Back Home

I’m very happy to be back at OLMC after the conclusion of my sabbatical. I gave a brief update in early February and want to share a little more about my sabbatical experience. My book manuscript has been ready now for six weeks, but I am learning that the publication process goes very slowly. I may decide to self-publish in order to speed things up. I’ll be sure to let you know when the book is available even if that occurs after the end of my assignment here.

Most of my sabbatical was spent at my mother’s house in Chula Vista. My two brothers are living there and so it was a wonderful experience of family life: daily Mass, meals together, working together around the house (including a massive uncluttering/reorganization of the garage), and many games of pinochle (a card game).

I was physically active, surfing 2-3 times per week (mostly near the Ocean Beach Pier), lifting weights, and running. I spent a lot of time stretching which has helped me feel better overall.

I went to New Mexico to visit a priest friend from the seminary and to see many of the natural and historical sites there. I spent a weekend in Julian with one of my brothers. I was supposed to spend a week with another brother in Sayulita, MX but that trip was cancelled due to the cartel violence.

I’ve had more time to process being assigned to Holy Trinity Parish in El Cajon. The parish school has a majority of Chaldean families and it has become clearer to my that part of God’s plan in this assignment is to allow me to connect with and be of service to the Chaldean community, which was something anticipated when I was ordained but had yet to be realized.

Throughout the sabbatical I thought about and prayed for you every day and looked forward to returning. I have lived and worked with you for fourteen years, which is the longest I have lived anywhere my entire life. Moving back to the rectory on Thursday, celebrating Mass and attending the social yesterday, the overwhelming feeling was of being home. Even though we have no permanent home on this earth, God wants us to experience that sense of belonging, loving and being loved, of mattering to others, of common purpose, that the best of earthly homes provide, so that we can long for that perfect home, made possible for us by the death and resurrection of Christ that we will solemnly celebrate together this Holy Week.