Dear Friends in Christ,

Peace to you from the Rectory! Since sharing the news of my upcoming retirement last week, I have been overwhelmed with an outpouring of your love and concern – thank you so much! In these many conversations and communications, I have also sensed your curiosity about our next pastor, Fr. Jeb Donelan, who by the way goes by "Fr. Jeb." To set your minds at ease, I am happy to tell you of my experiences with him over the last fifteen years.

My first encounters with Fr. Jeb were through Fr. Luke Dundon, whom many of you remember as our parochial vicar from 2011–2014. They had studied at the seminary in Rome together, and they were ordained on the same day here in Arlington, so naturally they stayed close in their first years of priestly ministry. Friendly contact with Fr. Jeb continued while Fr. Steven Walker was here from 2014–2019, since Fr. Jeb and Fr. Steven had been together at St. Charles Seminary in Philadelphia. In addition to getting to know Fr. Jeb socially with Fr. Dundon and Fr. Walker, I recall always being impressed with Fr. Jeb's wisdom and insight when he would offer comments or questions at our regular priest meetings with the Bishop.

As the years went by and I got to know Fr. Jeb better, I eventually invited him to be the presenter at one of our days of recollection for the parish staff. On another occasion, Fr. Jeb invited me to join him and some other priests in a prayer/study group. Unfortunately, I was not able to participate. As I expressed my regrets, I recall telling Fr. Jeb that I had a sense that our association would develop in some other way, which in fact it did. Through these years of contact, I have come to regard Fr. Jeb as a friend within the fraternity of the priests of the Diocese of Arlington. In the context of that fraternity — especially among those priests who know our parish well — there is a consensus that Fr. Jeb and St. Philip will be a good fit. I share that opinion, so I am very pleased that Fr. Jeb has been chosen as the next pastor of our beloved parish.

My departure and Fr. Jeb's beginning of his pastorate here at St. Philip is an opportune time to continue reflecting on the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist (FSE) "Ten Steps of Conversion of St. Francis of Assisi." As a review, these steps are the unique way the FSEs view the life of this extraordinary saint. So far, we have covered the first two steps – "dispossession" and "the kissing of the leper" – so now we are ready for the next, which is the words spoken by Jesus from the Cross, hanging as it was in the abandoned and dilapidated Church of San Damiano: "Francis, go repair my house which, as you see, is falling into ruin."

As is often the case when the Infinite Lord speaks to finite human beings in limited human language, the divine message is not always easy to understand. What Francis grasped first was most obvious: the house of the Lord in which he was praying was in ruins, so he immediately began to repair it, stone by stone. Through this physical labor — done in the presence of the townsfolk of Assisi and with the help of others — Francis understood an even deeper meaning: such physical efforts not only rebuild broken-down churches, but also build up God's people, the members of the Universal Church. What a lesson this is — especially for me as I leave and for Fr. Jeb as he begins the work of building the Church here at St. Philip. St. Francis of Assisi – pray for us! St. Philip the Apostle – pray for us!

Yours in Christ, Fr. Donahue