & He loves you. Love Him in the Eucharist, in the sacraments, & in your brothers & sisters. Finally, I am so grateful to all of you, dear parishioners. I feel your love for God, the Church, your parish, & for me.
All of life is bittersweet. It has been challenging years for all of us. When Covid-19 hit our land & all over the world, we were caught off guard. The pandemic changed our lives in many ways. Personally, serving our community during this time, I am reminded of three beautiful lessons. First, the Lord is still in charge. Everything shall pass, & He will remain forever. The virus does not stop Him from doing miracles in the lives of His people. He continues to gather, feed, & care for us. Second, our Faith is more potent than viruses & death. Our Faith binds us together in a time of distress. Our Faith has proven to be life-sustaining food as Covid-19 brings death & fear to the world and each of us. Third, We, believe that COVID-19, while terrifying & destructive, unveils the most profound spiritual truths that if we continue to remain faithful & committed to God’s mission as a community & individual faithful; we will survive &thrive regardless of the situation.
I would like to close with one of my favorite Scripture passages from St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians: (1:3-6, 9-11) “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus”. Again, I quote Robert Frost: “The woods are lovely dark and deep. But I have promises to keep. And miles to go before I sleep. And Miles to go before I sleep.”
Dear friends, I will always remember & pray for you. Please pray for me & for my new assignment. If you want to stay in touch with me, find me on social media or email me at
madathikunnath@gmail.com. May the powerful God strengthen your faith, refresh your hope, & fill your mind with His divine peace. With my deepest gratitude to God and to you, I will miss Y’all, A BIG THANK YOU!
Fr. George
Farewell Reception
After all masses this weekend there will be a Farewell Reception for Fr. George in the St. Francis Room. Everyone is invited for cake, ice-cream & refreshments & to wish Fr. George good luck in his future endeavors.