Project Fred

While this project took me two years to complete, I was never more proud, nor could I find someone worthier to receive than my Dear Pastor, Monsignor Thomas Leonard.

As an inside Parish joke, we nicknamed him Fred. Calling him Monsignor can grow tiring.

For the past decade, Fred has been my voice of reason, my compassion when life’s struggles bombarded me and hit me with all that is unfair. He has grounded me and deepened my faith, all the while still being tough on me when I Altar Serve, never resisting to throw out the curve ball outside of standard protocol with his table tricks.

And so it was that I presented him last night a sweater that I made from wool that is shed from sheep on a farm at a monastery in upstate New York. A sweater that took me many hours of labor throughout very traumatic times. I called it Project Fred.

His guidance and leadership in our Parish is nothing short of amazing. People think I am amazing- not just for making the sweater, but for soldiering on throughout all I have endured.

I say- Fred is the amazing one. Fred, this one’s for you!