May 20, 2026 The last time I moved from one residence to another was 20 years ago, and I’ll be thrilled if I never have to do it again. It needs some work, and it’s far from perfect, but I’m comfortable in my home. I have my routines here, and everything is laid out in ways that make sense to me. My son grew up in this house. It’s all he’s ever known. Beyond the emotional attachment, I’m the kind of person who’s constantly trying to learn new skills or new hobbies. While this attribute makes my life stimulating and interesting, it means I also accumulate a lot of “stuff.” And, again, I’ve lived in my house for 20 years; even if I didn’t have eleventy billion hobbies, that’s a long time to accumulate possessions. I don’t even want to think about how time-consuming it would be to pack everything I own. But moving doesn’t just stop at the packing. It’s loading, unloading, unpacking, finding new locations to put everything, buying new items that fit the new home, settling into a new routine, meeting the new neighbors and new neighborhood. Nope. Not for me. Not interested. And that’s a choice I can make. I think about moving – and my disdain it – every year when priest assignments change. I think about what it would be like to have a life in which that choice was taken from me and given to the bishop and the Holy Spirit. And I know it’s hard on the communities they serve, as well. Many of us love our priests and are attached to our priests. And it’s always a bit scary facing a situation that’s new and unknown. It feels fitting to me that this year’s assignment changes are being announced so close to Pentecost, that time when the Holy Spirit descended upon the followers of Christ. I trust that the Holy Spirit is guiding our Church. I pray that all involved in this year’s moves – the priests, deacons and parishes – will be open to the movings of that Spirit, and I pray for the vibrancy of Christ’s Church here in the North Country. I don’t plan to move from that, either. |
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