A New Year, A New Season, One Faithful God
As many of you know, there has been a process underway for some time regarding my retirement and the transition to new pastoral leadership at our beloved Holy Apostles. Early in August, Metropolitan Gerasimos formally shared this news with the Parish Council.
Effective September 1st, I will be retiring from my assignment here at Holy Apostles. At the same time, I am very happy to announce that Fr. Rob Spaliatsos will be assigned to Holy Apostles beginning September 1st. We warmly welcome Fr. Rob, Presbytera Sophia, and their family, and we are grateful that God has brought them to us!
There is something especially meaningful about this date. September 1 is the beginning of the Ecclesiastical New Year and the Feast of the Indiction, a day when we give thanks for God's creation and ask Him to bless the year ahead: our families, our communities, our work, and all that He has entrusted to us.
Perhaps it is fitting, then, that this transition begins with a new ecclesiastical year. A new season does not mean forgetting what came before. We carry with us the blessings, lessons, struggles, and memories of the past. We give thanks for what God has given us, and then, with faith, place what comes next into His hands. That is how I see this new beginning for Holy Apostles.
For more than twenty-five years, this parish has been a profound part of my life. Together, we have celebrated baptisms and weddings, shared joys and losses, walked through illnesses and funerals, and lived all those ordinary moments that make parish life so beautiful. You have welcomed me into your lives, taught me, challenged me, encouraged me, and helped me grow in my own faith in Christ.
I have been incredibly blessed to be your priest. You have helped change my life, and I will always be grateful. Although September 1st marks my retirement from my assignment here, I am not simply walking away from Holy Apostles. I will do my best to assist Fr. Rob in any way I can, to support him, support our parish, and help make this transition as smooth as possible. I have great respect and confidence in him, and I am excited about what God has in store for Holy Apostles in this next chapter.
And perhaps that is another lesson of the Ecclesiastical New Year: the Church does not belong to us. The Church belongs to Jesus Christ!
Priests change. Seasons change. Circumstances change. But Christ does not change. He has been faithful to Holy Apostles, and He will continue to be faithful as we keep our hearts open and available to Him.
I don't see this as an ending. I see it as a new season. Remember, it's always sunny in Seattle!
So please welcome Fr. Rob and give him the same love, support, patience, encouragement, and prayers that you have given Presbytera Pat, our family, and me over these many years. Please pray for Fr. Rob, Presbytera Sophia, their family, and for Holy Apostles as we enter this new season together.
As we begin another year in the life of the Church, let us give thanks for what has been and entrust what is to come to Jesus. Every new beginning is an opportunity to place ourselves more deeply in His hands, to receive each day as a gift, give thanks for His blessings, and trust Him with whatever comes next.
May God bless Fr. Rob as he begins his ministry among us. May He bless Presbytera Sophia and their family, our Parish Council, our ministries, our children, our families, and every person who calls Holy Apostles home. May this coming year be filled with His peace, unity, growth in faith, and abundant love. Remember: "In God there is only Love."
Most of all, thank you. Thank you for allowing me to be your priest. Thank you for your love, kindness, trust, and support. Thank you for all the ways you have taught me, challenged me, encouraged me, and helped me grow.
I love you. I am grateful for you. And I look forward to walking with you through this transition. I'll be here with you, as Buzz Lightyear says, "to infinity and beyond!"
So, as we celebrate the Feast of the Indiction and begin another year in the life of our amazing and beautiful Church, let us give thanks for all that God has given us and place the future of Holy Apostles into His loving hands.
Respectfully in Christ,
+Fr. Tom
Find more wisdom from Fr. Tom and Fr. Rob in the Holy Apostles E-bulletin. Subscribe here.
