Since Fr. Graeme Blackburn’s tragic death on Monday night we have been united in grief: Graeme’s mother Erin (above embracing Graeme at his ordination last year) and all Graeme’s family, his many friends, our diocesan family especially parishioners at his Sockburn parish of Our Lady of Victories, and his brothers in the priesthood in Christchurch and throughout New Zealand.

Following the ordination Food For Faith produced a brief video in which Graeme with Huynh & Alister reflected on their experience of God leading them to this point. We titled the video “searching” since this is what all healthy humans do, and what the priest continues to do after his ordination: searching for God.

Our prayer in these days, while we are the ones left searching to find meaning in this tragedy, our sure and certain hope is that Graeme has now met face to face with Jesus, and in Jesus has found the intimacy of relationship that is the goal of all human searching.

I thought you might appreciate seeing the video again.