Fellow Residents and Staff,
As
many of you know, this September I begin a new life in Detroit, Michigan. Forty-five years ago I committed myself to
the brotherhood of the Friars Minor and vowed to live the Rule of that
brotherhood all the days of my life. The
brotherhood gives meaning and structure to my life. In the brotherhood I grow into the person
that God is calling me to be.
When
I moved to Saint Leonard three years ago, another brother, Curt Lanzrath, OFM,
was living here in retirement. I fondly
remember our evening meals together in the assisted living dining room. Two years later Joe Rigali, OFM, another
brother, retired here. Curt’s health
deteriorated, and he moved to Cincinnati, while Joe and I got together weekly
for prayer, fellowship, and dinner. This
summer Joe moved to a nursing home as resident chaplain; and I was left alone
at Saint Leonard, a brother without nearby brothers.
As
Joe’s move was being finalized, the brothers asked me to consider moving to
Saint Aloysius Friary in downtown Detroit.
I checked it out, considered the pros and cons, prayed over it, and
said, “Yes, I want that.” The friary is
an apartment on the eighth floor of the archdiocesan chancery building. I will be living with my brother Tod Laverty,
OFM. In two different parishes we will
be ministering to senior citizens in HUD housing, homeless people on the
streets, business people in office buildings, and a host of volunteers who are
helping the friars carry out God’s work.
It will be an exciting and new venture for me.
Life
is about growth, and growth reaches its climax in autumn. Autumn is the season of abundance. The riches of the preceding seasons are
harvested and enjoyed. In the autumn of
my life, I look forward to an abundant harvest in downtown Detroit. No one is ever too old for the harvest.
Residents
and staff of Saint Leonard, you have welcomed me into your lives, and I
treasure our time together. To each of
you, in the words of Saint Francis,
Peace
and every Blessing!
Loren
Connell, OFM,
sacramental
minister
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