To our Newman family:
From Leah, Jerry, and myself: thank you! We are overwhelmed (in the best way) by both your generosity to us and your kind wishes for our future. We are also very thankful for the appreciation expressed for our work at the Newman Center. While we are sad to leave the place where our family has grown since its beginning, we are so happy to know that we have been able to help a community that has consistently helped us during our years in western New York.
Leah and I both came to Buffalo from other states; in the Newman community, we met wonderful persons who readily and enthusiastically cared for us and mentored us. Without you, our life in New York would have been much less fulfilling in so many ways. When Jerry was born, he gained countless adoptive grandparents; your simple acts of kindness and affection for him have enriched his life and benefitted Leah and I tremendously. All of us are thankful for the relationships we gained at Newman
Writing for myself, I want to especially thank the Newman community (and, of course, Fr. Pat) for welcoming in a very young and somewhat pedantic graduate student back in August of 2017. I was completely unaware of the part Newman was to play in my life; at the time, I was more concerned with why the local priest’s hair was so long. Because of Newman – because of all of you who have impacted and shaped my life over the last decade – I matured, became the nascent scholar and inquiring mind I am today, and gained a deep appreciation for the simple gospel values practiced by the community: a consistent ethic of hospitality, justice, and love for the other.
While the three of us are moving away from western New York, Newman’s impact on our lives will remain close to us. We will miss all of you, and we can only hope to find another community here in Michigan that inspires our minds, hearts, and hands as fully as did all of you, the community of the UB Newman Center.
With gratitude, warmth, and love;
Josh, Leah, and Jerry