I just wanted to extend a sincere THANK YOU to all of St. Mary Parish for hosting my ordination to the Diaconate on Dec. 3rd. It really meant a lot to see the parish family come together, along with my own family, and the current and former priests of St. Mary, and of course, Archbishop Brunett and Bishop Tyson. It was all very beautiful and I will never ever forget the holy day, and all the prayers of all of you holding me up while I was prostrate before the altar for the Litany of Saints. I also wish to thank especially Fr. Vu and the parish staff, as well as all the servers, sacristans, and ushers for all their help in coordinating this event; and a special thanks needs to go to John Fahey and the choir for the moving and beautiful setting they provided for the occasion. A very special thanks must also go to Dennis Wilson and the Knights of Columbus of St. Mary’s and beyond, as well as to Carol Vogelli, Diane Chonka, and all the St. Mary Merrymakers, and to all those who helped out in setting up and cleaning up for the reception. I know it was a very busy weekend for everyone, and so I and the Strazicich Family sincerely appreciate all the efforts that were made to make this joyful occasion possible. And I need to thank the Vela Luka Group for coming out in full garb and for the KC honor guard as well! And thank you all for the many, many gifts and cards. It’s all been very overwhelming and quite an honor.
I humbly ask you for your continued prayers in my starting out in ordained ministry as a Deacon and in final preparations for the Priesthood. St. Mary’s has been my spiritual home since childhood and I sincerely thank everyone for all the prayers, support, and help that have been given to me and my family over the years, and especially this past year for the gift of feeling very much part of the parish family. I pray that St. Mary parish will continue to reach out in the same way to all those in need of our support in our community. Let us continue to pray for each other. Have a Blessed Advent and Christmas!
(PS: We are working on a website for all the pictures, but it probably won’t be available till sometime after New Year’s).
-Deacon Mel Strazicich,
Theo IV, Archdiocese of Seattle
Mundelein Seminary, Illinois .
