A Letter from Fr. Solon

July 13, 2022

Dear Members and Friends of Saint John’s,

I do hope that your summer is off to a restful and relaxing start. We can be thankful that it hasn’t been too hot yet, although of course we’re just getting started.

As you might recall, it was with a great leap of faith that your Vestry called me to serve as your Priest-in-Charge in October of 2020. We were still closed. We weren’t sure when we would re-open at all. But we knew that we had to act, trusting in God to show us the way forward. And for nearly two years now we’ve served the Diocese as one of the most vibrant small Anglo-Catholic parishes around. Unfortunately, our parish finances have not rebounded as we had hoped, prayed, and requested. This past spring, it was recognized that our current spending was unsustainable, because we were drawing far more than was safe from our endowment for all our expenses. And so the Vestry made the difficult decision to not request the Bishop to renew our Letter of Agreement when it expires at the end of September of this year.

As a result, and in order to help save more money for the parish even before my term ends, I have resigned as your Priest-in-Charge, and the Vestry and the Bishop have accepted my resignation. My last Sunday that I will be with you is Sunday, July 24. In the meantime, I look forward to being with you on both Sundays. The Vestry has permitted me to remain resident in the rectory for a time yet, and I would be delighted to meet with you by phone, zoom, or in-person in the days ahead, if you so wish.

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to Mr. Ernesto Muñoz at 973-715-6878 or Mrs. Lystra Huntley at 862-249-5695. My own number will remain 973-826-2175 for the time being, or you may email me at frsolon@sjcpassaic.org.

Faithfully,

(The Rev.) Robert F. Solon, Jr.

Priest-in-Charge