I find sanity in all the commotion of my day to day life
Posted by letterstopriests | Filed under Uncategorized
I come from a family that is in constant turmoil. My father died when I was ten and my mother and step-father were both abusive and struggled with addiction. I am the oldest of five and was raised by my grandparents. At 22 I am married with no kids at the moment, however, my husband and I help raise my siblings.
There are many times I feel as though I fall short of who God is calling me to be. I constantly question whether or not I can handle all that has been put before me. I struggle with how I was raised and with how quickly I had to grow up because my parents never could. I have 4 younger siblings, but they are more like my kids.
I, like so many others, tend to turn to my church for guidance and support. I am part of a very large parish within the Los Angeles diocese. It is through talking with the amazing priests we have at our church that I find sanity in all the commotion of my day to day life. It is because of their guidance, kind words, and great advice that I grow spiritually and am able to continue to give of myself to others.
They minister to so many in our parish. Always taking the time to make your problem theirs. They attend functions such as our Youth Group on what is supposed to be a day off and minister to our homeless by providing for them monetarily (food, clothes, etc.) and truly taking the time to make them feel God’s love through genuine friendship. Through example they remind us all we are beacons of light and hope for all those we encounter. These priests do so much for so many! We are truly blessed to have them serving in our community!
So to each priest I am about to name, thank you for all you do for us! You serve with such humility and grace. We are so blessed to have you!
(Our Pastor) Msgr. Jon:
You do so much and affect so many. Your kind words and funny jokes make you easy to approach and seek advice. Thank you for all that you do! From running our parish and presiding at our masses to helping us on retreats and constantly giving words of encouragement to those in need. You have worked so hard and achieved so much! You are truly a blessing from above and I feel so blessed to be able to work with you and have you as a friend.
(Our Associate Pastor) Father Micheal:
You are so loved and appreciated by so many people in our community. Thank you for the many hours you give to the Youth Group and for providing confession to our teens! They love having you around. We see how hard you work and how much you give of yourself to those in need around you! You lead by example and are such a great listener and friend. Thank you for all that you do and all the great homilies you share with our parish. You make God’s word understandable and scripture fun.
(Our Associate Pastor) Father Marco:
You are an amazing priest! We appreciate all that you do for our Spanish speaking parishioners. For all that you do in regards to the Food Bank and Soup Kitchen, the Spanish Confirmation classes you teach, all the masses you preside over, and all the young couples you help prepare for marriage, we thank you! You always find the time to get things done. Thank you for all your hard work and all the time you give to our parish. You are an amazing priest!
Jeanette Brinkmann
(Oxnard, CA)
Note from Anne, I am so proud of Jeanette, it sounds like the greatest gift her parents gave her, was Catholicism.
Tags: Catholic, church, letters, men, Of, priest, priests, thanking, the
