Goodbye and Best Wishes to Tracy

Rev. Tracy Charnock has been our curate for three years, and today she said her last Mass with us, and said goodbye, as she prepares to take up her new role as a parish priest in Blackpool. At the end of Mass we thanked Tracy for all she has given to our church and parish, and presented her with gifts for her new home. Tracy spoke the following words of thanks:

“From day one when I arrived at my house ahead of the removal van, only to discover the landlord had given us the wrong key – I knew that curacy in this parish was going to be – well – interesting.

The Churchwardens say goodbye to Tracy.

It’s involved Polish Vodka, home made soup, spicy chicken wings, lamb curry, cups of tea, glasses of wine – and the list goes on.

Your generosity in sharing hospitality has been absolutely off the scale, and I thank you for this.

But, you’ll be pleased to hear, there’s been more to the past three years than food and drink.

There’s been the dressing up in a whole range of priestly attire on offer in the church’s cupbooards upstairs.

And there’s been the dressing down – the fun of the 2009 bike ride, when we returned covered in mud and I had just twenty minutes to get home, shower and return to say mass at 5pm.

On a serious note it has been an honour and a privilege to minister here in this parish.

I have so many fond memories, which will be treasured in my heart forever.

To have shared laughter and stories, to have shared pains and tears, to have had the opportunity to get alongside so many folk and simply be – be with you – and with God.

And I know there have been times when I’ve fallen short of your expectations – and for this I am truly sorry.

And though today is a sad day in saying goodbye, I rejoice from the depth of my heart in the opportunity to have shared so much with so many.

So as I move on to pastures new, I pray for God’s blessing on this parish and on you and your families and friends. And thank you for being you – the people of St Chrysostom’s.”

Advertisement