May 3, 2025

Dear Friends,

I am writing to share with you a letter from Archbishop Etienne, in which he announces his appointment of Father Gary Lazzeroni as the next pastor of St. James Cathedral, beginning July 1, 2025. Father Gary is a good friend and I couldn't be happier with this choice.

Needless to say, after nearly four decades as your pastor, this is a challenging moment for me and, to be honest, one I had never allowed myself to imagine. But it had to happen sometime! I am grateful to the Archbishop for naming me Pastor Emeritus, and to Father Lazzeroni for inviting me to continue have a ministerial presence at the Cathedral.

I will have the opportunity to talk more about this moment in my homily at Masses this weekend (except at Noon Mass, when we celebrate First Holy Communions!). I hope to see you there.

I know I can count on your prayers during this time of transition—and you can certainly count on mine.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Father Michael G. Ryan

Pastor