With A Grateful Heart…June 9, 2024

"Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!" (Psalm 107:1)

The Psalmist’s thoughts fill my heart as my books are packed & clothes are getting folded together, to continue my ministry at St. Jerome’s parish in Brampton. I started this amazing journey of faith in 2018, here at St. Francis Xavier parish. During these last six years we faced so many challenges together, including Covid. But overall, we have experienced the protective arms of the Lord around us.

It is an undebatable statement that St. Francis Xavier is a vibrant faith community. As I jokingly say sometimes, we are a ‘Costco Church’: Always packed, always busy, & always on demand! Your faith is inspiring, & your commitment is contagious. It was a great blessing & a unique experience to serve you all in this parish.

Reflecting on my role as your pastor, the words of St. Augustine come to mind: “Like you I am a man, with you I am a Christian, & for you I am a priest”. Yes, like you I am a man of shortcomings, flaws, & limitations; with you I am seeking the grace & mercy of the Lord; but I have been called to be the image of Christ as your priest, into which I try to grow daily relying on His mercy. With a grateful heart I acknowledge your prayers & support.

Many people have expressed their love, sadness, & gratitude as they received the news of my departure from this parish. They have been acknowledging all that we have jointly achieved for St. Francis Xavier parish. None of these things would have happened without the support of my associate pastors especially Fr. Eduardo Lopez, who was actively involved in much of the decision process. The lay leadership from our parish was equally pivotal in all the progress we achieved. Please allow me to shine a spotlight on the following individuals. The administrative skill of our parish secretary Joanita Miranda, the welcoming spirit of Katherine Gomez & student staff, the gentle leadership of our sacramental preparation principal Caroline Athaide & Judy D’Souza as office assistant, the Adult Faith Formation team led by Maricel Rotheram,  The Montessori catechism program known as ‘The Catechism of the Good Shepherd’ initiated & run by Natallie Zapazek, The RCIA program run by the great collaborative leadership of Deacon Anthony Wong, Theresa Passanha, & Deacon Ryan & his wife Helen Fernandes, the Youth Ministry led by Briana Almeida, the Marriage Preparation teams by Cecile & Jeff Morris & Sandro & Nicoletta Marcuzzi, the St. Francis Xavier Guild who cleans the church every Friday under the leadership of Rady Ocsan, the Altar Server team led by Angelica Palattao & Nicola Pereira, the Ushers Ministry led by Joseph Remedios & Gizelle Cordeiro, lectors trained & led by Rosemarie David, Ivan Menezes, & Joaquim Fernandes, the Extra Ordinary Ministers of Communion organized by Vickie Velasco & Jestin Nazren, the Lay Pastoral team who bring communion to the sick under the leadership of Bernadette Remedios, the Bereavement team led by Mary Wanca, the Gardening team by  Ana Cardozo & Judena Sebastianpillai, the Sacristans under the leadership of Cristina Guimba & John Rodrigues, the religious article store led by Jenny Chua, Cruz Fernandes, & Judena Sebastianpillai, the library led by Melissa Chin & Anjali Gopinath, the decoration team led by Marylou Bonnici & Cristina Guimba, the Building Committee under the leadership of Dn. Anthony Wong, the Finance Committee under the leadership of John Fernandes, the I.T. team Joelien Jose & Sandeep D’Souza & the SFX Emeralds with Emilia Parado.  These are only some of the leaders who have played an amazing role in all that we achieved together at SFX. With immense gratitude I acknowledge their leadership & the many individuals who teamed up with them. I am also grateful to all our Catholic organizations like the C.W.L, Knights of Columbus, St. Vincent de Paul, Legion of Mary, B.L.D prayer group, & Rosary Apostolate etc., who were actively involved in the life of the parish. I have experienced & learned from all of you; from your generosity, fervor of faith & your commitment to the Lord...

May the Lord bless you all. I will share some other thoughts next week.

Fr. James Cherickal