As I am now well into my sabbatical, I wanted to write to say hello, to again pledge my prayers and support, and to give you a sense of my progress and schedule. I also offer some reading suggestions below that I hope you will find enlightening.
My sabbatical officially began on January 6th. During the month of January, I spent many hours delving into numerous articles and research related to the Church crisis. I have now begun writing!
The working title for my book is:
Harm and Healing in the Catholic Church: A Roadmap to Restoration. Part of the book presents our Archdiocese as a model – a microcosm – of what went wrong and the positive strides we have made in fostering greater accountability and
healing.
My daily schedule begins at 5:45/6 a.m. with a light breakfast followed by prayer. Prayer is followed by a walk – 30 minutes or an hour – depending on my schedule and always accompanied by the rosary. In praying the rosary, the wellbeing of Lourdes is front and center as I entrust the parish to our patron – St. Mary.
My sabbatical work of research and writing takes place approximately from 9-5, followed by
Mass. The evenings include home cooking – I rather enjoy my own cooking - and catching up on correspondence, news and more reading.
I have included some photos of my life here in on the ranch. Kendalia is a small town about an hour north of San Antonio. My address is: Daniel Griffith; P.O. Box 417, Kendalia, TX 78027. I am so thankful to Janet Payne who is my host at her guest house. I am also thankful to her daughter Joanna Perkins who is pictured with Janet and Joanna’s husband Keith and I in front of their chapel on the ranch.
Here is some reading I have found inspiring and fun.
Wounded Shepherd – a new biography of Pope Francis is quite good. It is well written and well sourced, but not exactly an unbiased orcritical biography. On a lighter but not less interesting front:
Born to Run – the Bruce Springsteen’s autobiography is fantastic. What a gifted storyteller and a keen interpreter of American culture. It is introspective and insightful.
My Father Left Me Ireland is a shorter, but no less insightful read about a son who grew up without the presence of his Irish father and the lessons he learned through this privation. I look forward to reading, with you,
Spiritual Resilience, during the season of Lent.
As you approach the celebration of our patronal feast this weekend, I assure you of my continued prayers for all of you and gratitude for your support of our fine parish. I miss you! I am so thankful to our staff and parishioners who continue to generously offer their gifts and time to help Lourdes thrive and grow. Mary, Julie and Fr. Bryce have said that the parish continues to flourish in so many ways. This warms my heart as pastor and I am thankful! Please continue to keep me in your prayers for a fruitful sabbatical.
With Gratitude to God and to all of You!
Fr. Griffith