Honoring Fr. John McGowan, C.Ss.R.
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January 5, 2024On Sunday, December 10, Fr. John McGowan was honored for his 27 years of service at San Alfonso Retreat House in Long Branch, NJ. It was a wonderful celebration of his dedication to serving the various people who come through the doors of the retreat house searching for God at the place where “God and Sea come Together.”
There were lots of hugs, laughs and stories shared. The crowd was entertained by Fr.’s Kevin O’Neil, Jim Dowds and John Collins singing a parody of Leonard Cohen’s famous song “Hallelujah” rendered “John McGowan” which got everyone chiming in on the chorus.At the prayer service, Fr. McGowan assured the congregation, “I’m not being buried. I’m being transferred!”
At the end of his talk Fr. John paraphrased a quote from Tom Joad in John Steinbeck’s "The Grapes of Wrath." He stated, “When you receive the Eucharist, I’ll be with you. When you get together and are laughing as a family, I’ll be with you. When you see the icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, I’ll be with you. When you try to do good to the poor, I’ll be with you. When you finally believe that God loves you and is crazy about you as you are, I’ll be with you. When we pray for each other, I’ll be with you.”
We wish Fr. McGowan all the best in his new ministry at St. Clement’s Mission House in Ephrata, PA!
