8 November 2020
Dear St. Joseph Parish Family,
Please continue to keep our nation in your prayers as we continue (at least as of the time I’m writing this letter) to determine who our next President is. Please pray also for unity and peace after this election.
The temptation in these times of division is to demonize those whom we view as our opponents. We must not give into distrust and even hatred. We must love even those with whom we bitterly disagree politically. Our common humanity unites us much more than political opinions divide and we should never let political opinions blind us to what is more fundamental. With charity let us find a way to move beyond partisanship and hatred. Hatred and fear will only destroy us. We must always strive to live and speak the truth, rather than merely what is convenient for my views, and we must love those with whom we disagree. Lies and hatred will only lead to ruin. In the end, only the love of Christ can heal and save us and we must be exemplars of that love.
On a sadder note, Fr. Peter John Cameron is leaving St. Joseph’s. I know many of you were just starting to get to know him, but he has been elected prior of St. Patrick Priory in Columbus. I’m sad to see him leave, but he’ll do good work in Columbus. And in some sense it seems only fair: St. Joseph’s has taken two friars from St. Patrick’s in the past few years (Br. Paul and myself), so now we are sending one to them! Please keep Fr. Peter John in your prayers.
God Bless,
Fr. Boniface