As I come to the end of my internship year with the parish families of St. Boniface and St. Lawrence, I can’t help but notice how appropriate this Sunday’s gospel (John 6:51-58) is for us as a community. In these verses, Jesus reveals himself to us as the Bread of Life, saying, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever... Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.”

Over the past year, we have gathered around the Lord’s Table, sharing the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, and being sustained in our shared life of faith. This Eucharist has been the source of our strength, our unity, our support, and our joy. Whether we gathered on Saturday or Sunday, weekends or weekdays, funerals or baptisms, the best of days or the worst – each and every time we came together – I was deeply moved by your commitment and witness to the power of our community’s faith more than you might even know.

As I move forward, preparing for my last year of seminary formation and studies toward my ordination to the priesthood, I carry with me the lessons learned and the experiences shared with our community. Your faith, support, and friendship have had such an impact on my growth as a seminarian, as a deacon, as a future priest, and primarily as a Christian disciple. Thank you for your kindness, your support, and for welcoming me into this parish family. Please continue to remember me in your prayers, especially as you gather around the Lord’s Table to celebrate the Eucharist, and know that I will always keep the parish families of St. Boniface and St. Lawrence in my daily prayers. As they say in German: Auf Wiedersehen – not “goodbye,” but “until we meet again.”

Rev. Mr. Andrew McCarroll
c/o St. Mary’s Seminary and University
5400 Roland Ave.
Baltimore, MD 21210