Farewell St Thomas The Apostle:
It was a Great Time and my Heart Grew Fond of You.



It was supposed to be for a very short while, one month maybe two. It turned out to be longer. Exactly two years and four months and it has been a wonderful time.

I want to thank Fr Murphy, a true gentleman, a Christian and a great priest. He made me feel so much at home in this parish. It has been a great blessing to know and to work with him as well with Fr Curran of good memories. Together they showed me that because of our faith, we are all one, children of the same Father. They have been a great inspiration to me.

I thank Fr Moran for our shared ministry, Deacons Dennis and Kevin for their generosity of spirit and all parish staff for opening up and including me on the team. 


I came to know St Thomas as a Gold Mine! I do not mean the dollars (though that may also be true) but I mean the wealth in the spirit of generosity, the variety of ministries, the lay participation and name it, you have it here. The parish community was total, spanning all generations of family life, children, youth, couples and adults! It was a complete parish family. I hate to say Good byes, although at the pace I move from place to place, one would think it would be a lot easier. I have to confess, I grew fond of this Parish and I am so lucky to have been part of something that makes saying goodbye so hard. 


Departures seem to be sudden and never come at the right time. I might have wanted a perfect ending but have to learn the hard way that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end.  Life is about not knowing and having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it without knowing what's going to happen next.

I can only hope that we used the time together to the best of our abilities. And where there were short comings we learned life’s lessons and now pray for the grace to forgive the past and move on. 

Flavia Weedn once said “Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for a while, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same”.

St Thomas made me grow. As a parish you have left an imprint in my heart and certainly in the hearts of my people in Uganda. Some of you became true family to me and I want to say Thank You for embracing me. You will all remain in my heart. 

As I make my exit, I go knowing that I have so many friends in West Hartford and will always come back. 
And so dear friends, do good, continue to be who you are, be well and I am sure we shall meet again, if not here, then certainly there.

Fr. Richard Pius Okiria

My new address:

St Patrick & St Joseph Parish
50 Charles Street
Waterbury, CT 06708