ME KE ALOHA PUMEHANA, FR. SAMMY!
(With warm affection)
Dear Parish Family:
With grateful hearts we bid a fond aloha to someone who has so warmly touched our lives. Although he was here for just three short years, he has endeared himself as if he had been a part of our lives for so much longer. Indeed, he was family. He was someone we all felt so at ease with, whose smile and humor left us laughing even when we were feeling down. We allowed him into our lives not as a visitor or guest but as an honored and revered member of our family—someone we could trust and count on for support and encouragement. That’s pretty amazing when you consider that he came from another country, another culture, another language. Yet he blended all this so well with the local lifestyle that we accepted him as one of our own, as one we all could easily relate to, and who could easily relate to us.
For three short years, we have been blessed to have a man, a priest, a brother and a friend who inspired us by his outgoing personality, dedication and love of our parish community. So how do we respond to his returning to his homeland? How do we react to his departure from this place where he is so well thought of and deeply loved? We can voice our regrets and express our sadness at his departure. And that is understandable and natural. But not let us linger there for too long.
Let us also remember and recall those three blessed years we’ve shared together and grew together and thrived together. Let us thank the Good Lord for bringing him to us and allowing him to remain with us for all the three years that he was here in the Diocese. Originally he was only assigned to be here for one year and then be reassigned to another parish. After his second year, he was again going to be reassigned but by the grace of God he remained. And we all benefitted from that.
No, let us not dwell too much on the sadness of his leaving, as much as the gratitude we will always have that he was with us for three wonderful years. Yes, we look back with many fond memories that we can retell and laugh about for years to come. But he also left us a precious gift, a legacy so to speak, that he touched a spark in our life that energized and galvanized all of us to grow, bloom and blossom into a rich and vibrant community of love and compassion. And with that we look forward not with sadness or regrets, but with excited anticipation of things to come. He helped us to spread our wings so that now we can soar to new heights and new horizons as we look to the future of our parish.
Let us build upon this legacy provided by Fr. Sammy, all those priests that preceded him and the many, many other parishioners in the past on whom this parish was built. But above all, let us keep firm, fervent, and faithful to the two foundations by which we were founded and upon whom we stand: JESUS our Savior, and Mother MARY our parish patroness. By the grace of Jesus, Fr. Sammy was brought here. By the intercession of Mary, Fr. Sammy remained here for all three years. Our Lord and Mary will continue to provide us with wonderful surprises as they had done in Fr. Sammy, and as they will continue to do as we labor in love to build the Kingdom of God here in Ewa Beach.
With grateful hearts and with overflowing love we say to you, dear Fr. Sammy, MAHALO, A HUI HOU (until we meet again) à ALOHA! E ka Haku oe e ho’omaika’imai, a e malama mai. (The Lord bless you and keep you.)
Aloha ke Akua,
