As I sit down to write my
final letter as pastor of St. Thomas More Parish, many emotions pass through my entire being.
First is the sadness of not being with my people, my parishioners, on a regular basis. I have
become fond of seeing you from week to week, in some cases day to day. I have never been one to display my emotions visibly.
You might say I sometimes have a poker
face. However, this does not mean I don’t have and experience feelings deep
inside. Sadness is real. Separation is hard. Leaving brings things to the
surface.
Starting again somewhere new
causes me feelings of anxiety and apprehension. I recall when I arrived
here in Cherry Hill we were in the midst of a “pandemic.” People were not
coming to church, were wearing masks and I knew practically no one. During this
time I became gravely ill and was hospitalized. Afterwards, I was very much
isolated in my rectory. This was not a great time in my (or anyone’s) life. I
never want to go through this type of situation again. Moreover, as an introvert by nature, meeting new people
is not easy. Over the years I have worked hard to overcome this, but it is real
nonetheless.
But enough about me. I take
this time to express my gratitude to all of you for your love, kindness, generosity and support. I have made
many more friends and I have enjoyed being your pastor for these past six
years. Whether it was at Mass, at dinner, in the confessional, in the hospital,
at the grocery store or in some other circumstance, I will miss you. Life is
short and every person we meet and situation we experience is meant for a
reason. Hopefully, we learn from all of them.
My apologies to anyone whom
I may have hurt or offended in any way during my time here. Priests are all too
human. We make mistakes. We are not gods,
although we should strive to be Christ-like.
Please pray for me to become more like Christ every day.
Some priests are very good,
timely and regular in saying “thanks.” This has not been one of my
better qualities over the years. I put off and forget to send “thank you”
notes. I am sparse in my compliments. I admit I am deficient in this area.
Period. However, I take this time to thank anyone who has helped me or the
parish in any way during my time here. Thank
you, thank you, and thank you! I am grateful for all that you have done.
Finally, I thank God for
allowing me 39 years of priestly service. (Unfortunately, I will not be here to celebrate a milestone year next
year.) I especially thank the Blessed Mother for being my Spiritual Mother during these years. Her example of unselfish
obedience to the will of God continues to guide and inspire me.
At the end of the musical Fiddler on the Roof, Tevye (the main
character) has to say goodbye to one of his daughters (Hodel) who is leaving
for a distant place (Siberia). The dialogue goes something like this: “Papa,
God alone knows when we will see each other again.” Tevye then says to her: “Then
we will leave it in His hands.”
Fortunately, I do not depart
for some distant land. I am only going to Brigantine—a beach town about an hour
away. Maybe I will see you there! We will leave that in God’s hands.
Be kind to Fr. Matveenko.
Please pray for me as I will
pray to you!
Fr.
Ed Namiotka
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