We can all be thankful to God for the many gifts Fr. Ben has brought to our parish.

This weekend we will all have plenty of opportunities to show him our appreciation. It is never easy to say goodbye. In French we simply say "Aurevoir", which literally means, "See you again!"

In the last 10 years our parish has been blessed with five parochial vicars: Fr. John, Fr. Lopez, Fr. Santiago, Fr. Philip and Fr. Ben. Each one brought us their pastoral experience of parishes they served before joining us. Each one brought us their very rich personal experience (including in four different countries of origin: USA, Ecuador, Spain and Chile). All of us, parishioners, volunteers, staff and clergy have benefitted greatly from such a diversity of pastoral experiences.

I recall the shock many of you had when our first parochial vicar Fr. John was appointed to another parish only after two years being with us. Why so soon people asked? Our three earlier priests at OLHOC, , all pastors, had stayed from six to seventeen years! By now, you all have learned that parochial vicars are transferred more frequently than pastors, but also that all priests promise "OBEDIENCE” to their Bishop and all his successors on the day of their ordination. Some of you have reminded me that "it is the same in the Army, Navy or Air Force" with frequent movements to different bases, including different countries. As I am getting older, I have noticed that our parochial vicars have been getting younger and younger. This is good for our parish, getting new and younger blood!

We can all be grateful to Fr. Ben for his great sense of humor, his enthusiasm, his contagious laugh, his high-level of energy, his inspirational homilies, his passion to assist all parishioners spiritually, his suggestions for spiritual readings and his total commitment to his priestly vocation. He will be remembered for his amazing contribution in a time of "Pandemic" including Livestreaming of Masses on YouTube OLHOC and Outside Adoration in parking lot (with parishioners praying while staying in their cars before going to the drive-through confessions at the foot of Mary on Saturdays).

Beyond his priestly ministry, Fr. Ben has many other talents he also shares with much generosity. You may have noticed that he loves planting flowers and trees. He is a truly accomplished "gardener". One of our volunteers said that "he definitely has a green thumb". Some of our staff also call Fr. Ben "Father Fix-it". Not only he loves fixing what is broken, but he loves to fix things that can be improved (e.g. telephone systems , laptops, computers). As my predecessor's predecessor Father Eamon Dignan, he loves to go on the roof of our church and "fix potential and actual leaks"...He is also an accomplished cook, and this was very helpful during the pandemic. He made sure that the OLHOC pastor will not starve to death. You may have also noticed that he loves "gadgets" and he made sure that our parish rectory would be filled with a large variety of "gadgets"...

We will all miss Father Ben and his successor Father Jan, who will join us July 7, will have big shoes to fill.

Our prayers today go to Fr. Ben. May the triune God continue blessing his priestly ministry! May Fr. Ben continue finding the Love of the Father in his heart. May the Holy Spirit continue guiding Father Ben in his daily decisions. May the Blessed Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary continue inspiring Fr. Ben in sharing with everyone the LOVE and JOY of the UNITED HEARTS of JESUS and MARY!

I would like to wish everyone a most blessed Fourth of July weekend. I also invite you to join us at the end of each Mass this weekend in showing all our appreciation for Father Ben (the only OLHOC Mass he will not be able to attend is the 1 pm Mass). As we have done over the last few years, we will also have special outdoor celebrations for the Fourth of July, which falls on a Sunday this year. We will have outdoor live music beginning at 4 pm (with LIBATION and the music ministry of the COUPLES FOR CHRIST). Bring your own chair and food. Come and sing along. We will pray for our country! We will also watch the traditional display of Fireworks (starting around 9 pm) and will combine these annual evangelization events with the special farewell celebration for Fr. Ben (see flyer distributed in our church and also available on our website).

One in Christ,

Fr. Alain