Priests come. Priests go. You’ve been in the church long enough to know that by now.
I’m aware that the news of my departure likely struck each of you in different ways. The news of priests leaving is sometimes met by relief, sometimes ambivalence, and sometimes sadness.
I first learned about the congregation when I read about you from the parish profile now-retired Canon David Johnson passed along to me for my discernment back in the end of 2013. I remember reading about your hopes of calling a priest who would be an apt preacher, teacher, and pastoral care giver. I also remember reading a hope that your next priest would increase your presence in the larger community.
I’m grateful we now have had more than 6 years together. I accepted the vestry’s call to come serve St. Stephen’s in 2014. The primary hope I had when I started was simply that l would leave the parish in a better place when my tenure came to an end.
At the first book study I led at St. Stephen’s, we read The Altar in the World, by Barbara Brown Taylor. I still remember a quote we discussed in the group that has stayed in my mind all these years: “Those who belong to communities of faith have acquired a certain patience with what is called organized religion. They have learned to forgive its shortcomings as they have learned to forgive themselves.”
As we part ways this month, I hope you will forgive me for my own shortcomings and for mistakes I may have made through the years. Even if a given rector has done his or her very best, there is never a guarantee that a leader’s best has been a good fit for a community. Furthermore, not a single one of us is perfect, and all of us do make mistakes along the way.
I thank you for the multitude of graces I have received from you over the years. You have walked with me as we have done such good work together. You have shepherded our children in ways I will never forget. We have shared holy work and holy time.
No community is perfect. No priest is perfect. But God’s love for us is perfect! How good, brothers and sisters, that we have a savior who blesses even our best, imperfect efforts that they might bear fruit for Christ’s own beloved kingdom.
I believe, wholeheartedly, that St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church will still be in a good place when our family moves to Sewanee, Tennessee later this month. St. Stephen’s is a small church with big heart! Your love for one another, your loyal commitment to serve the church and larger community, and your steadfast faith in Christ will carry you from this season to the next.
I wish that the circumstances were different, and that we could plan our final gatherings as we had first imaged. I was looking forward to a final Spring picnic with you this year! Nonetheless, we persist and will find ways to share conversation this month. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you would like to share time on the phone, or if you would like to meet for a socially distant gathering on a patio over the next few weeks.
Finally, know that I will continue holding you in my prayers during this coming time of transition. I pray that God pour upon you an abundance of faith, hope, and love in this life and in the life to come.
Giulianna+
Time flies! Look how our family has grown!
