Fare well, for now!
Well! I can’t believe it’s already time for me to step away for a while—for what we call a sabbatical.
You know me well enough by now to expect a little word-geekery: sabbatical comes from the Hebrew root of sabbath—a seventh-year rest for the land, so it can be renewed and made ready to sustain more life.
It’s been almost eleven years since we began this journey together. When Jackie and I arrived in July 2015, none of us knew what lay ahead. Since then, the Churchmouse Bookshop has grown into a significant hub for the wider community; St Mary’s joined with neighbours to form the ReconciliACTION Oak Bay Network and become a local force for change; and together we weathered the pandemic years with our partners at the Canadian College of Performing Arts and the Oak Bay Preschool. We’ve come out the other side changed, with a renewed vision for our common life—and throughout it all, our faith in a faithful God has been the constant.
As for me, I’m looking forward to a change of pace. I plan to spend this time re-grounding myself in that faith—and writing resources for our parish (and beyond) that can help us keep growing along the path God is leading us on.
Thank you for the support you’ve shown over these past weeks, especially as many of you have stepped up to learn new tasks in service of our parish. I’m thankful for Dyan and Fr John, who are carrying more of the weekly leadership load for a season, and for Mtr Jacqueline Stober—whose cheerful spirit and willingness to join the St Mary’s family for the next five months are already a gift. You’ve welcomed Jacqueline with that unmistakable St Mary’s warmth, and I know you’ll continue to break new ground together.
I’ll add a short blog post to the website and newsletter each month during this new chapter, so you’ll still hear from me. And I look forward to seeing you again in October—just in time for Thanksgiving.
In the meantime:
Deep peace of the running wave to you
Deep peace of the flowing air to you
Deep peace of the quiet shores to you
Deep peace of the shining stars to you
Deep peace of all creation to you.
Craig+