Dear Parishioners and Friends,
Greetings from Incheon International Airport. As we await out flight home from Seoul, South Korea, we are grateful for the opportunity to travel but also looking forward to being home. Our little girl Emmy just turned two, and we can’t wait to see her, our family, and our friends.
While I have been in and out of Hong Kong and the vicinity a few times, it was on this trip that I feel like I really got the flavor of these beautiful countries. The people have been friendly and eager to share their culture and traditions with us. On two separate occasions, perfect strangers asked where we were from and welcomed us to both China and Korea. Reading or watching the news gives such a limited perspective of a place and its people. Traveling, on the other hand, puts us in direct contact with the people, heart to heart and face to face. This is where bridges are built.
I am grateful to Fathers Cromey, Coats, and Ogburn for holding down the fort in my absence. And while we are still in the midst of summer, there are many exciting things on the horizon as we approach the beginning of a new program year. I hope that everyone has a chance to get away and recharge their batteries, returning ready for another year of mission and ministry.
Blessings, Father Rick