Moving on to Staten Island

Last Sunday Padre Jorge made the announcement at all the Masses, so I can tell you now. I will be moving on to Staten Island in August. I am thankful for being assigned here to the Merrimack Valley again after 14 months in western North Carolina. I have enjoyed working with the people of the parish. My Spanish has gotten better but still not anywhere close to perfect. (Jorge accurately made reference to this in his announcement. Something like: He reads his sermons well but still can't really speak the language.) It has afforded me the opportunity to sing with the Andover Choral Society for one more year, bringing the total up to 14 years. The opportunity to celebrate Mass and preach in Japanese again (only every two months for the Boston-area Japanese Catholic Community - I was just getting to know them).

Our new Prior Provincial, Fr. Mickey Genovese, has asked me to be pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Staten Island, NY. I was pastor of a parish before in Nagoya, Japan before. But it was another century, another country. This will be full of new challenges. I report for work on August 16. I am grateful that I will have the opportunity to attend a week-long workshop for new pastors in NJ in mid-July. Last week at Villanova I met informally with two of the other friars I will be living with. I am was pleased to discover that all three of us seem to be on the same page regarding our expectations concerning Augustinian common life.  In two weeks I will go to Staten Island to meet with Fr. John DelloRusso, the outgoing pastor.