I am grateful to God for the past two years. Serving at St. Pius X has been the high point of my ministry. Other friars have told me that there is nothing like your first parish. I'm grateful for the warm embrace I received here. I once heard that psychologists usually take six months of counseling to develop the type of rapport with people that priests get instantly. I believe that to be true. People interact with priests at a deep level with their hopes and dreams, challenges and sorrows. I'm grateful for the deep trust you showed in me. I'm grateful to the friars for setting a good example for me. A priest's job is to remind people how much God loves them, and how good they are. That job has been very easy and a joy, because you're all so good! Like today's Gospel reading - I felt like I was St. Peter walking on water supported by your prayers.
Because St. Pius is such a welcoming and warm community, I know that Fr. Scott Surrency, OFM Cap, will have a wonderful experience here as well.
Part of any vows, whether marriage or Capuchin, is that we commit ourselves to a nebulous fixture. We don't often know where our vows will take us. We believe that God will guide us, even through the valleys and storms of life.
I look forward to ministering to teenagers at Capuchin Youth and Family Ministries (CYFM.org) in Garrison, NY. Former St. Pius Pastor Fr. Fred Nickle, OFM Cap. will be there as well, so I will continue to have good friar examples. I will reside at St. Joachim Friary (61 Leonard St., Beacon, NY 12508). My email is erik.lenhart@gmail.com. News and updates are most welcome!
I hope to see many of you at CYFM, and I hope that our paths cross again as we make our pilgrimage into the eternal kingdom
Fr. Erik
