Happy Birthday Fr. Joe!

May 15, 2021 would have been Fr. Joe’s 91st birthday. It is hard to believe he has been gone for 6 years, physically no longer with us, but spiritually still teaching and leading so many from our hearts and through his books and talks. His love for Jesus was so deep; you knew as soon as he began to speak about Jesus, his words would help us to understand how important and loved we were by Jesus and by Fr. Joe. He touched us all so deeply; those who spoke with him or got to know him could not help but feel as though they had become the best of friends, even at the first encounter. It was as if he had been waiting for us and it was the same with everyone he met. You could not help but feel how much he loved you and how important you were to him. What a gift for all of us to experience! Teaching us a way to love across the board with each person whom we encounter in this life and treating them with great respect and dignity. Every one was sacred, because we were all God’s children to him united by the one Father. So many times he would welcome a stranger into his home or on the porch, quickly start making a meal, enjoying the time he had and the opportunity to share Jesus’ love and message. All left more alive then when they came, not knowing what to expect, but leaving with a new understanding of God’s son and a feeling of being loved just for being ourselves.

Thank you Fr. Joe for your living witness to Jesus in our lives then and still to this day and beyond. Your light is kept burning brightly in our hearts and our relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus is so much richer because of you. So the best gift for your birthday is that we will continue that love and continue to love as Jesus loved, and we know that by doing this we honor your ministry.

In Peace, see you soon!

All our love and gratitude

Deacon Gary Riggi