Farewell to St. Paul's

Dear St. Paul's Family,

The last few times I have come to St. Paul's, I have tried my hardest to soak it all in.  It's difficult to realize that one of these times will mark the end of our regular attendance here, and so I stare intently at the stained glass, listen with all my might to the organ sing, and savor each smile and handshake with all my might!  This place and these people have come to mean so much to me, and I will always treasure the time my family and I have spent here.

I want to thank all of you for the outstanding amount of support you have given me these last two years.  Even during our community's pain and turmoil, you were all my advocates from the very beginning of my discernment.  My send-off dinner in June was truly a wonderful culmination of this backing, with a huge turnout and a generous blessing of financial help for my studies at seminary.  Thank you to all who showed up and enjoyed the fun with us, the evening showed me a strong example of the love and encouragement I've felt from all of you this year.

As of July 30th, we will have packed the freight truck (we're shipping our things) and driven away from Bellingham in the van.  Our journey will take us through some of the places we've come to love in the West as we've traveled over the years of our marriage. We'll be camping a few nights each in Yellowstone, Arches National Park, Taos, New Mexico, and Carlsbad Caverns National Park along the way.  We will arrive and begin moving into our house on campus on August 11, and my  school orientation will begin in the last week of August.

I will be sending updates to you regularly while I am in school.  One of my responsibilities as a postulant is to write a letter to the bishop around each Ember Day (roughly one a season), and I plan to send a similar update to the monthly newsletter at St. Paul's.  I will also be e-mailing updates now and again, and if you would like to receive these, please e-mail me at mcarroccino@gmail.com and I will include you.  As well, I will be posting regularly to my blog at jesusstoolbelt.blogspot.com.  If you have any special prayer requests, please e-mail them to me: I will be attending frequent worship services throughout the next three years, and would be happy to return some of the support you are all giving me.

Please keep us all in your prayers during this time of transition and new beginnings.  We are excited for our future as well as grieved for all that we are leaving behind.  The community at St. Paul's has been instrumental in my journey, as well as a fantastic family for my time in Bellingham.  We are grateful to all of you for the love, care, and encouragement you have given us.  Thank you.

In Christ,

Michael Carroccino