Dear Friends in Christ,

This Sunday, we celebrate the beginning of Summer and Father’s Day. In this special time, we are encouraged to pause and reflect on the many blessings that God has given to us in our lives, especially the gift of our fathers on Father’s Day. Our fathers, whether they be our biological fathers, godfathers, coaches, or mentors, have all given themselves to us in their many hidden acts of service and love for us. I pray that all fathers will model their lives after Jesus’s own life who concretely shows us the face of Our Heavenly Father (see Jn. 14:8-10).

However, we recognize that there are many among us who never experienced the love and sup-port of a father, or who have received much pain in their hearts on behalf of their father. To all these individuals, we are all praying for you and we love you. Our Father in Heaven will not abandon you in the midst of your sorrow, and you have the assistance of all the angels and saints, especially St. Joseph, as we continue on life’s journey.

In this letter, I would like to take a quick break from my account of Poland, and instead, I would like to write briefly in tribute to Fr. Donahue. As you may know, Fr. Donahue is entering into his retirement this week beginning on June 25th, and we have had the opportunity to honor him and thank him for his 16 years of service that he has given to St. Philip’s. Here, I wish to share with you some of the memorable experiences that I have shared with him, and some of the ways that he has helped me to be a holy priest for Jesus Christ.

Some of my first interactions with Fr. Donahue were made in complete silence. In the early Summer of 2022, as I prepared for priestly ordination with my classmates, all of us entered into our re-quired five-day silent retreat at the San Damiano Retreat Center within our Diocese. When we arrived, one of the staff members informed us that there was another priest also making his silent retreat at the same time as us, and that this priest was Fr. Donahue.

I knew at that time that Fr. Donahue would be my new pastor, but I had not met him in-person at that point. When I first encountered him, he was sitting humbly in the last pew of the chapel, praying in intimate communion with Our Lord in the Eucharist. We could not talk to one another, but I thought to myself, “Here is the man who will teach me so much about the priesthood.” Little did I know just how much he would teach me.

Over the last 4 years, Fr. Donahue has shared with me so much wisdom and insights into the priesthood. One of his qualities that I hope to imitate is his unceasing ability to see the goodness in the people he ministers to. In his leadership of St. Philip’s, he has always seen the good qualities in those around him, and his joyful faith in God inspires all to seek for Jesus at all times.

All of us will miss Fr. Donahue from our daily lives here at St. Philip’s. However, we are confident that God will grant him many blessings in this new stage in his life, and we are steadfast in our Catholic Faith that he has shared with us. To Fr. Donahue, we will miss you, we love you, and we wish you many blessings in the years to come. May God bless you always, Fr. Donahue!

Maybe Christ's Peace be with you,

Father Briggs