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Message from the Pastor’s Desk - Dec 31, 2009
I would like to take
this opportunity to express my most sincere thanks to all of
you for the very beautiful letters, cards and notes that I
have received over the past tow months since entering my
betterment program. I most especially have enjoyed the most
recent correspondence around Christmas. Such communication has
been for me been both very encouraging and life-giving.
I want
you to know that I am truly grateful to all of you for your
prayers, your support and your love throughout this time. I
simply ask that you continue to pray for me. I want you to
know that I am doing well. I continue to remain hopeful that I
will be returning to priestly ministry at Ste-Anne's Parish
sometime in 2010.
In the meantime, I wish to thank Fr. Mike and the
entire parish team at Ste-Anne’s who continue to serve the
community well in my absence. May I take a moment on my behalf
to wish all of you and your loved ones a Blessed and Happy New
Year of 2010 with the hope that the Lord may grant you His
Abundant Blessings throughout this year.
With Thanks, With Love, Père/Fr. Robert G. Couture
A Message from the Pastor’s Desk - Nov 15, 2009
Dear Beloved People of Ste-Anne’s Parish,
I am writing to you to inform you of a decision that I have
made for my own personal betterment. As of November 9th, 2009,
I am taking a Personal Health Leave and entering a betterment
program out of town. While this was a very difficult decision
to make, I truly believe in my heart that it was the right one
for me at this time in my life. While I have been dealing with
a number of challenges both personally and professionally, I
thought that it was important to take ownership of the
situation and take action sooner rather than later.
The program that I have signed myself up for is a minimum of 3
months and thus it is my hope that I will be home and back at
Ste-Anne’s Parish by Easter. If I am permitted to come home
sooner, then I will. Bishop Fabbro fully supports this
decision and has committed himself as well as Fr. Brian
Klooster, Director of Priest Personnel, to ensure the proper
running of Ste-Anne’s Parish in my absence.
Bishop Fabbro has appointed Father Mike Graham as
Administrator of Ste-Anne’s Parish until my return. The Bishop
has also asked Fr. Richard Cartier who has recently retired in
Tecumseh to help Fr. Mike with the varied sacramental
celebrations. The Bishop has also asked Archbishop James
MacDonald and Monsignor Patrick Morand to help with the French
Mass every Sunday Morning @ 9:00 a.m. as well as the Christmas
Day and New Year’s Day French Masses also @ 9:00 a.m. They
will also celebrate the school confessions at both French
Elementary Schools as well as the three French school masses
for Advent. I was able to celebrate the confessions @ école
secondaire l’Essor before leaving.
During my absence, my staff has assured me that they will do
everything possible to make sure that things run smoothly and
I have no doubt in my mind that they will rise to the
challenge. I ask the same from you as this will be a
transitional period and one that with your help and
cooperation will go well. I truly believe that Fr. Mike will
receive the same support and dedication that you have shown me
in the past 7 years. It is my hope that this will be a
seamless transition. As I was preparing for this over the last
little while, we did everything possible to make this period
as quiet as possible. The vast majority of the weddings have
taken place; the 150th Anniversary celebration went off
magnificently and will be one that we will all cherish for
years to come.
I am grateful for that wonderful opportunity to have led the
community through such a monumental moment in the history of
the parish. We have also delayed other activities to the
Spring. Confirmation will not take place until after Easter
{April 12 & 13}. We have also placed our second Marriage Prep
Weekend also in April {16-17-18} in hopes that I would be back
for both of these events.
I am sure that one of the questions that you may have is why
did I not mention this before I left. The answer is for
several reasons. The first reason was that I did not want to
take away from the euphoria of the 150th Anniversary of our
parish on Sunday, October 25th. It was a truly magnificent
day: the mass, the banquet, the people, the meal, etc. We are
not going to live such a moment for quite a while and I was
determined that I was not going to take away from that with my
own personal reality. The weekend after October 25th was
wonderful with the opportunity for people to share their
experience of the event and the memories that came from that.
It was truly good and life-giving to hear it and to celebrate
it throughout that weekend.
The second reason is far more personal. I was not prepared to
enter into the dialogue which undoubtedly would have been very
emotional for me. I am asking you to appreciate that this
decision was not an easy one but in the end a necessary one.
This is not a simple thing to talk about and I was not
prepared to put myself or you through that. I sincerely hope
that you understand and support my decision.
What I ask of you is your prayers, your love and your support
during this difficult time in my life. While you cannot call
me, you are more than welcomed to write to me and send or drop
off your note or letter to the office and either Cheryl or
Géralyn will receive it and it will be forwarded to me. I in
turn will do my best to write back to you. If you have found
me difficult recently, then I apologize and seek your
forgiveness. It has never been my intention to be hurtful or
harmful to anyone. This past year has been extremely difficult
for a variety of reasons but I was determined to see the year
through until this point. I wish to thank you for your love
and support over the years. It is what has carried me to this
point in my life and I could not have done it without you. You
will continue to remain in my prayers. |
