Thank you, Father West
To live a life of service is to live a life that reaches beyond the margins, beyond the edges of the maps of human hearts and lives, to make an impact that is eternal.
This is the life of service to God, to the Church, to people of every walk of life, and to the community, that Father Gregory West of Saint Clare of Assisi Catholic Church has been living for four decades. This July marks his 35th ordination anniversary, a luminous life of lived-out faith, sharing God's light with people around the world and here on Daniel Island.
Under his faithful leadership, Saint Clare of Assisi is a beacon of faith, love, fraternity, compassion, hope, and grace in our local community.
He has been, and is, a pastor, shepherd, friend, spiritual guide and advisor to countless souls. He has walked the journey of accompaniment with those struggling with tragedy and loss, those celebrating joyous milestones, and those coming to the Catholic Church for the first time, such as myself. I have only been a part of the Saint Clare family for a short time, but my life is forever blessed by Father West and the community at Saint Clare.
Father West mentioned in a recent homily that most Catholics have a particular priest who was especially impactful in their lives, who left a mark of grace, and was a profound blessing – for me, and for myriad others, that priest is Father West.
We are an unbroken chain of grateful hearts, blessed to know him, to have his wisdom and faithful Christian leadership affect and influence our lives. I am but one of the innumerable souls forever impacted, helped and blessed by his life, by him saying "yes" to God, and by his vocation and ministry.
My name may be on the byline of this piece but every single parishioner at Saint Clare of Assisi, and every heart who has ever met Father West and been blessed by his kindness, wisdom, faithfulness, and shepherd's soul, would have written the same words and expressed the same sentiments and gratitude.
Thank you, Father West, from all of us. Thank you for saying yes to God. All of our lives are better for it. Eternally.
Michelle Lindsey
Daniel Island