 |
September 18, 2010 My dear parishioners of St. Andrew the Apostle Parish, I have asked your pastor, Father Dominic Borg, to read this letter at all the parish Masses this weekend. It is with sadness that I have to announce to you, the parishioners, that Father Dominic and the Order of Discalced Carmelite Friars (Maltese Province), have informed me that they will no longer be able to fulfill their commitment to St. Andrew's Parish. Since 1996, Father Dominic and others from his Order have tended to the spiritual needs of the parishioners of St. Andrew's and have promoted the Carmelite spirituality throughout our Diocese. As Bishop of the Diocese of London, I want to thank Father Dominic and the Order of Discalced Carmelite Friars for their years of faithful service to our Diocese. At the same time, I am pleased to announce that, with the help of Father Dominic, I have been able to engage the services of the Order of Discalced Carmelite Friars from Karnataka Goa Province, India. It is my hope that they will be welcomed into St. Andrew's Parish with the same enthusiasm that Father Dominic received and that they will continue his good work. Your new pastor will be Father Ranjan D’Sa. Father Ranjan was ordained in December 2001 and has a Master of Arts degree from Fordham University in New York in Pastoral Care and Counselling. He has worked as an associate pastor at our Lady of Victory Church in New York and is presently assistant pastor at Holy Trinity Parish in North Vancouver, Canada. There will be another Carmelite priest living in the residence with pastoral responsibilities outside St. Andrew's Parish. At Father Dominic's request, we hope to have your new pastor in place at the end of October 2010. Once again, I would like to express to Father Dominic my deep appreciation for his many years of service to our Diocese. I ask the parishioners of St. Andrew's to continue to pray for vocations to the priesthood. Sincerely yours in Christ, Most Rev. Ronald Fabbro, C.S.B. Bishop of London |