In the Margins: A Profound Thank You

Dear Parishioners of St. Ignatius Parish,

I will be leaving you all after being here for thirteen years on January 15. I am going next to Los Gatos, the retirement house for Jesuits. I don’t think I will be “totally” retired since I intend to seek a nearby parish there where I can help say Mass and hear confessions. I also intend to continue doing spiritual direction for those who seek it.

I will be just short of 85-years-old when I depart for Los Gatos, where the province desires Jesuits go while they are still compos mentis. Moreover, I am already statistically older than most males are before they die, so I have no good clues how many more years I will have to live. I spent my first four years doing Novitiate and Juniorate in Los Gatos, and am told that the community of some 70 Jesuits there is a good and pleasant one.

But I am saddened also to be leaving this parish, which has had a strong influence on me. So many good and generous parishioners. So many excellent programs. 

There will be a special event in the spring where I will say a last goodbye as a parish priest here. However, I do expect to be able to come visit you all on special occasions, for example, when Paul Devot celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of his ordination. Mainly, I want to say a profound thank you to the parish for all it has done and meant to me, to my fellow priests, our pastor Fr. Greg Bonfiglio and the staff who I worked with for so many years. And of course to you, the many wonderful parishioners.

Sincerely,



Fr. John Coleman, S.J.