To my wonderful family and friends,

It's been a while since I last wrote a journal piece.  I want to update you all today.  While I am not "out of the woods," I continue to receive good reports from my doctor and the results of my many tests.  My LDH (cancer marker) this past Thursday was 213, which is very good and basically due to the Immunotherapy I am receiving monthly.  I am hoping that number continues for a long time.  I am feeling stronger each day and, while I'm surely not 100%, I'm grateful to God to be alive and continuing to the best I can with each day God gives me.  I am trying to do a bit more ministry, spend some quality time each day in prayer with my God, spend time with my family and friends, play golf with my buddies, and work on the time and incline on my treadmill, to mention a few specifics.

It's all official now, a new Administrator has been named to lead the people of St. Euphrasia . . . . Fr. Alden Sison.  He has been a priest for 33 years and has been pastor of two parishes.  He brings many gifts to our community and I know our people will appreciate him and love him as you have done for me during these last ten years.  His term begins September 1st, 2020.  I will continue to live at St. Euphrasia as pastor, but Fr. Alden will run the parish and be responsible for making all decisions in the days to come.  God willing, I will retire June 30th, 2021.  You will then be invited to join me and celebrate with me 47 years of priesthood and service to God's holy people.  I look forward to it!

Finally, I feel like it's the right time to bring my sharing and your responses to an end with this journal piece.  Unless, my situation changes drastically, I hope to move forward with my life and hopefully do so in good health.  So feel free to respond to this if you like and then together we'll see what God has in mind.  I can't tell you strongly enough how much your prayer and support have meant to me over these last few months.  It was February 24th that I received the diagnosis of cancer in the ER of Providence Holy Cross Hospital.  Since then, four months now, our gracious God and our Mother Mary have allowed your prayer to bring about miracles in my life.  I will be forever grateful!  May God reward you for your faith and your goodness!  Much love, Fr. Jim