Dear Parishioners,
I have spent many days now with you here at Mount Carmel. Slowly and together we adjust to our sorrow over the death of Father Leonard. In the days that I have been here I can see so clearly the amount of work Father Leonard carried out so diligently. As we all know, he put no limits on his dedication and service to the parish. His memory will endure down through the decades.
I have talked with so many of you over these last few days and I have been moved and impressed. I have always loved the people of Mount Carmel, but now I can see even more clearly why you are all so special. I see how compassionate and understanding you are. Your reaction to the loss of Father Leonard has been profoundly spiritual. While grief stricken and stunned, you also are understanding and enlightened. You understand the humanity of all God’s children.
Let us all continue forward bolstered by our faith. As so many Carmelite saints proclaimed – “even in the darkness of the deepest, longest night, a light will come.”
We all wait to hear from Archbishop Myers who our new pastor will be. We pray for the gift of a kind, loving, faithful leader. I am sure our prayers will be heard.
In the meantime, we help each other. On Monday, June 22nd at 7:00 p.m. we will gather for an evening of prayer, sharing and support. Members of the staff and I will be present as well as pastoral counselors to assist in the process.
I envision this evening as a gathering of the parish family to anchor ourselves in the mystery and power of our spirituality. All are invited. I suggest we see this event as a gathering for the adults of the parish. We are currently discerning ways to be of help to the children at another time and in another manner.
– Father Ashley Harrington, O.Carm.