Dear St. Martin’s Family,
At one of the last daily Masses of the school year with our St. Martin’s School students, I shared with them one of my favorite verses in all of Scripture: “Father, they are your gift to me” ( Jn 17:24 NAB). For some context, John 17, also known as “The High Priestly Prayer,” is Jesus’ prayer to his heavenly Father as he prepares to undergo his Passion for the salvation of the world. It is the night of the Last Supper, and Jesus is with his closest friends in the Upper Room after he has instituted the Eucharist and the sacred priesthood. In “The High Priestly Prayer,” Jesus is praying to the Father for his Apostles right in front of them, saying, “I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for the ones you have given me, because they are yours” ( Jn 17:9). Imagine what must have stirred in the hearts of the Apostles as they witnessed Jesus praying to the Father for them! Then Jesus says, which is one of my favorite verses, “Father, they are your gift to me.”
Just as the Apostles were the Father’s gift to Jesus, you, my St. Martin’s family, have been the Father’s gift to me. These past three years of ministry have been nothing short of a blessing. When I first spoke with Fr. Dave after finding out I was being assigned to St. Martin’s all those years ago, he said, “St. Martin’s is a place where your priesthood will be valued.” I certainly found that to be the case.
Thank you for welcoming me into your lives and your families. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of the most joyful moments - Baptisms, weddings, blessing your first home, graduations, soccer games, etc. Thank you for confiding me in the most difficult ones - death, grief, difficult medical diagnoses, family tragedies, struggles against sin, etc. Through all of it, I pray that I pointed you to Jesus and his love for you.
A special note to the young people of our parish: Jesus may be calling you to be his priest or a religious sister or religious brother. Do not be afraid! Being a priest is the greatest joy of my life, and it is my hope to see more vocations come from St. Martin’s. Please pray for more vocations!
I love you all and will certainly miss you very much. This parish has left an impression on my heart that will never be erased. Please pray for me and the people I will serve at St. Cecilia, St. Peter Claver, and St. Mary’s College. Know of my prayers for all of you. And if you ever find yourselves in St. Mary’s County, please pay me a visit!
Here is my contact information at my new assignments:
Email address: agustinp@adw.org
Mailing address:
Rev. Patrick Agustin
St. Cecilia Catholic Church
P.O. Box 429
St. Mary’s City, MD 20686
Physical addresses:
St. Cecilia Catholic Church
47950 Mattapany Road
Lexington Park, MD 20653
St. Peter Claver Catholic Church
16922 Saint Peter Claver Road
St. Inigoes, MD 20684
In Christ Our Hope,
Fr. Patrick
