Over 800 of our Parish Family came together this past Sunday to celebrate the 20 Years that our Pastor, Father John Ludden, has devoted of his life to the priesthood. We have been blessed to have him for over 8 of those years, and it was a true testament to his impact on our community that so many people came to thank him. The Knights of Columbus served these 800 hungry people after Mass with a simple picnic of hamburgers and hot dogs (with all the trimmings, including some award-winning chili and homemade coleslaw). The applause for Father’s Homily rang out in the church as he explained just how important his family was to him, including the vestments he wore that his family had sown for him and vested him for his Ordination. He then stood for 4 hours straight, greeting and thanking every single person in line, with no breaks. His call to made donations to the Immokalee Mission were heeded and the impact of this fun and fulfilling day will be felt for years, given the generosity of our Parish Family. The only visitor Father did not thank was one of the Gopher Tortoises that decided to crash the party. Now that the Life Center has begun , I guess he wanted in on the action, since we have blocked him from getting back into the construction.
