A Letter From Dave VanVIckle
 
Dear Friends,

One of the hardest parts of anyone’s life can be when God closes the door on something that you love. For a long time now, even before I heard that Fr. Bonnar was coming to be our new pastor, I had been praying about how to handle the family situation. I have and the needs of a full-time and sometimes more than full-time position with a growing Catholic community like Saint Aidan Parish. I have known for a while that I could not meet the demands of managing staff, planning and running events, and helping to lead this community while also being able to serve my family and the almost constant medical needs. I had a great relief of my anxiety when I met with Fr. Bonnar, and he could sense that I was being pulled in two different directions. I want to stress that Fr. Bonnar did not have the same anxiety as I did, but was more concerned about my family and my own personal well-being. Together, we decided the best thing for me to do would be to take some time to focus on my family and “catch up” in a sense and then find a position that would be far less demanding. I am truly thankful to Fr. Bonnar for his understanding and generosity during my transition over the next two months.

My biggest regret is that this happened during the COVID-19 pandemic. I wish I could see your faces and tell you what a major impact this community has had on myself and my family over the last two years. As you may know, I have worked with Catholic communities all over the country but we have never felt the real family connection that we do here. I am so thankful for the relationships we have built here. I am especially grateful for two things that I feel the need to mention. The first is the Men’s group that was founded at Saint Alphonsus Parish. Many of you dropped everything for three months or longer and made our new house into a home fitting a family with special needs like mine. You truly are our family and always will be. The second is the incredible outpouring of love and support we received from the entire community when my wife Amber was diagnosed with cancer. I could never imagine how generous and caring a parish could be. I hope to be with you all once again and thank many of you in person when the regular Masses resume.

I will have you all constantly in my prayers and thoughts. I know many of you are worried that you won’t receive regular updates about Amber’s progress. Please feel free to email me at  davevanvickle@gmail.com and I will try to send out regular updates.
 
 I’ll close by recommending to you our family motto which many of you may remember: “The only thing that matters is going to heaven and bringing as many people with you as possible.” I love you all very much and will miss serving you greatly.
 
In the Heart of Jesus,
Dave VanVickle