Starting something new is always a mix of excitement and humility. As I begin my ministry with you, I’ve been praying with this Sunday’s Gospel, where Jesus reminds us that the Kingdom of God is like a banquet table — a place where honor is found not in taking the highest seat, but in making room for others. Sirach puts it beautifully: “Humble yourself the more, the greater you are, and you will find favor with God.”
Those words capture how I feel stepping into this new role. On September 1, I will officially begin serving as the Director of Evangelization for our Jesuit Parish Family. I am honored to be entrusted with this work, and I look forward to meeting you, listening to your stories, and discovering how Christ is already at work in our community.
Evangelization can sometimes sound like a big, intimidating word. But really, it’s about something quite simple: encountering Christ, letting that encounter change us, and sharing Christ with others. And that sharing doesn’t begin with programs or plans — it starts with people. With conversations, with welcome, and with extending to others the same invitation Jesus extends to us.
The Letter to the Hebrews reminds us that we have come to the “city of the living God” and already share in the communion of saints. Each time we gather at the Eucharist, we are part of something so much larger than ourselves — God’s great table, where all are welcome and all belong. My hope is that our parishes continue to be places where people encounter that welcome in real, tangible ways.
I am grateful to begin this journey with you and eager to discover what God has in store for us together. Over the next months, I hope to meet as many of you as possible — in church, in conversation, and in the life of our parish family. Please keep me in your prayers, and know that you are in mine. Together, may we reflect the humility of Christ, who never sought the places of honor, but instead created space for all at God’s table.
