Dear Parishioners,
This last Wednesday, we said goodbye to a good priest and servant, Msgr. Greg Schaffer. As I began the morning of his funeral, it dawned on me that I was within 5 feet of when I first met him in person. I was about 10. He was state-side for a break, and for some reason, he wanted to talk to my mom (she had lived in his parents' house while working in New Ulm). She asked if I would go along, and I said yes. There, on the floor at his feet as he smoked a pipe and sat in a rocking chair, he shared stories of the mission, the people, and the tasks that he was planning. The love he had for the people was obvious. Later, when I heard that his life had been threatened several times, and witnessing first hand the mission on two trips, I only grew in my admiration of him. May his soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, rest in peace.
Please continue to pray and support the mission in San Lucas Toliman. Fr. Greg, while a humble servant and an ardent listener of the people, was the focal point of the mission activities. As his successors take his place, they have large shoes to fill. There is still a great need there, too.
In Christ,
Fr. Todd
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