Thank you from Tricia Norman

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Mass at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church last Sunday to mark my farewell.  I was humbled by your presence and delighted to have the opportunity to catch up with so many of you afterwards.  Thank you to Fr Sang for celebrating the Mass, together with Fr Brendan, Fr Frank and Fr Trac.  I am also grateful to everyone who contributed to the liturgy, especially Hannah McIntosh, Madeleine Ryan, Anne Marchingo, Ben Fung and the choir members for the beautiful music, as well as our readers and Eucharistic Ministers, Chris Sartori, Michael McCloskey, Nanette Giovannini, Kate Baines, Anna Leung and Anne Hanlon.

My thanks also to our wonderful hospitality team, especially Carol-Ann Wong, Antoinette Monaco, Chris Collery, Win Hickey and Mary McCloskey, who meticulously coordinated the morning tea.  I am also grateful to the many people who prepared delicious food and assisted on the day, helping to create such a warm and welcoming celebration.  Special thanks to my colleague, Sally McIntosh for her work behind the scenes.

Over the past few weeks, I have been touched by the many farewell messages, good wishes and acts of kindness I have received from so many of you.  Thank you, too, for the generous parish gift and the beautiful flowers.  Your thoughtfulness and generosity have meant so much to me.

I have been fortunate to know so many of you over the years across our parish communities, and to witness firsthand your generosity, compassion, humility and deep faith.  It has been a privilege to journey with you and to share in the mission of Jesus Christ as it is lived and expressed through the life of this parish community.  I will always cherish the friendships we have formed and the experiences we have shared together.

As I said on Sunday, I have been incredibly proud to call this my workplace for over 19 years.  Each of you has been a significant part of that journey and of my vocation.  You are the reason I have remained here for so long, and the reason it is so difficult to leave this role.  I hope our paths will continue to cross, and that I will see many of you around the parish.

Thank you.

Tricia Norman

Photographer: John Gondek