Friday, January 27, 2006

Holy Fathers

I was blessed to visit the skete up in Gibsons yesterday, I rode my bike there from the ferry, quite a hill for those of us who drive everywhere...
it was so good to see them, to pray vespers.
I got to bring a letter from Dn. Gregory about Papa John and his gratitude for Fr. Gregory's influence, we talked a great deal abouut Papa John and his Holy Foolish Generosity, His wife's strength and beauty, and their legacy.
I showed them some pictures of the funeral.
Mostly I was blessed to know how far reaching the love and generosity I experienced was, how it was so well and widely known. Fr. John trusted our Father for everything, and did it with a child like naivete that only comes from years of knowing. Beautiful.

So grateful for all of our Fathers here, the ones in the bush and the ones in the churches.

5 comments:

kimberley francis said...

Fully.

I like it so much that you were the courier of such an important letter. I love passing greetings the old fashioned way

Magdalen said...

I visited his grave today. I brought flowers, and we sang Memory Eternal and Christ is Risen. I got to say hello, and goodbye, and pass on your message to him. I felt somehow that he spoke back, too. That he was happy to meet me, and that he'd see me when I get Home.
Until then, though, I'll have to make do with meeting him in my prayers.

Matthew Francis said...

Reminds me of when you sent that note, Kim, via "The Father Dennis Express!" : )

elizabeth said...

david, i am so glad for you for this experience. i miss fr. john too and find it very heartening to see how many us were and are touched by him...

so glad there are so many praying, and that we Do have so many Fathers...

kimberley francis said...

I was driving the other day and needed to call somebody enroute. i asked my friend to dial for me. The names are alphabetized and so when she zoomed through the Fs she said, "Hah, you sure have alot of Fathers in here, like 5 of them?!"

Yeah, our Fathers. We're sure well taken care of.