Grateful to Be Here

In my postings from yesterday I wanted to share a little more about how I understand my journey these past few years. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not perfect and, in trying to live up to what I thought was the ideal of religious perfection, I actually ended up doing harm to myself and disappointing some people in my life who thought of me within the terms I'd set up for myself.

However, what I also want to make clear is that despite the regret I feel for not coming out to myself earlier and being more honest with both myself and others about who I really am nevertheless I am grateful to have been ordained and called to serve. In the mystery of God's providence I believe that God did indeed call me to serve in ordained ministry and still does. It certainly hasn't worked out the way I or most others I'm sure would have expected but nonetheless I'm confident, both from my own personal conviction and through some of the ways that others continue to express support for my ministry, that I'm still called to serve. I'm still discerning how that will look eventually but for now I'm happy to be where I'm at - studying, serving in ministry in different ways in the local community and of course as well through the vocation to marriage that I know I have also received.

As always, I thank any readers who are still with me for your patience and support and look forward in forthcoming posts to thinking a little more about the specific topic of ministry and the church.

Peace,
Padre Chuck