Keep Father Thom Miller at Sacred Heart/St. Raphael Parish

When Father Thom gave me a special blessing at mass he told me that he wished for me to be the happiest girl in the world. I will never forget it. He is also very funny and nice. It would be sad to see him go.

I’m an altar server and student at sacred heart and Father Thom is a very kind to new or younger servers and students. He makes sure that everyone is comfortable and happy and is a very good addition to our church

I was staying with my family the gerencirs who are parishioners at sacred heart and whose children attend the school and I attended mass there from December to March and found fr Tom to be welcoming. I was particularly impressed with the baptisms that were held during mass which fr Tom instituted there. It would be a shame for him to be transferred.

Pope Francis himself speaks quite often on what I see Fr. Thom to exemplify at Mass, and that is the need for us to remember to encounter Christ with joy in our hearts - not fear, or sadness, or arrogance, or doom, or judgement but joy! As a 2nd grade teacher at Sacred Heart School, I have the unique opportunity to be witness to my students making this joyful encounter every day at school. My wish for our community is that we could all come to the sacred altar with the same innocence and purity of heart as these kids. Just last week as I was preparing my students for Stations of the Cross, one of them raised his hand and asked, “What if I forget to kneel?” I could see the look of concern on his face. My answer was what my mother always told me - God knows your heart. God also won’t judge you if you forget to kneel! I do believe that God does know our hearts. I also believe that God is not judging us if a prayer isn’t said quite right or if a song is sung out of order. I think it’s also important to remember that the altar is not a stage. This is absolutely not a place for us to be seen. The altar is a sacred and holy place for us all to come forward, to receive the body and blood of Christ and to humbly leave that space and go back out into the world with a heart full of joy. Father Thom has done a beautiful job reminding us of this. I can assure you that my students love coming to Mass, they love to sing and pray and experience all of this with Fr. Thom as their priest.

A man who reaches out to everyone, He has a generous heart and shows a genuine interest in all he meets. Our church needed this.

I am a Parish member.

Letter forthcoming

I am surprised that this decision has been made behind the scenes without the input of all parishioners. Fr. Thom has brought a wonderful spirit to our parish. He is connecting to people in a very human and caring way. He is approachable and help me see how Christ and the church can help in my everyday life. It would be a loss to have him leave without giving him enough time to become an integral part of our parish.

This has come as a complete and unwelcome shock to our family and the many parishioners I spoke with after mass today. I urge Bishop Zubik to speak with parishioners and reverse this decision. We need Fr. Thom at our parish.

I do not want Father Thom reassigned. Father is kind, generous and welcoming to all. His positive message has been a blessing to my family.

Fr. Thom is one of the most pastoral people- ordained or not- I've ever met. This action is opaque- the opposite of the transparency Catholics are now demanding of our ordained members.

I am 17 and have been a member of Sacred Heart my entire life. I have NEVER felt as welcomed or as interested in my faith as I have since Fr. Thom arrived. Moving him would destroy any semblance of faith that I am somehow left with after 13 years of dealing with our former pastor and most recently the sex abuse scandal.

Please keep Father Thom.

I think that he always comes to visit us in class and shows that he cares. He's always happy.

Our children attend Sacred Heart Elementary. We do not need another change!!

The bishop needs to go

I am on Pastoral Council. I am am a E.M. I belong to KofC and active within the Parish. This is a complete mystery to me.

I am requesting that you take another look at your decision to reassign Fr. Thom Miller. He is trying to develop our spirituality with encouragement and a caring love for us. He is effective in reaching our felt need for a shepherd.

Father Thom has been so welcoming and caring to the parishioners and children of Sacred Heart. I've never talked to so many parishioners who've felt so content with a new priest.

Father Thom is a refreshing change and lovely role model.