From the Heart of the Shepherd

From the bulletin for The Solemnity of Saint Peter and Paul (2025 June 29)

As I hope you have gathered by now, this is no longer expected to be my last bulletin column as pastor at St. Mark’s. (Talk about taking the pressure off!) So rather than bid farewell to you all myself, then, I will cede space here to Sr. Julieta, who after a year serving the youth and families at our parish and almost a decade serving PES-MN, really is leaving for California next month to join our community of Sisters in Sacramento Diocese. 

Allow me to take this opportunity to thank Sister on behalf of all the parish for her ministry this past year, in which we have seen both our Family Faith Formation and our Ignite programs grow considerably, thanks to her leadership. It was a blessing to have a religious with her experience and gifts on staff, albeit for only a short time. You will be missed Sister; Godspeed now to God’s people out west!

While I am at it, allow me to express my gratitude to the many of you who had already sent cards expressing your appreciation to yours truly as I was preparing to conclude my pastorate here. Though I could hardly consider myself worthy of your kind words, now mine is a double joy: to have my heart warmed by your outpouring of affection and gratitude, and to be able to continue serving you here! It’s like having your cake and reading it too. And now that the fruitless fig tree has been granted a few more growing seasons, I’ll note that those goodbye dinners that many of you so generously treated me to are valid only for six months. So we may have to do them again, hopefully in some distant future.

Sr. Julieta, take it from here!

Dear St Mark’s family, I wanted to express my gratitude towards the Sacred Heart and all of you for all these months of welcoming me into this beautiful and faithful community. Thank you for allowing me to serve and grow spiritually. As I’m leaving for my new mission in California, I ask for your prayers and know that you count on mine. May the Sacred Heart bless you abundantly! Sr Julieta, PES

From the Heart of the Shepherd: Corpus Christi